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Panic attacks can have different signs and symptoms in different people, and they can vary from one circumstance or trigger to another. What every sufferer knows very well is that these attacks in general can be quite scary, especially the first time an attack hits and you do not know what is happening.

What is a Panic Attack?

A panic attack is basically an enormous amount of anxiety and tension that often hits the body unexpectedly. Some people may be able to identify triggers which bring on these attacks, but most people with a generalized panic disorder can experience an attack at any moment of any day with no known triggers to blame.

In many cases, just having the panic disorder and knowing an attack can come at any moment leads to such anxiety and tension in the body that the fear of an attack can bring on an attack. In those serious cases or when attacks occur frequently in public, the sufferer may become fearful of going out in public because they do not want to be seen having an attack in front of others or in a situation where they may not be able to get help.

Signs and Symptoms of Panic Attacks

Here are the most common signs and symptoms of panic attacks, though you will not necessarily experience them all:

•Racing heartbeat

•Shortness of breath that can lead to hyperventilating

•Shaking

•Nausea

•Dizziness or feeling lightheaded

•Excessive sweating

•Chills or hot flashes

•Pains or cramps in the stomach and/or chest

•Tingling sensation in the fingers and/or toes

The biggest sign that you are having a panic attack is the super intense wave of anxiety that suddenly hits you. Many sufferers report feeling very afraid or scared, as if in a real panic. Even though they know there is no danger anywhere near them, they cannot stop the sense of danger.

Remember, you do not have to feel all of these symptoms in order to experience a panic attack. Some people may just feel a couple symptoms along with the anxiety and fear while others feel most or all of those symptoms at once.

How Long Does a Panic Attack Last?

In most cases, a panic attack will hit suddenly with little to no warning. You can literally be sitting at your desk at work or walking through the mall and all of a sudden feel the anxiety and fear wash over you. This is quite startling if you have never experienced it before, and it is not uncommon for first time sufferers to think they are having a heart attack or some other serious medical problem at the time.

The symptoms usually set in fully within five or ten minutes, but the actual attack can last a half hour or sometimes longer. During this time, it is common to feel a disconnect between yourself and whatever else is going on around you. You may be aware of other people trying to help you, but the symptoms of the attack overwhelm you to the point you cannot focus or recognize them clearly.

What Causes Panic Disorder?

It really is not known right now exactly what causes some people to experience panic attacks, though many scientists believe there may be a genetic factor that causes it to afflict multiple members of the same family.

The leading theory right now is that something goes wrong with the body’s fight or flight system where you are stimulated into action in the case of an emergency. When you are having a panic attack it is believed your body senses incredible danger and wants you to take action, even though your rational mind knows there is no such danger to run away from.

What Can You Do?

Once you know for sure that you have experienced an anxiety episode, you are likely quite afraid that it is going to happen again. It is normal to go searching for answers and trying to find a logical explanation and solution to the problem, and that solution in the eyes of most doctors is medication that masks the symptoms of anxiety but does not solve the actual problem or completely stop the attacks.

There are some natural methods of controlling panic attacks, but it starts with learning what to do in the heat of the moment when you feel the symptoms coming on.

You do not have to ever suffer from another panic attack or anxiety attack again! Visit Panic Away today.

Ken Black is an online product reviewer and writer and a former panic attack sufferer. Check out this website for an answer to get rid of the signs and symptoms of panic attacks.