Panic attacks are often accompanied by tightness in the chest with anxiety. Even in mild cases of anxiety, chest tightness can be experienced. This symptom is often confused with signs of heart attacks, and even though the sensations may be similar, the tightness experienced due to anxiety is often less intense than in a heart attack.

Many people describe chest tightness as the pressure on the chest cavity area. During this, the patient’s heart beat will begin to quicken and he experiences a shortness of breath. If he does not have the slightest clue what is happening to him, he becomes fraught with fear. Fear is often an accompanying emotional symptom.

Difference between panic tightness and heart attack

Chest tightness led on by panic attacks are often mistaken for a heart attack. In reality, there is a difference in the intensity of the episodes. The former is of course less severe. The patient may be rushed to the hospital. Typically, when he arrives at the emergency room his symptoms will subside. Being able to distinguish between the two will help to save one from a misdiagnosis and allow him/her to deal with his anxiety sooner.

Heart attacks have a crushing and squeezing pressure in the chest, and the symptoms are different from that of chest tightness arising from anxiety attacks. The physical pain caused by heart attacks will travel quickly to the other areas of the body. One begins to feel giddy and he may even faint. These symptoms are not typical of a panic attack.

How tightness in the chest happens

Panic attacks occur at the central nervous system when the fight or flight response is triggered. This is the way the body reacts to either real or perceived threats. Once the response takes hold, the victim experiences chest tightness as the brain processes the danger and heightens the anxiety level. This is why some people begin to react frantically even during trivial situations. Help must be sought immediately to help curb these attacks.

Tightness in the chest either lasts throughout the entire span of the anxiety attack or it comes and goes at intervals. The feeling of pain, one that’s similar to being stabbed or pierced in the chest is endured by the victim. This pain then travels to the oesophagus, and the condition is aggravated when one lies on his back.

A cure for chest tightness

One effective treatment for chest tightness is for one to implement relaxation techniques. Begin first by sitting down and inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling through the mouth. The victim should keep his mind focused on the breathing and less on the fearful thoughts that have triggered the attack.

Medication from medical doctors can also help curb the symptoms of panic attacks and decongest the chest. Inhalers are often prescribed to sufferers to use in case they feel the chest tightness coming on.

The best cure is still prevention. Patients who suffer from tightness in the chest by anxiety should always rationalise their fears and try to take control of the predicament. By understanding the root causes of one’s anxiety and seek prompt treatment he too can lead a life of normalcy and freed of anxiety symptoms.

Trevor Mosley was once a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks. Head along to his website today in order to discover how you can stop your anxiety and panic attacks forever more.

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