What Anxiety Attacks Look Like

By Author: Thomas Strickland
Total Articles: 102
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Stress is a normal part of life, and one that many of us have just gotten accustomed to. While stress is perfectly normal, and in fact healthy, when it progresses to a more intense state it can severely impact the quality of our life. When stress progresses, it reaches a state called anxiety, and this can create a number of conditions or experiences that greatly impair with every day functioning. Left untreated, anxiety can be debilitating. Prolonged anxiety is not going to just go away, and could even cause more serious health problems. If you think your every day stress may be getting to a state that needs some help, read this article to find out what anxiety looks like, and what it feels like if you are experiencing an anxiety attack. It may just be a matter of getting the right treatment to nip those attacks in the bud.

Anxiety is a natural response and one our body provides when we are feeling stressed or under stress. It begins as a chemical and ends as an emotion, meaning it starts with the production of adrenaline pumping through your bodies and will end with that feeling stressed and anxious state. This hormone, ...
... adrenaline, is responsible for helping people perform at their optimal function, but it also functions as a fight or flight hormone as well. It is this hormone that will make you feel like running away for example if you are feeling threatened. When you are experiencing anxious states frequently and for long periods of time, you will have excess adrenaline in your body which creates other problems such as an anxiety attack, or a panic attack.

Many people will find themselves going to the ER when they experience their first anxiety attack, because the symptoms are very similar to the symptoms of a heart attack. Symptoms of an anxiety attack include breathing difficulties, sweating, shaking, dry mouth, nausea, heart palpitations, chest pains, vomiting, dizziness, and tightening over the chest. Not every anxiety attack will include these symptoms, but frequently at least two or three of these symptoms are present.

This list of symptoms is also not an exhaustive list of symptoms, as every person will experience an anxiety attack somewhat differently than the next. Every person will also experience these symptoms at different intensities as well. It is important to understand that anxiety attacks and heart attacks look very similar for many different reasons, but their severities are very similar. Even though an anxiety attack may not be a heart attack, it is still just as serious and must be treated as soon as possible.
Treatment for anxiety attacks will begin with treating the underlying anxiety, and there are a number of ways that this can be done. If anxiety is not a severe or persistent condition, many people can find their anxiety attacks diminishing by simply making adjustments in their lives with more exercise, relaxation, and sleep. Some people however may need to talk to their doctor about medication such as Valium, if anxiety attacks are becoming frequent and disrupting the quality of life. Nobody should feel upset for asking for help when it comes to anxiety. Treatment is so easy with medication such as Valium, and letting anxiety attacks go untreated for too long can seriously impair your health.