Understanding and Managing Panic Attacks

Every year, about 11 percent of the population experiences a panic attack. As per the National Institute of Mental Health, about 2.7 percent of US adults had panic disorder in the last year. Because panic attacks are accompanied by intense physiological symptoms, they can feel very frightening, thereby affecting your quality of life. While you can’t predict when you’ll experience a panic attack, understanding them can help you manage symptoms. Let’s have a look at what a panic attack is, what causes it, and ways to manage and prevent it.

What Are Panic Attacks?

It’s a brief period of immense status anxiety when you experience fear and accompanying physiological symptoms. Common symptoms include sweating, rapid heart rate, trembling, nausea, and shortness of breath. Panic attacks can occur suddenly and without any influence from an external threat. While the attack itself lasts for a few minutes, the physical and emotional effects can linger for a couple of hours.

Experiencing frequent and prolonged panic attacks can affect your brace ability to function. You may feel the need to avoid situations in which you could potentially experience a panic attack, like being alone or leaving your home.

Risk Factors for Panic Attacks

Knowing what makes you susceptible to panic attacks can help you manage and prevent them. Some of the most common risk factors include:

• Excessive stress is caused by a traumatic event such as an accident, natural disaster, or sexual assault.
• Having a family history of panic disorder or frequent panic attacks can increase the likelihood of experiencing an attack as well.
• Changes in neurochemistry, such as a serotonin or dopamine imbalance, can impact your mood and anxiety levels.
• Major life stressors such as the death of a loved one or loss of a job can trigger a panic attack.

Having a preexisting mental health condition, like an anxiety disorder or ADHD, can make you susceptible to experiencing panic attacks. In that case, you can get behavioral conditions like ADHD treated by United Recovery.

How To Manage a Panic Attack

Whether you struggle with frequent panic attacks or have only experienced them once, knowing how to manage them can help relieve symptoms. Keep the following strategies in mind:

Try deep breathing

When you’re in the middle of a panic attack, it’s easy to lose track of your breathing. Deep breathing techniques like the 4-7-8 method can help control your symptoms.

• Take a deep breath slowly, make sure you inhale for 4 seconds
• Hold your breath for at least 7 seconds
• Exhale slowly over the course of 8 seconds

Studies indicate that deep breathing can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and suppress the stress response.

Have some water

Dehydration can exacerbate anxiety, so staying hydrated can help prevent panic attacks. Sipping on cold water during a panic attack can also act as a grounding technique, allowing you to focus on a specific stimulus. Cold water can also help you feel more present as you focus on its temperature and how it feels in your throat.

Move somewhere quiet

Noisy and crowded spaces can cause you to feel overwhelmed, exacerbating your symptoms of a panic attack if you get one. In fact, exposure to excessive stimuli, whether they’re sounds, smells, or sights, can contribute to sensory overload. It’s recommended to move someplace quieter if you’re feeling overwhelmed with the noise in a specific place.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Not only does panic and anxiety cause muscle tension, but it works the other way around as well. Muscle tension can feed into your anxiety, making it harder for you to calm down. Progressive muscle relaxation is an effective mind-body technique that calms your mind by calming the body. It involves tensing and relaxing different muscles to relieve muscle tension and, consequently, psychological stress.

Try the 5-4-3-2-1 method.

When you’re going through a panic attack, anxious feelings can take over your thoughts. This technique is a grounding exercise that can bring you back to the present and combat feelings of anxiety. It requires you to focus on your surroundings and identifying

• 5 things you see, like the wall in front of you or the color of your sneakers
• 4 things you can hold or touch, like the watch on your wrist or the texture of your jeans
• 3 things you hear, like sounds of traffic or music over the radio
• 2 things you smell, like a co-worker’s perfume or disinfectant used to mop the floors
• 1 thing you taste, like the aftertaste of morning coffee or toothpaste.

Preventing Future Panic Attacks

In addition to knowing how to manage panic attacks, you can also take protective measures to prevent panic attacks:

• Avoiding triggers such as crowded spaces when you’re stressed can help prevent panic attacks.
• Regular exercise can stabilize your mood and reduce anxiety levels over time, which can help reduce the frequency and severity of panic attacks.
• Cutting back on foods that increase cortisol and adrenaline levels can reduce the number of panic attacks you experience over time. This includes caffeine, alcohol, foods made from white flour, and processed foods containing high amounts of sugar.
• Meditation can improve mindfulness, allowing you to be more aware of your thoughts and sensations. This allows you to recognize early signs of a panic attack and take protective measures accordingly.

Seeing a mental health practitioner can help you start building coping skills to manage panic attack symptoms and improve your ability to function.

Conclusion

Panic attacks are brief episodes when you experience intense fear accompanied by sensations like sweating, trembling, and rapid heart rate. Common risk factors include high-stress levels, experiencing traumatic events, and preexisting conditions. You can manage a panic attack using strategies like progressive muscle relaxation, Muscle nation grounding techniques, and deep breathing. It’s also recommended to take preventative measures like consulting a mental health practitioner, exercising regularly, and reducing your intake of foods that increase anxiety levels.

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