What Is A Panic Attack?

Our survival mechanism fear has evolved over thousands of years to keep us safe from predators and enemies

. Even though we're no longer at threat from Sabertooth tigers and other prehistoric creatures, this survival mechanism called the fight or flight' response is still the same when we feel threatened even in today's more sedate world.

Throughout history man has had to survive threats from predators. The fight or flight' response creates a huge surge of adrenalin which gives us a burst of energy. This extra energy boost gives us the option to run or to fight if we can't run away. In a threatening situation life or death can be only a matter of a split second the human mind overcame this problem by making this decision for us subconsciously in other words requiring no thought. Our fight or flight' response is triggered before our mind even registers the threat.

The fight or flight' response is the mechanism behind panic attacks and why they seem to come from out of the blue and hit so fast the response is activated within a millisecond of the subconscious brain perceiving the threat.

The mechanism is the same regardless of your age; panic attacks in children produce the same bodily response as does a panic attack in an adult. The body responds to the threat by pumping a hormone called adrenalin through the body, this increases blood pressure and breathing rate, so that oxygen is pumped round the body faster, preparing muscles for extreme hard work.

Legs become wobbly and shaky as the muscles are twitching they're already running, they want to carry your body away as fast as they can. Arms and hands shake for the same reason, they're already punching out. Your palms and feet become sweaty to give you better grip.

Blood is diverted away from the digestive system to make sure the arms and legs have sufficient to run or fight. People who experience prolonged stress quite often have digestive problems such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome as blood is constantly being directed away from the stomach and guts.

A panic attack can be very scary for most people, because that's what the body is experiencing, a state of fear. It's important to remember that no one has ever died from a panic attack; the response is there to keep you alive at all costs. It will pass.

What Is A Panic Attack?

By: Ali Spencer

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