The short and obvious answer: panic attacks are caused by high anxiety.
But, what exactly is anxiety? Understanding how anxiety crops up will help you defeat panic attacks.
Anxiety is probably the most basic of all emotions. While anxiety, by its nature, is an unpleasant sensation, it is not by any means dangerous.
One of the biggest myths surrounding anxiety is that it is harmful and can lead to a number of various life-threatening conditions.
The simple reason as to why there are panic attack is due to a high
Definition of Anxiety
Anxiety is defined as a state of apprehension or fear resulting from the anticipation of a real or imagined threat, event, or situation. It is one of the most common human emotions experienced by people at some point in their lives.
However, most people who have never experienced a panic attack, or extreme anxiety, fail to realize the terrifying nature of the experience. Extreme dizziness, blurred vision, tingling and feelings of breathlessness—and that’s just the tip of the iceberg!
When these sensations occur and people do not understand why, they feel they have contracted an illness, or a serious mental condition. The threat of losing complete control seems very real and naturally very terrifying.
The fight or flight response, as a root cause in a panic attack?
I'm sure people heard the phrase fight or flight response once in their lifetime and know the explanation as to why it cause a panic attack. Did you have any ideas how it connects to the uncommon sensation that people keeps on experiencing during as well as after panic attacks?
The anxiety, its people's response in threats or danger. It's named due to the effects being aimed towards fleeing or fighting from harmful events. So, the only aim of anxiety will be in protecting people away from dangerous events. It seems very ironic because you feel that anxiety causes you grave danger... maybe its the very significant in all causes in a panic attack.
But, anxiety with its fight or flight response being created, its important in a day to day survival in the ancient ancestor, if they face danger, with an immediate response that will be propelling them in taking sudden actions like fleeing or attacking. Even with today's high tech world, these responses are still needed. It is very useful if you'll need to respond in a threat or danger in just split seconds.
Drinking A Lot Causes Panic Attacks
Drinking one glass of wine, beer and one shot whiskey. This type of drinks are said to remove the pain away, even for a little time, isn't it? If you drink a little bit of beer in a weekend or during parties, people believe when drinking, it will eventually relax you. It can be, so when does alcohol fit to trigger panic attacks?
What we need is in taking some closer observation on what does alcohol do to your body as well as in your brain in order to understand it.
Drinking alcohol in small amounts cannot cause you any panic problems. However, there are people who drinks in large amount or doses every time and quite in a regular basis. When drinking alcohol too much, it can lead to body as well as brain malfunction.
Alcohol drains the body, with the valuable vitamins and minerals. And what happens? This deplete your body the ability in feeling normal or calm down due to the fact of not producing neurochemicals that is necessary to do this functions.
Alcohol impairs the liver. So, what will be a big problem with that?
The liver, it's also an organ responsible in making gaba, neurotransmitters and serotonin, its function is in calming you and keeping you to have a panic attack. Haven't you noticed if you keep on drinking on small amounts, you can feel somewhat relaxed however the following day or next days afterward you will have a panic attack.
So you already know
The panic attacks have been reported, with the data of children suffering from this condition. Although there's still few data due to low frequency of reporting in this type of situation. Many adults seems to just ignore or dismiss it because they do not understand as to why a child suffers this type of attack. If a panic attack is not diagnosed properly during the early lifetime years it will be evolving to so much problem when the child is already grown up. A panic attack in a child stems out to so many factors like fear, worry, terror as well as dread or the perceived threats in future time.
The symptoms triggering an attack in a child are: the feeling of fear, rapid beating of heart, vertigo, shaking all over (that feeling of surrealistic or unrealistic imaginations, fear in being insane or in death), and incapable to breath properly. In general, an adolescent can have more tendency to this type of attacks however it can also be seen with young kids too. The history of your family having panic attacks will increase chances of children in experiencing the disorder.
You must have heard about rumors concerning the effects of caffeine that causes a panic attack, but is it really true?
There are people who drink too much caffeine everyday. Drinking tea or coffee that seems there won't be a next day. But in regards to your question, does caffeine gives a triggering effect or maybe to contribute on the early stages of your panic attack?
In accordance to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, caffeine contributes an adverse effect to your health but the center does not specifically mention the triggering effect in panic attacks, but to have some warning sign at the products with caffeine is really an excellent idea to those who suffer panic attacks.
