are Panic Attacks Related To Stress?

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are Panic Attacks Related To Stress?

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009 Subscribe To Our Feed

Stress, anxiety and panic attacks are such familiar words, we use them so often in our daily existence, that it is hard to believe the current use of the term “stress” originated only 59 years ago, when it was essentially “coined” by Hans Selye in his book “The Physiology and Pathology Of Exposure To Stress”, published in 1950.

Before we go deeply into analyzing the many faces of stress, anxiety and panic attacks it is necessary to try define them properly.

Stress is a specific response by the body to a stimulus, as fear or pain, that disturbs or interferes with the normal physiological equilibrium of an organism.

Been given this definition, we should always have in the back of our minds what Paul J. Rosch, President of The American Institute of Stress had said the best: “Stress is difficult for scientists to define because it is a subjective sensation associated with varied symptoms that differ for each of us. In addition, stress is not always a synonym for distress. Situations like a steep roller coaster ride that cause fear and anxiety for some can prove highly pleasurable for others. You can learn how to utilize and transform stress so that it will make you more productive and less self-destructive. “-Paul J. Rosch.

When we are under stress our body produces more of the so-called ‘fight or flight’ chemicals, which prepare your body for an emergency.
For example, the hypothalamus signals the adrenal glands to produce more of the hormones adrenaline and cortisol and release them into the bloodstream. These hormones speed up heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure, and metabolism. Blood vessels open wider to let more blood flow to large muscle groups, putting our muscles on alert. Pupils dilate to improve vision.

All of these physical changes prepare a person to react quickly and effectively to handle the pressure of the moment.A little of this stress can help keep you on your toes, ready to rise to a challenge. And the nervous system quickly returns to its normal state, standing by to respond again when needed.

Unfortunately these changes are less helpful if you are stuck in a busy office or on an overcrowded train. You cannot fight or run away, and so cannot use the chemicals your own body has produced to protect you.

Also stress doesn’t always happen in response to things that are immediate or that are over quickly. Ongoing or long-term events, like coping with a divorce or moving to a new neighborhood or school, can cause stress, too. Long-term stressful situations can produce a lasting, low-level stress that’s hard on people. The nervous system senses continued pressure and may remain slightly activated and continue to pump out extra stress hormones over an extended period.

The American Institute of stress is listing 50 common signs and symptoms of stress, which include: restlessness, sleeping problems and a tendency to sweat. Longer term you may be putting yourself at risk from high blood pressure, heart attacks, strokes, impotence.

And emotionally when you are stressed you may experience many different feelings, including anxiety, fear, anger, frustration and depression. These feelings can themselves produce physical symptoms, making you feel even worse.

Stress can affect our behaviour as well: for example, you may become withdrawn, indecisive or inflexible. You may not be able to sleep properly. You may be irritable or tearful all the time. There may be a change in your sexual habits, and even if you were previously mild-mannered you may suddenly become verbally or physically aggressive.

People who are experiencing stress overload may notice some of the following signs: Anxiety or panic attacks,a feeling of being constantly pressured, hassled and hurried, irritability and moodiness, but physical symptoms as well, such as stomach problems, headaches, or even chest pain and many other.

Everyone experiences stress a little differently. Some people become angry and act out their stress or take it out on others. Some people internalize it and develop eating disorders or substance abuse problems. Some people who have a chronic illness may find that the symptoms of their illness flare up under an overload of stress.

Here are some of the things that can overwhelm the body’s ability to cope if they continue for a long time:being bullied or exposed to violence or injury ,relationship stress, family conflicts, or the heavy emotions that can accompany a broken heart or the death of a loved one ongoing problems with schoolwork related to a learning disability or other problems, such as ADD (usually once the problem is recognized and the person is given the right learning support the stress disappears) crammed schedules, not having enough time to rest and relax, and always being on the go.

Some stressful situations can be extreme and may require special attention and care. Posttraumatic stress disorder is a very strong stress reaction that can develop in people who have lived through an extremely traumatic event, such as a serious car accident, a natural disaster like an earthquake, or an assault like rape.

If a person frequently feels tense, upset, worried, or stressed, it may be a sign of anxiety. Anxiety problems usually need attention, and many people turn to professional counselors for help in overcoming them.
We need to better understand what anxiety is, and how is it different then stress.

Anxiety is a feeling of apprehension or fear. Anxiety disorders are a group of psychiatric conditions that involve excessive anxiety. They include generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobias, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia.

People with these disorders have symptoms every day or nearly every day that cause them to have difficulty with daily activities and relationships. Generalized anxiety disorder is characterized by excessive worry about 2 or more life circumstances for a period of 6 months or longer. Biological and genetic factors may combine with stress to produce psychological symptoms.

How can you know if you suffer from an anxiety disorder? Excessive worry or anxiety about multiple issues , over 6 months or more indicate a generalized anxiety disorder.

So it seems that stress overload , combined with other factors, such as genetics, can develop into an anxiety disorder.

Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder. It causes panic attacks, which are sudden feelings of terror for no reason, and in some cases it starts when a person is under a lot of stress.

People with panic disorder experience:
•sudden and repeated attacks of fear.
•a feeling of being out of control during a panic attacks.
•a feeling that things are not real.
•an intense worry about when the next attack will happen.
•a fear or avoidance of places where panic attacks have occurred in the past.
•pounding heart
•sweating,
•weakness, faintness, or dizziness,
•feeling a hot flush or a cold chill,
•tingly or numb hands,
•chest pain,
•feeling nauseous or stomach pain

There are some important health risks associated with panic attacks, such as an increase risk of heart attack, 38% more then a normal person.
If you have high levels of stress and anxiety, panic attacks are more likely to occur.

But what can we do to deal with stress overload or, better yet, to avoid it in the first place? And if we have developed an anxiety disorder or panic attacks what can we do to go back to normal and cure this terrible desorders?

The most helpful method of dealing with stress is learning how to manage the stress that comes along with any new challenge, good or bad. Stress-management skills work best when they’re used regularly, not just when the pressure’s on.
Here are some things that can help keep stress under control, that also helps with anxiety and panic attacks.

For example taking a stand against overscheduling. If we are feeling stretched, we should consider cutting out an activity or two, opting for just the ones that are most important.

Getting a good night’s sleep. Because the biological “sleep clock” shifts during adolescence, many young adults prefer staying up a little later at night and sleeping a little later in the morning. But if we stay up late and still need to get up early for school or work, we may not get all the hours of sleep we need.

Treating your body well. Experts agree that getting regular exercise helps people manage stress. (Excessive or compulsive exercise can contribute to stress, though, so as in all things, use moderation.) And eating well to help our body get the right fuel to function at its best. It’s easy when we are stressed out to eat on the run or eat junk food or fast food. But under stressful conditions, the body needs its vitamins and minerals more than ever. Some people may turn to substance abuse as a way to ease tension.

Solving the little problems and learning to solve everyday problems can give us a sense of control. But avoiding them can leave us feeling like we have little control and that just adds to stress. Developing skills to calmly look at a problem, figure out options, and take some action toward a solution.

The American Institute of Preventive medicine also has some very good points that we can use in our daily life. Here are some of the advises:

Have a warm cup of herbal tea. Modify your environment to get rid of or manage your exposure to stress. Rehearse for stressful events. Imagine yourself feeling calm and confident in an anticipated stressful situation. You will be able to relax more easily when the situation arises.
Find ways to learn acceptance. When a difficult problem is out of control, accept it until changes can be made. Talk about your troubles with a roommate, friend, relative, or clergy member.
Escape for a little while. Watch a movie, visit a museum, etc. Laugh a lot. Keep a sense of humor.Take a warm shower or bath. Reduce noise in your environment.
Do relaxation exercises daily. Good ones include visualization (imagining a soothing, restful scene), deep muscle relaxation (tensing and relaxing muscle fibers), meditation, and deep breathing.
Listen to music that you find soothing while at a quiet, calm place. Meditate.(www.healthylife.com American Institute of Preventive medicine)

While all this listed above do help with stress, when you have a problem with anxiety or panic attacks, you might need little bit more then this.

One real solution, that has helped so far over 27 000 people, is a program from Panic Away. What the program Panic Away does, and in particular the One Move Technique™, is give people the ability to immediately stop fearing another panic attack. It is very simple yet amazingly effective. Here is how it works:
After a person experiences panic attacks for the first time, the experience can be so impacting that it leaves a strong imprint on the persons psyche. This mental imprint generates a cycle or loop of anxiety whereby the person develops an unhealthy fear of having another panic attack. People can spend anywhere from months to years caught in this repetitive cycle of anxiety.

Panic Away teaches a technique that now allows that person to break the cycle of anxiety and return to normal everyday living. It allows people to free themselves from ever having a another panic attack again.

A panic attack is a ‘fight or flight’ response to a perceived threat. Here is how Glenda Darby describes it: “ I was 24 when I had my first panic attack. I was sitting in the cinema when I started to feel very uncomfortable. My heart began to race and my whole body began to tense up. At first I thought it might have been an allergic reaction to something, then I began to fear it was something more serious like a heart attack. I left for the toilet and was so terrified I could not go back to my seat.”

Glenda continued to suffer from panic attacks and anxiety for the next 3 years, until she found the Panic Away program on the internet .
Initially she was suspect of buying it but she took a chance and downloaded the e-book. Today she enjoys the lifes she always dreamed, without fear, anxiety or panic attacks.

You can read her full story and see how the program panic attacks helped to cure her panic attacks. She is just one of the 27 000 people who today live free of panic and anxiety.

The technique is unique and proving daily to be an absolute success when it comes to treating general anxiety and panic attacks. There are no lost causes -no matter how long you have been suffering from anxiety or panic attacks, by the end of the program you will be restored, confident and more like your former self.

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