Panic Attacks And Panic Disorders
Panic disorder is characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks episodes of sudden fear and feelings of danger or impending doom, along with physical symptoms. The illness may be accompanied by depression or other serious conditions because the effects on peoples lives are not just limited to the attack itself. Some people avoid everyday activities such as driving or shopping, for fear of experiencing a panic attack in a potentially dangerous setting. Others avoid any other environment where they had such an attack in the past.
Panic disorders symptoms include: Repeated, unexpected panic attacks episodes of sudden fear and feelings of danger or impending doom, along with physical symptoms such as heart palpitations, chest pain, lightheadedness or dizziness, nausea, shortness of breath, feelings of imminent danger, shaking or trembling, choking, fear of dying, sweating, feelings of unreality, numbness or tingling, hot flashes or chills, and a feeling of going crazy. Panic attacks strike without warning and usually last 15-30 minutes. Since many panic disorder symptoms mimic those found in illnesses such as heart disease, thyroid problems and breathing disorders, people with panic disorder often make multiple visits to emergency rooms or doctors’ offices, convinced they have a life-threatening illness.
What Can You Do About Trigger Points That Might Be Interfering With Respiration
Muscle trigger points are unpredictable and mysterious: exactly what they are and how to treat them is controversial. Sometimes they seem to melt as easily as ice cream in the sun, and so the first thing to try is just a little simple self-massage, or a warm bath, or both. The problem could be solved by a self-treatment as simple as digging with your thumbs into some aching muscles between your ribs. Voila no more shortness of breath! Ive seen it go like that many times, and even experienced it myself
My story: I am generally prone to muscle pain, and one of the most persistent specific challenges Ive had is with breathing pain not shortness of breath in my case, but breathing limited by pain. For about twenty years, I had routine episodes of strong pain that choked off my breath. Once every few days, I would be nearly paralyzed by it for several minutes, and sometimes nightmarish episodes of an hour or more. The pain would ease when I relaxed for long enough but its hard to relax when you cant breathe.
I recovered! I experimented with self-massage of my intercostals, discovered that I could easily stop any attack of this pain within a minute just by rubbing between the ribs near the pain.11 It was a revelation. Ive probably never been so happy to learn anything! Over a year or two, I massaged my intercostals regularly until I stopped having these episodes at all, and that benefit has now persisted for many years.
Lung Conditions Associated With Shortness Of Breath
Emphysema: This is a type of COPD that causes poor lung function and is most often caused by smoking. Not smoking or quitting is the best prevention and treatment, but COPD diseases can also be treated with antibiotics, inhaled steroids, and bronchodilators.
Asthma: Asthma is the inflammation of the airways causing them to narrow, which limits breathing and causes tightness in the chest and coughing. The severity of asthma ranges from person to person, and it is a fairly common condition. Asthma is a life-long condition, and it can be treated both short-term with inhalers and long-term with medications such as inhaled corticosteroids.
Pneumonia: Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes inflammation and fluid accumulation. Most types are contagious, and it can be life-threatening if not treated promptly. Pneumonia is treated with medications to alleviate symptoms and antibiotics.
Pulmonary edema: This condition is marked by excess fluid accumulation in the lungs and can be related to heart issues. Shortness of breath is the most common symptom of this condition, and it can be treated with medications and oxygen therapy.
Cold and Flu: Cold and flu viruses impact your airways and lungs and can cause congestion, which interferes with breathing. They can also cause fluid to enter the lungs, which will also cause shortness of breath as a result of inflamed airways. There is no treatment for viruses, so symptoms are treated to keep individuals comfortable.
Also Check: Is Depression A Anxiety Disorder
Easy To Follow Breathing Routine
There are ways to help deal with shortness of breath from anxiety. Try following these steps to get control of your breath.
- Start by making sure youre in a comfortable position. This can be sitting up or lying down, as long as youre on a flat surface with your head supported.
- Take one hand and place it around your belly button and put the other on your chest, near the center of your rib cage. Doing this will make it much easier to feel your breath as you inhale and exhale.
- Lower your shoulders and breath in through your nose to the count of four. If youre more experienced with breathwork, you can skip the count of four and breath in until your lungs are full.
- Hold your breath in for four to seven seconds.
- When its time to exhale, open your mouth and audibly let the breath out.
- Repeat this for up to ten minutes for the best results.
The Quality Of The Sensation And What It Might Mean
Many things contribute to a sensation of shortness of breath,7 and the symptom breaks down into three messily overlapping qualities, which are interesting but dont tell us much about whats going on, just a couple rough clues:
- Effort: a sensation of excessive work or effort to breathe, like breathing is just a slog. It is loosely associated with impairment of the muscular function and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease .
- Tightness: feeling tight may involve actual contstriction of airways as would occur in the early stages of an asthma attack . However, tightness can also be caused by actual spasticity of respiratory muscles, which could be ordinary muscle pain or more serious, like the infamous squeezing hug of multiple sclerosis.
- Air hunger: the most complex sensation, unsatisfied inspiration is described by patients in many ways, like starved for air or my breaths feel too small. Of the treatable causes, it is most clearly associated with anxiety. Although it sure doesnt feel like it, it can occur without any actual loss of respiratory capacity.
Don’t Miss: Will There Ever Be A Cure For Anxiety
How To Tell If You Have Coronavirus Or If You’re Experiencing Anxiety
Were navigating unprecedented times. As the novel coronavirus continues to spread across the globe, many of us have found ourselves stuck in a cycle of anxiety and fear. Is that tightness in your chest and the shortness of breath just your body reacting to the uncertainty around you, or could you have possibly picked up COVID-19?
