What Triggers a Panic Attack?

There are thousands of people dealing with Panic Attacks each and every year. Managing panic attacks is quite demanding and some people feel trapped in their own home too scared to leave. Recognizing what triggers a Panic Attack is the first stage in taking command of your panic disorder.

Symptoms of Panic Attacks

It's difficult to miss a panic attack. It comes without warning and the sufferer responds with a state of fight or flight. The most common panic attack indicators include the following:

- A sense of extreme panic and anxiety, often including a fear of imminent death

- Thumping heart and severe chest pains

- Unsettled stomach and feeling faint

- Extreme sweating

- Feeling unstable

- Shortness of breath and sometimes a feeling of choking or being smothered

- A yearning to escape

Panic Attack Triggers

Some of the triggers of panic attacks can be avoided with careful monitoring. This can provide a sense of greater freedom for those with panic disorder. Knowing the triggers of your panic attacks can help you predict when they will occur.

Trigger 1: Drinking Coffee

Consuming caffeine does raise the heart rate and creates more awareness within you. The raising of the heart rate can trigger a panic attack as it resembles the symptom of a pounding heart. Excessive caffeine can cause dizziness, another symptom of a panic attack.

Trigger 2: Certain Medications

It's smart for people who suffer from panic disorder to shy away from medications that could cause a trigger for a panic attack. An example might be medication that could cause a rise in body temperature which inturn causes the heart rate to increase. Subsequently, the body may believe this to be a panic attack.

Trigger 3: Too Much Exercise

When you over exercise, your heart rate increase, you perspire and you take deeper breaths. This is another aspect that can increase the chances of experiencing a panic attack.

Trigger 4: Stress

We all experience tension and stress in our lives. However, these feelings cause the body to fight or flight and can be a cause of panic attacks. Easy to say but harder to implement is lowering your stress levels.

Trigger 5: Life Changing Moments

Experiencing major changes in one's life in a short space of time can through your whole system out of whack. Changing jobs, moving house or losing a loved one has an effect on you emotionally and physically. Having a strong support network is critical during these times.