subject: Facing Anxiety Attack Symptoms [print this page] When experiencing a panic attack for the first time it may be very difficult to identify the symptoms unless you've heard someone talking about them before or you've read some information on the condition. Palpitations and chest tightness are two of the first anxiety attack symptoms, but if experienced separately without any other manifestation they could indicate heart disease. Hyperventilation, throat dryness, shortness of breath, accelerated sweating as well as a feeling of suffocation go hand in hand with heart pounding. You may feel like you are about to die; your limbs may be shaking and dizziness and faintness may overcome you.
The severity of the anxiety attack symptoms can be pretty high and in anatomical terms it translates as the body's reaction to imminent danger. A psychological factor or trigger is responsible for unleashing the ordeal you're put through, but this could also be the response to a real physical on the edge situation. Because of this intense stimulation, the the first to react is the cardiovascular system, starting a first wave of anxiety attack symptoms. The heart pumps blood towards the extremities preparing the body for running or for fighting; plus, the blood vessels constrict in the skin and other less used body parts to compensate for the flooding of the muscles.
Skin paleness thus becomes one of the minor anxiety attack symptoms. The mouth, the kidneys and the digestive system also experience the blood vessel constriction which causes mouth dryness. The body has to be cooled down, and therefore you'll sweat a lot when suffering from a panic attack. Plus, the nervous system sends the unload message to the digestive track which may result in other anxiety attack symptoms such as upset stomach or rapid bowel movement.
All the rest of the anxiety attack symptoms are characterized as normal body reactions in the face of danger. The need for superior oxygenation levels is manifest in the accelerated breath or breath shortness. If you have more air you can scream louder. Then, various physical discomforts and pains will disappear during a panic attack because the brain secrets endorphines, the most powerful pain relievers in nature. The perception system sharpens, the pupils get dilated to enhance vision and more energy is burned, all for the purpose of facing the danger that causes fear. Consequently, the anxiety attack symptoms represent the normal preparations of the body when confronted with a frightening, or even life and death situation.