Some of the symptoms associated with anxiety and COVID-19 can overlap. Because of that, it can be hard to determine what youre experiencing in the moment when youre spiraling. Heres what you need to know.
Can A Panic Attack Cause A Heart Attack
A panic attack will not cause a heart attack. A blockage in one or more of the blood vessels to the heart, which leads to an interruption of vital blood flow, causes a heart attack.
Although a panic attack will not cause a heart attack, stress and anxiety might play a role in the development of coronary artery disease.
Panic attacks can occur as isolated events or as part of an anxiety disorder.
Some research indicates that people with anxiety disorders may have an increased risk of developing heart disease due to low heart rate variability .
HRV is the time between each heartbeat. The autonomic nervous system controls the heart rate. The heart rate is meant to vary throughout the day, depending on a persons activities and emotions.
A high HRV indicates that a persons heart rate shifts efficiently throughout the day, based on what they are doing. It is also a sign that their autonomic nervous system is working well.
A low HRV means a persons heart does not switch gears as efficiently. Some studies associate a low HRV with an increased risk of heart disease.
In the researchers analysis of studies looking at HRV in people who were diagnosed with various types of anxiety disorder, including panic disorder, the results indicated the participants had a lower HRV than those without an anxiety disorder.
As the symptoms of panic attacks and heart attacks are similar, it is always best to seek immediate medical attention when in doubt.
Read Also: What To Do When Having Anxiety
The Connection In Shortness Of Breath & Anxiety: Explained
When you are anxious, you will either panic, feel restless, or even lose concentration and decision-making ability. Shortness of breath, heart rate spikes, sweating are some panic-related symptoms. So, letâs see how they could affect you. Fear is something that you will feel whenever you are threatened, So, this fear is associated with anxiety and can cause severe symptoms.
When you are afraid of someone or something, your brain will feel threatened and respond with a flight-or-fight reaction. This will further manipulate psychological and physical changes suddenly to protect you from the threatening situation. One such change caused by the chemical secretions of the brain is an increase in breathing speed. This usually happens to increase your bodyâs oxygen supply to fight back. But as a side effect, you may experience shortness of breath.
But at the first time, specialists and doctors will check for any other physical causes when diagnosed with breathing issues. When they couldnât identify such disorders, they may move on to check your emotional stability. Also, people who experience panic episodes due to anxiety have a higher chance of having bad breath.
Does Copd Cause Anxiety
There have been many studies that suggest a link between COPD and anxiety, but just how it happens is still not known.
It may be that symptoms such as cough, shortness of breath and chest tightness start a cycle of anxiety. You begin to feel anxious as COPD symptoms arise. As your heart rate quickens, you may start to think you can’t catch your breath, so your feelings of anxiety increase, which makes your chest tight and your breathing to get worse.
Because some anxiety symptoms are similar to that of COPD, it can be difficult to tell if your symptoms are caused by your condition or by anxiety.
There are other factors that contribute to anxiety, including:
- Genetics
- History of trauma
- Inherent traits like shyness during childhood
Although we still have a lot to learn, there are treatments available, even with a chronic condition such as COPD.
Also Check: Does Vitamin D Help With Anxiety
Tips For Box Breathing
There are a number of steps that people can take to make box breathing easier:
- Try to find a quiet space to begin with box breathing. A person can do this anywhere, but it is easier if there are few distractions.
- With all deep breathing techniques, placing one hand on the chest and another on the lower stomach can help. When breathing in, try to feel the air and see where it is entering.
- Focus on feeling an expansion in the stomach, but without forcing the muscles to push out.
- Try to relax the muscles instead of engaging them.
I recommend to start with a minimum of 5 minutes just after waking up, or after coming home from work before walking in the door. It can be added to your meditation practice do the box breathing first, and it will settle you into a deeper mental state for meditation afterward.
He also believes that box breathing can be used to prepare for a stressful event, such as a speech, or to calm down during or after a stressful event.
Many breathing techniques are classed as diaphragmatic breathing or deep breathing. Box breathing is one of the easiest to master, and is a great entry point into breathing methods.
Other breathing methods commonly used to increase alertness, calm nerves, and achieve calmness include:
- Pranayama breathing
- meditation breathing
- Shaolin Dan Tian breathing
Diagnosis Of Shortness Of Breath
To treat your shortness of breath, the doctor must determine what is causing it first. You need to let them know how long you have been experiencing the problem, and what makes it worse or better. They need to know if there are any other symptoms and if they are mild or severe.
Doctors will review your medical history and perform an examination of your heart and lungs. They may also conduct blood tests, CT scans, x-rays, and other diagnostic tests to uncover the underlying cause.
Don’t Miss: Can Energy Drinks Cause Anxiety
What Can You Do When You Feel Short Of Breath
Mindful breathing may help you return to your typical breathing pattern during a panic attack or ground yourself afterwards. Follow these basic guidelines:
What Is Happening When You Experience Shortness Of Breath
Now you understand the common stressors that cause anxiety and know that anxiety can cause shortness of breath, but what is your body doing when you feel like youre struggling to breathe?
When were anxious, our body releases hormones in our body. When our fight or flight switch is in the on position, the human body reacts, whether we want it to or not. Your brain is telling your body to get more oxygen to your muscles, which can result in shortness of breath.
When this happens, you may notice an increase in your heart rate, and your face can even become flushed. Your body is reacting as if you just ran for your life, even though you might be sitting in your bed.
There is a sense of comfort knowing that your body is reacting how its supposed to in the event that you were actually in a threatening situation. While one moment you might feel like youre gasping for air, there are other symptoms you may experience as well.
This reaction is only a problem when youre experiencing it in times that are disproportionate to the situation that caused it.
Read Also: When To Get Help For Depression And Anxiety