Having a panic attack is when you feel like you are about the have a heart attack. It can be a burden on your life. You may especially experience this if you are in a public place where you feel helpless. It is essential to recognize the triggers that lead to a panic attack and to know that it will pass.
What is a Panic Attack?
A panic attack is a sudden rush of intense dread or distress. You can experience dizziness, sweating, racing heart, chest pain, disorientation, labored breathing, shaking, and numbness. You experience typical, racing thoughts that last five to ten minutes that include the fear of going crazy, doing something uncontrollable or scared of dying. The truth is that those suffering a panic attack are not dying or having a nervous breakdown. What is happening is adrenaline is filling your blood. The adrenaline makes it respond as if there is a threat present, protecting your body and helping you escape. Your mind may know that there is no threat, but your body ignores this. Part of you wants to run, but the other part wants to stay where you are.
What Triggers a Panic Attack?
There may not be a direct trigger to a panic attack. It can either be by chemical and hormonal imbalances, lack of sleep, drugs, alcohol, and caffeine. A trigger can be stress that has occurred over the past six to eight months. It can also come from a task or a challenge that you think is too big for you and that you do not have enough skills to solve. During your first panic attack, you may go to the emergency room and referred to a primary care doctor.
How Can I Avoid Panic Attacks?
The best way to relieve your panic attacks is by getting enough sleep and exercise. While Klonopin and Xanax are useful on occasion in the same situations, like flying on an airplane, you should not be taking them frequently. If you feel the need to take them regularly, you may have a panic disorder. This disorder, according to the National Institute of Mental Health, affects six million Americans. The more you worry about a panic attack, the more your anxiety will increase. It is best to stay away from people, situations, and places that can trigger a panic attack. When you get anxiety treatment, you will learn what your triggers are. You will also learn that the panic will eventually fade.
Get Anxiety Treatment Today
At Bayview Recovery, we offer anxiety treatment as part of our mental health programs. Because some people choose to self-medicate anxiety through alcohol or other substances, we also provide a variety of addiction treatment, including:
At our facility in Tacoma, Washington, the mission is to offer clinically-driven programs and services to treat your substance abuse and mental health disorders. We use cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, trauma therapy, yoga therapy, and more for a successful recovery. To learn more, please call 855.478.3650. We are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We want to help you. Call us today.
Dr. Dave Cundiff, MD, MPH (Medical Reviewer)
