Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Panic Attack Cause - Why Is It Happening?

It can be extremely difficult to initially identify the panic attack cause. The obvious answer is high levels of anxiety, but it is important to dig a little deeper to understand your particular disorder.

A common myth is that panic or anxiety attacks can be life threatening- far from the truth. Here are some basic learning's which should help you identify your panic attack cause.

Definition of Anxiety

Anxiety is defined as a state of fear or apprehension which results from the anticipation of a real or imagined threat - person or action. Nearly every human being experiences anxiety at some point in their live.

The majority of people, who have never experienced a panic or anxiety attack, fail to realize or understand the panic attack cause. The symptoms are clear- dizziness, tingling sensations, shallow breathing etc..

Initially the sufferer of anxiety may believe they have some disease or conditions. The possibility of losing control when an anxiety or panic attack takes hold seems very real.

Fight or Flight Response: One Of the Root Panic Attack Causes

I am sure many of you have been told that the fight or flight mechanism is the main panic attack cause. Can you see how that the panic attack is simply your body responding to the threat?

The body uses anxiety or panic attacks as a defense mechanism from your perceived threat. In my case my threat was sleep - or not being able to sleep. So as bed time approached I would notice my heart beat increasing, my breathing nearly impossible to control as the panic attack set in. So in essence the biggest panic attack cause is your level of anxiety.

This fight or flight mechanism was vital to our ancestor's- as the world was a tougher place- today it can work against us and is perhaps the core panic attack cause.

Other Physical Effects - Nervousness And Physical

The brain sends signals to the nervous system, and triggers chemical reactions which result in an anxiety or panic attack. Understanding the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system will help you identify further your panic attack cause.

The sympathetic nervous system is the one we tend to know all too much about because it primes our body for action, readies us for the "fight or flight" response, while the parasympathetic nervous system is the one we love dearly as it serves as our restoring system, which returns the body to its normal state.

When either of these systems is activated, they stimulate the whole body, which has an "all or nothing" effect. This explains why when a panic attack occurs; the individual often feels a number of different sensations throughout the body.

The sympathetic system is responsible for releasing the adrenaline from the adrenal glands on the kidneys. These are located just above the kidney's. An increase in adrenaline will be a significant panic attack cause. In my case with my fear of sleep it was the worst thing possible- as we all know adrenaline kicking in means the last thing the body will do is sleep.

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for returning the body to a calmed state- this is were the majority of panic attack sufferer's miss out.

When we engage in a relaxation activity we are actually putting the parasympathetic nervous system to good use. A good point to note is that the body forces this parasympathetic system to take hold at some point- it is another 'in built' survival mechanism. This basic system is proof why you can never die from a panic attack- your body will fight for itself in a state of high anxiety -always.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article has helped you to understand and identify your panic attack cause better. It is important to note everyone is different, and we all respond to anxiety in different ways. You will be pleasantly surprised how much your panic or anxiety attack will improve once you have a better understanding.

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