19 Common Panic Attack Symptoms
First, before I list common panic attack symptoms, I’d like to take a moment to explain that a “symptom” is something that medical professionals use to identify specific illnesses and diseases. Most anxiety disorders are not medical diseases. They are behavioral conditions. That is to say that there is likely nothing physically wrong with you that is producing panic attacks, but rather you suffer from panic attacks because you are responding to anxious thinking and “what if” thoughts.
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If you experience anxiety when there is nothing to rationally be afraid of, you are having an inappropriate level of anxiety. This is most likely the result of worrying about things that are outside your control, or a non-stop series of “what if” questions that only agitate you and ratchet up your anxiety still further.
Since every person is different, each person will experience different panic attack symptoms. We each respond to anxiety- and fear-inducing situations differently, but here are some common ones that people often experience.
- Racing heart or rapid heartbeat
- Profuse sweating or perspiration
- Physical shaking or shuddering
- Feeling as if you are about to choke
- Feeling short of breath
- Chest pains (often leading some to believe they are having a heart attack)
- Nausea or a sinking sensation in your stomach
- Disorientation or dizziness
- Light-headed feelings
- Derealization (feeling as if you are in a dream or as if everything is unreal)
- Depersonalization (out of your body or that you no longer exist)
- Fears that you might go insane
- A numb feeling in your face, hands, or feet (called “tetany,” which is caused by heavy breathing)
- Cold or hot flashes
- Skin becoming pale or losing color
- Blushing
- Sudden urges to use the restroom
- Disturbing or frightening thoughts
- Muscle cramping in the upper back, shoulders, or neck
Additionally, following a panic attack, so people will develop a fear of having another panic attack. This often leads to these people avoiding certain situations or places that they have come to associate with their first panic attack. This “low-volume” of constant anxiety that follows a panic attacks is referred to as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD).
It is also important for you to know that, no matter how frightening your panic attack symptoms may be (and they can be quite frightening sometimes), you are not in any real danger. No one has ever died from a panic attack. So take comfort from the thought that what you are experiencing will pass and that it won’t leave you with any damage to your body or mind.
Again, these are just a few of the common panic attack symptoms you may experience. You may experience all of these, or just one or two. If you experience many symptoms, it does not necessarily mean that your condition is worse than if you only experienced a handful of them. And this is by no means an exhaustive list. It is possible to suffer from a panic attack and never experience any of the above symptoms at all.