Is It a Panic Attack or Heart Attack?

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Panic attack is the sudden feeling of apprehension and worry that strikes an individual.
It often comes from nowhere and can occur any time.
It is one of the leading health problems in the United States.
There are many types of panic attack symptoms.
They are quite similar to symptoms of heart attack although less dangerous.
The symptoms of panic attack are usually manifested on the outside.
These include shortness of breath and racing of the heart which result in chest pains.
The chest pains make panic attacks very similar to heart attacks.
The individual suffering from panic attacks will also experience numbness which usually affects their mobility.
Also, hot or clod flashes are common in people having a panic disorder episode.
These are accompanied by sweating and nausea.
Persons having a panic disorder also experience mental processes which include detachment from their surroundings as well as a fear of dying or going crazy.
The symptoms should last for around 10 minutes.
These symptoms are similar to what the individual may experience when in danger.
However, in this case, the danger is not real.
Panic disorders start in the brain.
A situation is necessary to trigger it into starting the panic disorder.
For example, a person who witnessed a road accident while they were about to cross the road might usually avoid crossing roads with traffic.
The sight of a road or thought of the accident might trigger the panic attack.
The brain makes the person believe that a road or car will cause them harm or death.
This triggers release of adrenaline into the bloodstream.
Adrenaline is a hormone which is more commonly referred to as fight or flight hormone.
It works by providing instant energy to the muscles to necessitate and sudden action required.
Release of adrenaline will result in a high demand for oxygen in the body.
This in turn results in two things.
First the lungs needing to take in more air while at the same time wanting to remove excess oxygen.
Second, the heart starts pumping faster to facilitate the fast transportation of oxygen to the muscles.
The two activities usually cause the chest pains.
Because of the oxygen shortage in the brain, the individual will start feeling dizzy and nauseated.
High levels of adrenaline in the muscles results in numbness.
This is similar to the numbness athletes experience after a race.
The body needs a lot of oxygen to relieve this condition.
These high levels of adrenaline also result in the trembling and shaking, sweating as well as hot or cold flashes.
The mental processes happening in the brain result in the person having fear of dying as well as detachment from their surrounding.
It is necessary to work on both the physical and mental manifestations of panic attack.
The physical manifestations can be brought under control by calming the person down and helping them to perform deep breathing exercises to ensure the body has enough oxygen.
For the mental panic attack symptoms, it will be necessary to have therapeutic and medical attention.
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