“What Happens When You Have a Panic Attack?”

It's More Than Being Scared: Your body's "fight or flight" response kicks into high gear. It can seem to come from nowhere -- maybe as you walk down the street or do the laundry. It can even wake you out of a sound sleep. There's often no obvious reason for your combination of symptoms. That's part of why it's called an "attack." It can be so sudden and intense that you feel helpless, unable to move or think clearly.

Chest Tightness: A jolt of adrenaline gets your heart racing or pounding -- or both. Your chest might hurt. You could even have trouble breathing.

Choking: Your throat tightens up, and you can't swallow. Or you might think you're going to throw up. These feelings can make it harder to catch your breath.

Terror: We're not talking about the fear you feel in the normal course of life, when you stand on the edge of a cliff, bring up a difficult subject, or start a new job, for example. During a panic attack, you may have an overwhelming sense that something really terrible is about to happen -- or that you're going to die -- despite knowing it's not true.

Dizziness: Sometimes you can get so lightheaded that the whole room starts to spin. Or it seems like you're disconnected from your surroundings.

Sweaty Palms: This classic sign of anxiety can also be a symptom of a panic attack. You may sweat in other places, like under your arms, as well -- sometimes quite a lot. And you could get chills or hot flashes, too.

Trembling and Tingling: Your whole body may start shaking. With blood going to your heart and muscles, your fingers or toes can tingle or go numb.

Headache: One can come on suddenly, and it may be gone just as quickly. Like the other symptoms, this alone doesn't necessarily mean you're having a panic attack.

How Long Does It Last? A panic attack usually hits all at once and builds to a peak in about 10 minutes. Then you'll slowly start to feel better. Attacks rarely last more than an hour, and most are over in 20 or 30 minutes. They aren't always the same.

  

Is It a Heart Attack? The symptoms are similar: Chest pain, breathing problems, dizziness, sweating, even the feeling of losing control. If it's the first time you've felt like this, and you or a close family member have had any heart problems, go to the emergency room -- just to be safe.

When to See a Doctor? You probably don't need to worry if you have just one or two incidents and they go away without other problems. But more often than that, or if you're concerned, you should see your doctor. He can help you figure out what's triggering your attacks and how to manage them. He'll also want to rule out a heart condition call mitral valve prolapse.

Causes: Panic attacks tend to run in families and are often related to stress. Sometimes, there's a physical reason: Your thyroid gland makes too much hormone. You don't have enough sugar in your blood. You drank too much caffeine, or you took a stimulant drug like amphetamines or cocaine. Or you're abusing or withdrawing from drugs or alcohol.

Panic Disorder: If your doctor can't find a physical cause yet you keep getting panic attacks, you may have panic disorder, especially when you can't stop worrying about the next one coming. You may change the way you live day-to-day to avoid them.

What You Can Do? The first step is what you're doing now: understand what's going on. When you realize that it's unlikely to hurt you, only lasts a few minutes, and happens to other people, too, you may be less worried about it. Simply knowing that there are ways to treat them, including therapy and medication, can be a relief.

Connect With People: Anxiety thrives when you feel alone. It's best to see family and friends in person, but by phone or computer is better than nothing. If you don't have people to turn to, consider joining social groups, like a book club or sports league, to meet folks with common interests and start building relationships.

Get Enough Sleep: Aim for 7-9 hours a night. If you have trouble going to sleep, keep your room cool, dark, and quiet. Don't watch TV or use the computer or your smartphone right before bed. It also helps to go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day, even weekends.

Exercise: Get 30 minutes on most days -- even if it's 10 minutes at a time -- and you're less likely to be stressed. That can lower your odds of having a panic attack. Any exercise helps, but it's better if you do activities that move both your arms and legs in rhythm: walk, run, swim, dance.

Avoid Cigarettes, Caffeine, and Alcohol: They can cause panic attacks or make one worse, if you get them regularly. Lots of medications -- including allergy pills, diet pills, and cold medicines -- have drugs in them that could have a similar effect. Talk to your doctor if you need help cutting these things out of your life.

