Typical Anxiety Attack Symptoms

If you’ve ever experienced general discomfort and a sense of unease that you just couldn’t put your finger on, it’s possible that you’ve experienced symptoms of an anxiety attack. Of course, that general description of symptoms could apply to anything, not just anxiety attacks. To more accurately determine if you are experiencing the symptoms of an anxiety attack, you need to know what other symptoms might accompany the discomfort and unease. Read on for a description of the other major symptoms that signal the onset of an anxiety attack.

Anxiety Attack Symptom #1: Pounding Heart

A pounding, racing, or skipping heart is a very common anxiety attack symptom. In fact, it is not uncommon for many people experiencing the symptoms of a panic attack to mistakenly believe they are experiencing the symptoms of a heart attack. A racing heart, like many of the physical symptoms of an anxiety attack, is caused by the release of adrenaline into the blood stream.

Anxiety Attack Symptom #2: Shortness of Breath

Shortness of breath is another frequently occurring anxiety attack symptom. People experience shortness of breath during an anxiety attack because the body is using oxygen quickly and trying to replace it just as quickly. Adrenaline causes the body to take many, small, quick breaths rather than slower larger breaths. Slower, larger breaths actually deliver more oxygen, so one of the first things to do when you experience a panic attack is to try to slow your breathing.

Anxiety Attack Symptom #3: Lightheadedness or Feeling Faint

Becoming lightheaded is one anxiety attack symptom that is often confused with another symptom, that of feeling apart from your body. Lightheadedness is caused by a lack of oxygen and blood to the brain, which is in turn caused by the body’s release of adrenaline. The latter feeling is much, more rare than lightheadedness, and its causes are unknown. You can tell the difference between the two symptoms because lightheadedness is often accompanied by dizziness whereas the out-of-body experience is not.

Anxiety Attack Symptom #4: Fear

Another common anxiety attack symptom is fear. You may fear losing control; you may be afraid of something particular as would be the case if your anxiety attack is a symptom of a phobia; or you may just being experiencing general dread. This fear of losing control, or even a general fear, is one of the major signs that you are experiencing an anxiety attack and not something else.

These are just a few of the more common symptoms of an anxiety attack, there are many other symptoms – excessive sweating, dry mouth, and hot and cold flashes, for example – and their occurrence and severity varies from person to person. If you experience several of these symptoms frequently and severely enough that they are interfering with the way you live your life, discuss them with your doctor. These days, almost all primary care physicians are trained to recognize the symptoms of anxiety attacks, so a quick chat with your doctor can get you on the road to effective treatment.