Panic Attack Symptoms

Panic Attack Symptoms can be similar to anxiety# symptoms but usually feel much more intense. Often people say things like “I feel like I’m losing it” or “It felt like I was going mad”. In fact neither of those things are true, but as Panic Attacks cause such a rush of adrenaline and your body is so tense some quite bizarre symptoms can develop.

The typical symptoms are:

Racing heart (palpitations)

Feeling like you are going to have a heart attack

Increased breathing (hyperventilation)

Dizziness or vertigo

A feeling of unreality or depersonalization.

Sweating or feeling hot or sometimes cold

The great news is that all of these symptoms are harmless. They have been specifically designed by nature to feel as unpleasant as possible to encourage you to take action, but they are designed to protect you not harm you.

Many people find the feeling of unreality the hardest to cope with. Some people report that colors become more vivid, like when the sun is low at the end of summer. Or that sound is out of sync or doesn’t sound real, and that people don’t seem real. Some people think that this is a symptom of fainting, but in the case of panic attacks fainting is very rare, as blood pressure is raised somewhat and people normally faint from low blood pressure. I have never known anyone faint from panic.

Other people  feel like they are having a heart attack, and if you have experienced an elevated heart rate you should have this checked out by a doctor just to be safe. Many people who are admitted to emergency rooms feel they are having a coronary but are in fact just panicking.

There are lots of treatments for panic attacks.

Also read more on feelings of unreality.

And a little more on feelings of unreality!