Practice Relaxation: Techniques like meditation and yoga can help you release tension and train yourself to be at peace and centered. Deep, controlled breathing is a great way to calm yourself down when you feel on edge with attack symptoms coming on.

Reviewed by: Smitha Bhandari, MD on July 25, 2017

Sources:

Helpguide.org: "Panic Attacks and Panic Disorder."
Cleveland Clinic: "Panic Disorder."
Harvard Health Publications: "Understanding the stress response."
Mayo Clinic: "Panic attacks and panic disorder: Symptoms."
Anxiety and Depression Association of America: "Am I having a panic attack or a heart attack?" "Sleep Disorders."
Medical Clinics of North America: "Mitral valve prolapse, panic disorder, and chest pain."

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2LiveWell

The Goal is to Always Make You Aware of What Concerns Your Body, Soul and Spirit, So You Can Have Open, Honest and Frequent Discussions With Your Physicians and Counselors. You Can’t Treat or Cure What You Don’t Know is Sick.

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“12 Reasons Dehydration is Bad for Your Body”

ARE YOU LOW ON WATER? It doesn't take much to become dehydrated. Lose just 1.5% of the water in your body (the human body is usually about 60% H2O), and you've reached the tipping point of mild dehydration. It can be brought on by many things—and it can do much more to your body than just make you feel thirsty. Dehydration also brings on health effects ranging from fatigue and smelly breath to more dangerous consequences like distracted driving.

IT GIVES YOU BAD BREATH: It's easy to forget to drink water during a busy workday, but at the end of the day you may find people standing unusually far from you when you open your mouth. "Dehydration can give you bad breath," says Marshall Young, DDS, a dentist in Newport Beach, California. "Saliva has important antibacterial properties. When dehydrated, the decreased saliva in the mouth allows bacteria to thrive, resulting in bad breath." So drink up for your own sake, and for those around you as well.

IT MAKES YOU CRAVE SUGAR: Dehydration can mask itself as hunger, particularly sugar cravings. This may happen particularly if you've been exercising, says Amy Goodson, RD, sports dietitian for the Dallas Cowboys. "When you exercise in a dehydrated state, you use glycogen (stored carbohydrate) at a faster rate, thus diminishing your stores more quickly." So once you finish exercising, you will likely crave carbs to help you replenish those glycogen levels and get you ready for your next exercise bout.

IT WRECKS YOUR WORKOUT: Even being slightly dehydrated affects your ability to put effort into your workout. "A 2% dehydration level in your body causes a 10% decrease in athletic performance," says Goodson. "And the more dehydrated you become, the worse performance gets." Measured by "perceived exertion," how hard you feel you're exercising, you might be working at a 6 but you feel like you are working at an 8, says Goodson.

IT DRIES YOUR SKIN OUT: Keeping skin healthy and glowing requires drinking enough water, says Anne Marie Tremain, MD, a dermatologist with Laser Skin Care Center Dermatology Associates in Long Beach, California. "It's best to hydrate from the inside out," she says. "Depending on your lifestyle you may need to adjust your water intake." If you work out every day or are a caffeine fiend, for instance, then you'll need to drink more, because workouts make you sweat and caffeine is a diuretic, which can dehydrate you. For smooth, moisturized skin, Dr. Tremain also suggests keeping showers short (less than five minutes) and using only lukewarm water as hot water can dry your skin out even more.

IT MAY AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO DRIVE SAFELY: Few things are more uncomfortable than being stuck in traffic or on a long drive when you need to use the restroom. Logically, it makes sense to simply not drink water before hitting the road. But new research published in Physiology and Behavior shows that the number of driving errors doubled during a two-hour drive when drivers were dehydrated versus hydrated—an effect similar to driving while drunk (defined by most states as .08% blood alcohol). Since often people purposely avoid drinking prior to a long road trip to prevent bathroom stops, dehydration could increase the risk of traffic accidents.

