Life is stressful, and at some time everyone feels a bit of anxiety. This is perfectly normal. However, different people cope with their stress in different ways, and the level of stress is not the same in every human being. In some cases, people only have to deal with the challenges of minor anxiety, while others suffer from its most extreme form: a panic attack.

A panic attack is a frightening event, especially since it attacks and isolates an individual all at once. The strength of any given attack will vary from person to person. Often the attack is so intense its mistaken for a nervous breakdown. This can generate even more attack and fear for the person coping with it, which in turn will only get the panic attack worse, causing a vicious cycle.

And each time individual has an attack, it puts more stress on the heart. So the more often they have panic attacks, the more likely that they are causing long term damage to their heart. It’s important not only to end the mental issues, but the physical strain and stress generated by a panic attack.

Some people could not even be aware that they’re having panic attack related problems. This is because they don’t know what the symptoms of a panic attack resemble. In order to help people who want to be able to spot a panic attack, here is an outline of the most frequent signs:

Lots of the panic attack symptoms will seem to affect the afflicted’s head, such as a pronounced dizziness. Vertigo and lightheadnesses do also belong to these types of symptoms.

This may be accompanied with a detached, half-dreaming state that distorts what the person is seeing, feeling, and even smelling as well as disorients them. The severity of these symptoms can vary in intensity. Some individual, not understanding that they are having a panic attack, will not know what’s happening to them, which will generate yet more attack. This can cause mental distress which, if nothing is done about it, can cause real personal injury to the individual.

Of course, there will also be real issues of a physical nature that arise too. Nausea and an indigestion will commonly be experienced since a sense of aggravation will derive from being under the stress of a panic attack. Such stomach distress can be weak or it can be rigorous. And, for some people, it can last for a long time. This certainly does not make for a very fun situation to experience when overtaken by anxiety producing situations.

There are also physical signs that happen during a panic attack that can be like a heart attack, which is usually quite scary to the person suffering from them. These issues include breathing difficulties and chest pains.

Many of the more alarming signs might be those that seem to mimic a heart attack. This causes not only anxiety and stress, but fear, as well. Shortness of breath, twitching, and weakness can be symptoms of a heart attack and a panic attack, both.

There are even psychological components to a panic attack that can also lead to real physical problems actually occurring. For example, an intense panic attack can generate the onset of a sense of terror and helplessness.

This sensation can be magnified by feelings of the walls closing in and a desire to escape. Unfortunately, since the issue exists mainly as a state of mind. The capability to escape is no where near as easy as some assume. This is even doubly true when the person is unaware that a panic attack is the basic of the issue.

Understanding the signs of a panic attack is very important, but no less so than getting help to cope with the problem of anxiety induced panic attacks. Fortunately there are several good books that can help you, and with the right book you’ll be able to overcome this difficulty yourself.

To learn more about overcoming anxiety, have a look at: anxiety treatment