When Panic Attacks!

When panic attacks you, it can attack suddenly and forcefully. I know from personal experience. Nearly ten years ago, hit by my first panic attack in the middle of the night, I learned that when panic attacks, it can be nothing short of terrifying:

• My heart rate went from normal to nearly double that, pounding so hard that my head moved on the pillow.
• I felt very afraid, and tried to remember what I was dreaming as I awoke. Had a nightmare caused this? Surely that was it!
• Breathing became somehow different, though I could not define in what way.
• Then came the heat, causing me to throw off the blankets.
• Minutes later, I shivered with chills.

When panic attacks you like that, you can easily believe you are having a heart attack or that something else is about to end your life. You may wonder, when panic attacks, whether you should call an ambulance or have someone drive you to the hospital. Should you lie still so the problem does not get worse – or get up and exercise it away?

It took two hours to get to sleep again, and only exhaustion made me close my eyes. That’s another part of what happens when panic attacks.

Define Panic Attack

The Mayo Clinic people define panic attack as “a sudden episode of intense fear that develops for no apparent reason and that triggers severe physical reactions.”

When panic attacks, it does not differentiate between genders. Both men and women can experience the problem, but reported incidences are greater among women. That may mean that more women experience them, or it may mean that men are more reluctant to report them.

Some physicians write that when panic attacks, it is a sign of a medical condition, but read further and you learn that they mean mental health. They then go on to cite stress or traumatic events as triggers that bring on the panic attack disorder.

Should You Worry?

When panic attacks occur, they change your quality of life. When panic attacks at night, it interferes with sleep patterns. When panic attacks in the day, it can interfere with activities such as dining out, shopping, and employment. So should you worry?

No! Worry never helps, and when panic attacks are triggered by stress, worry will only make the problem worse. Make an appointment with your physician and present all the detail you can about the panic attack. Ask him or her to check for other medical problems that might cause the same symptoms.

Seek Medical Help

It is not my style to go to a doctor for anything other than serious problems. When panic attacks increased over the years, however, I finally took occasion to mention symptoms to my husband’s cardiologist. He took immediate action to rule out heart problems, scheduling several extensive tests. It was a relief when they all came back negative, and I was less concerned when panic attacks occurred the next week.

Treatments that help when panic attacks are the subject of another article, and I will not get into them here. Suffice it to say that the cardiologist did help me.

CAUTION: It is very important that you see your primary care physician immediately when panic attacks. He or she will be able to determine whether what you view as panic attack symptoms have a deeper cause.