No one really knows what causes panic attacks. When our mind believes there is danger, our body goes into “flee or fight” mode. We start to breathe heavily, our pulse rate quickens and we get a burst of energy to fight off the enemy. The enemy is all in our heads unfortunately. A panic attacks is a result of a perceived but not real danger. Stopping panic attacks is not hard – don’t feel like you can’t do anything about them.
A panic attacks creates many of the symptoms of a heart attacks. You can have chest pain or tightness in the chest, a fast heartbeat and labored breathing. Many first timers end up in the emergency room thinking they are about to die. Besides those symptoms, a panic attack sufferer has an intense feeling of terror or fear.
You can suffer a panic attack anywhere. It starts to build slowly with a feeling of impending doom and overwhelming fear. No place is safe, you can be in your car or sound asleep. You can be in the middle of a relaxed conversation when it happens.
There is evidence that panic attacks can run in the family. You could be more susceptible than others because someone in your family suffered from anxiety disorder, depression or bipolar disorder. Stopping panic attacks is possible, you do not have to continue to suffer.
Major life events and physical illness can bring on panic attacks. There are also medicines that can trigger something in your brain and cause a panic attack. After your first panic attack, you live in fear of another. Usually it happens because you are so worried about having another attack that you bring one on. Get some help in stopping panic attacks and reduce the fear.
Other reasons people get panic attacks are:
- Depression
- Alcohol or other drug abuse
- Too much nicotine or caffeine
You can learn how to stop panic attacks, even if you don’t know what actually caused it. Keep in mind that people don’t die from panic attacks. Once it starts you need to start breathing deeply and think calming thoughts. You body is trying to fight an ill-perceived threat. It can be a rough 10 or 20 minutes, but you can make it through. Read on to find out how stopping panic attacks before they started is possible.
Most people believe that stress is what causes panic attacks. Stopping panic attacks is possible if you find out what is stressing you out and start working on that. You may not think that you are stressed. Do some internal thinking and talk to your doctor about lowering your stress. Find ways to eliminate what is going on in your life that might be creating stressful situations.
Don’t let panic attacks get in the way of your normal day to day activities. Learning how to confront and overcome the feelings that trigger the attack will keep them at bay.
