Anxiety Attach Symptoms

When experiencing a panic attack for the first time it may be very difficult to identify the symptoms unless you’ve heard someone talking about them before or you’ve read some information on the condition. Palpitations and chest tightness are two of the first anxiety attack symptoms, but if experienced separately without any other manifestation they could indicate heart disease. Throat dryness, accelerated sweating, shortness of breath and hyperventilation as well as a feeling of suffocation go hand in hand with heart pounding. Some people also experience dizziness, faintness, jiggling and trembling in the limbs together with an incredible panic that death is just around the corner and coming.

The severity of the anxiety attack symptoms is incredible and explained by the swift reaction of the central nervous system to the imminence of danger. A psychological factor or trigger is responsible for unleashing the ordeal you’re put through, but this could also be the response to a real physical on the edge situation. Under the influence of this intense stimulation, the cardiovascular system is the first that leaps into action, generating a first wave of anxiety attack symptoms. The heart pumps blood towards the extremities preparing the body for running or for fighting; plus, the blood vessels get constricted in less used body parts such as the skin.

This would explain one of the minor anxiety attack symptoms: paleness. The mouth, the kidneys and the digestive system also experience the blood vessel constriction which causes mouth dryness. The body needs to get cooled down, which in fact explains why during such a panic episode you sweat a lot. Plus, another normal reaction of the body to the nervous command is to lighten the load in the digestive tract, which can easily cause an intense or rapid bowel movement as well as an upset stomach.

All the other anxiety attack symptoms represent normal body reactions in the face of danger. The need for superior oxygenation levels is manifest in the accelerated breath or breath shortness. If you have more air you can scream louder. Then, the brain secrets endorphins that represent the most intense natural pain reliever, which means that the body gets prepared for an intense physical effort that should not be hindered by sore joints. The perception system sharpens, the pupils get dilated to enhance vision and more energy is burned, all for the purpose of facing the danger that causes fear. Consequently, the anxiety attack symptoms represent the normal body preparations when sensing fear.

Filed Under: Anxiety