IT MAKES YOU TIRED: A mid-afternoon slump may have more to do with hydration than you think. "When you're dehydrated your blood pressure drops, heart rate increases, blood flow to the brain slows – all of which can make you tired," says Luga Podesta, MD, sports medicine specialist at Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, California. A lack of water to muscles also makes physical tasks feel more difficult and tiring.

IT SOURS YOUR MOOD: Cranky much? Drink a glass of water and your mood may change. "Neurological effects of dehydration can cause irritability," says Dr. Podesta. A small study published in the Journal of Nutrition tested mood and concentration in 25 young women who were either given enough fluids to remain properly hydrated, or who became mildly dehydrated by taking diuretics and exercising. The dehydrated women—who were at a level that was just 1% lower than optimal—reported headaches, loss of focus, and irritability.

IT CAN GIVE YOU THE CHILLS: It may seem counterintuitive, but dehydration can bring on chills. "This occurs because your body starts to limit blood flow to the skin," says Dr. Podesta. In addition, water holds heat, so if you become hydrated it can be more difficult to regulate your body temperature, which can make you become chilled faster, even when you're not in a cold environment.

IT CAN CAUSE MUSCLE CRAMPS: A lack of water causes less blood circulation, which can make muscles cramp up, says Ray Casciari, MD, medical director of the La Amistad Family Health Center in Orange, California. "The body will protect its vital organs, so it shifts fluid away from muscles and anything that's not vital," he says. Muscle cramps can be extremely painful, making muscles feel harder than normal to the touch. Changes in sodium and potassium through sweat loss can also contribute to cramping.

IT MAKES YOU FEEL DIZZY AND FOGGY: Along with muscles, your brain also gets less blood circulation when you're low on water, which can make you dizzy, says Dr. Casciari. Additionally, mild dehydration may affect your ability to take on mental tasks and cause you to feel foggy headed, according to a study from the British Journal of Nutrition. Interestingly, a study that appeared in the Journal of Nutrition showed greater mood changes in women than in men, both at rest and during exercise.

IT CAN GIVE YOU A HEADACHE: Dehydration can cause headaches in a couple of different ways. "Lack of water affects your body's serotonin levels, which can give you headaches," says Dr. Casciari. In addition, small blood vessels in the brain respond quickly to hydration levels (which is also behind hangover headaches), leading to dull aches and even full-blown migraines. Try downing a glass or two of water the next time you have a headache and you may discover it disappears. You could also eat fruit, which contains a high percentage of water, Dr. Casciari suggests.

IT CONSTIPATES YOU: Your body needs water to keep things moving through your colon. When you're not getting enough H2O, your body compensates by withdrawing more fluid from stool, making it harder and more difficult to pass. That said, it's worth noting that drinking more water when you're already properly hydrated won't necessarily relieve constipation caused by other factors, like the medications you're taking, medical conditions, or a lack of fiber in your diet.

By: Linda Melone, Health Magazine

Much Love, Dr.Shermaine #InformativeRead #PleaseShare #HealthyBodySoulAndSpirit #IWantYou2Live

"It's Not Selfish to Love Yourself, Take Care of Yourself and to Make Your Happiness a Priority. It's a Necessity." (Mandy Hale)

"Self-Care is Not Selfish. You Cannot Serve From an Empty Vessel." (Eleanor Brown)

The contents of the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites, such as text, graphics, images, and other material contained on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites ("Content") are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine Sites!

If you think you may have a medical emergency, call your doctor or 911 immediately. Health Magazine and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine does not recommend or endorse any specific tests, physicians, products, procedures, opinions, or other information that may be mentioned on the Sites. Reliance on any information provided by Health Magazine, Health Magazine employees, others appearing on the Site at the invitation of Health Magazine, and Self-Care With Dr. Shermaine or other visitors to the Sites is solely at your own risk.