Article by Deric Neufeld

The Overview of anxiety Attacks

If you’re reading this, chances are you’re familiar with anxiety. The racing heart, beads of sweat and shortness of breath are all normal reactions to times of stress. However, when symptoms escalate beyond these normal feelings of discomfort, the individual is in danger of experiencing an anxiety attack.

What is an Anxiety Attack?

Anxiety attacks are defined as the sudden, overwhelming feeling of intense anxiety. This anxiety is so cruel that it often results in a person’s failure to function properly for a short period of time. If a certain stressful situation causes you to tremble uncontrollably, hyperventilate, sweat profusely, freeze up in fear and go into hysterics, then you are likely experiencing an anxiety attack. Usually, they manifest as part of a larger anxiety disorder or panic disorder.

With anxiety, the intensity, duration, and frequency of the worry are inconsistent to the issue, and it is often to a degree that disrupts or impairs normal physical and psychological functioning. Anxiety is often accompanied by mild to moderate depression as well as a number of physical symptoms including muscle tension, increased blood pressure, gastrointestinal discomfort, fatigue, insomnia, and irritability. Anxiety is believed to affect about 15% of the adults in the United States (an estimated 19 million adult Americans), thus making it more common than any other category of mental health disorders.

In the field of psychology, anxiety is split into five types of disorders:

*Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

*Panic Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

*(OCD) Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

*Phobias – Social or Specific

Anxiety Attack Signs…

The overall feeling of discomfort and fear is a culmination of many different symptoms. Most of these symptoms occur as a result of increased adrenaline in your blood system.

The most common signs felt during an anxiety attack include:

*Heart palpitations

*Difficulty breathing

*Shaking

*Stomach discomfort

*Blurry vision

*Chest pain

*Difficulty swallowing

*Numbness in the arms and legs

The Technical Side Of Anxiety Attacks…

Anxiety attacks are related to an almond-sized cluster of neurons in the brain called the amygdala. The amygdala serves largely as your center for emotions. In relation to anxiety, the amygdala is what regulates your response to stress and anxiety. When functioning properly, the amygdala is designed to increase adrenaline flow to improve reaction time and focus. However, when troubled with long-term anxiety, the amygdala has trouble coping with stress. Over time, it readjusts to recurring stresses by overreacting and delivering higher-than-normal levels of anxiety response. This is what causes anxiety attacks.How to Attack the Anxiety!

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