Most people know caffeine's effect in triggering a panic attack will be different in each cases, however the specialists on anxiety disorder are recommending that the people who are prone with attacks avoid drinking caffeine. Honestly speaking, it will take discipline to avoid caffeine with people who has panic attacks, most especially if they are addicted to caffeinated drinks. And bear in mind that when you avoid caffeine in your life, sometimes there will be a withdrawal symptoms, it includes being easily fatigue and have headaches, which lasts for several days.
Someone with a lower function of adrenaline in their body, a consumption of caffeine leads to panic attacks due to the fact that it intervenes with adenosine, its a chemical in the brain that we use in our body to relax us.
Caffeine raises the levels of lactate and its a popular factor to produce a panic attack. The caffeine is found at teas, coffees and chocolates too. It can also be seen in some soft drinks. A single coffee serving contains to about one hundred milligrams of caffeine while tea can contain to about thirty to forty milligrams.
For example, just bringing something out, for a fact, it will only take 2-3 coffee servings in order for you to raise the rate of your heart. Just take note of this, if your starting to become anxious, it will easily prone you with an attack. So, to become safer for you and everyone in your family who are having panic attacks, limit your drinking of caffeinated drinks.
To wake up during nighttime in a terrified, shaking, panicking and sweating with terror will be something that nobody can be accustomed with. Your nighttime panic attacks that becomes a usual thing, turning out to become a day-to-day routine. A small amount of nightcap that tortures you before settling down to such dreamless night sleep.
Every people with panic attacks, they know that sleep panic attacks lay down at the clouds full of fog awaiting to just spring-up or surprise them. The worse part on panic attacks during sleep time will be the feeling of helplessness. Studies that has been developed proves that a panic attack during sleeping time are different from common nightmares, which ordinary people are experiencing during sleep.
When a panic attack begins during nighttime, its another dimension. There is a need for changing plans and make a new strategy controlling sleep attacks that highly hit.
When you wake from a nocturnal or "sleep" panic attack, you suffer the same symptoms you do during the daily ones. However, the unexpected nature of the nighttime attack takes you off guard. You must immediately brace yourself and recognize what is happening. The symptoms are the same:
If your waking during nighttime and have sleep attacks, you'll suffer a similar symptom comparing to day time type of panic attack. But, the unexpectedness of this attack will caught you unaware. You need to immediately stabilize yourself, recognize what's about to occur. Here are some symptoms:
1. A fast beating heart.
2. Both extremities become numb
3. Complete as well as uttered fear
4. Disoriented and shakes uncontrollably
5. Dizzy
6. Become extremely fatigue
This type of attack will surely not be a good type of situation.
Any parents seeing their child suffer, it might be overwhelming for both of you. To understand more facts concerning panic attacks on younger children can be a big help in letting you know what's happening. It will help you on dealing with your child's problem instead of just standing helplessly when the condition attacks. Stress will keep on continuing, intensifying to both child and you. Since you do not know as to when the condition triggers every picnics might be hard to delight with.
You as a parent can assist the doctors in finding what is triggering the panic attack of your child. To observe what's going during, before as well as after attacks are very beneficial in statistical data to deal with the treatment process. Patterns might emerge on certain cases that might continue on being part on a panic attack. When your child is going to the school, the teachers need documenting that details too.
1. Give yourself a break, which is free from stressful things for a day or two - to work hard with no day-off will most likely trigger your panic attacks. Be sure that you will have a 15 minutes break during the day and another during lunchtime. It can be a good solution, in dealing with panic attacks.
2. Do some exercises in daily basis- it helps in relieving stress, panic attacks, and depression. An exercise is releasing endorphin to our system; this hormone gives you a boost. It's providing you time to relax and not sulk on your problems or troubles, it can let you carry out the correct type of exercise.
Sports like tennis, squash, circuit training and badminton; they are excellent samples in dealing with panic attacks, choose which of this works good for you. It is very important if you don't sulk over things when your exercising, it can benefit your fitness physically but you're still stressing over things, so it won't help you and makes things worse.
3. Stop telling negative things to yourself- have you imagined stressing yourself with negative thoughts that keeps you lonely and burdened all day long? The feeling of pity, that there's nothing you can do will give you depression, eroded confidence or esteem. You shouldn't tell yourself of being worthless, boring, loser, ugly, stupid and many more. Don't be convinced with the thought that people hates you and others are finding it difficult in having you around so it's better of that your alone.
Can you imagine telling that kind of words to other people? So you need to face the reality that it's not also acceptable for you telling it to yourself, most especially that you're dealing with panic attacks. The types of words or phrases are very powerful, it will deeply wound you. Accept the fact that you are prone to make mistakes every people do one way or another.
