Experiencing Tightness in Chest with Anxiety
After a panic attack, the victim will sometimes suffer the symptom of tightness in chest. Chest tightness mostly strike patients who have mild and severe levels of anxiety. Many people tend to mistake chest tightness with the onset of a heart attack. However, the former is often less severe and less painful than an actual 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.
A heart attack feels more like a crushing and squeezing sensation in the chest, unlike the tightness experienced in an anxiety attack. The pain of a heart attack spreads rapidly to the shoulders, neck and jaw, and feeling lightheaded and faint. These symptoms may not be experienced in 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.
The tightness in the chest can be a continuous sensation during the course of an anxiety attack, or it can come and go sporadically. Tightness can be accompanied by pain, similar to a stab or piercing in the chest, or combinations of all these feelings. They may begin in the chest then spread to the oesophagus, and can be made worse by lying down on one’s back.
A cure for chest tightness
Relaxation techniques or meditation can help one suppress chest tightness. Sit yourself down and begin to inhale through your nostrils and exhale through the mouth. Focus your mind on the breathing and do not become distracted with fearful thoughts.
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 is an ex-sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks. Head along to his website today in order to discover how you can defeat your anxiety and panic attacks forever more.