Heart Palpitations: Is It Afib or a Panic Attack? – Everyday Health
However, those with GAD are not gripped by an overwhelming fear, but a lower-level pervasive anxiety causing them to avoid even simple tasks during times when their symptoms are high. Causes GAD affects about 6.8 million American adults, striking twice as many women as men. That translates to about 3.1 percent of the population suffering with the disorder, and about one third of those cases can be classified as severe. There is believed to be a connection to family history, although like with all mental health issues, it is typically a combination of biological and environmental factors. An imbalance of naturally occurring brain chemicals, such as serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine, are often seen in people with GAD and could be an indicator of a propensity to develop the disorder. An imbalance of these chemicals, called neurotransmitters, can impact emotional stability and mental well-being. [ Related: Nervous System: Facts, Function & Diseases ] Enduring a trauma, especially during childhood, can have a link to GAD. Those who experienced abuse or trauma, including witnessing a traumatic event, as a child are at higher risk of developing generalized anxiety disorder.
Source: Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment | LiveScience
A sudden fear grips you, and you begin to feel strange physical symptoms and sensations of doom and worry. Is this a panic attack? Sudden, overwhelming fear: That’s panic in a nutshell. You may have felt that kind of sudden, overwhelming fear in terrifying situations – like when you’re forced to slam on the brakes to narrowly miss a car speeding through a red light or when a large dog lunges at you with teeth bared. But a panic attack can happen at moments that have nothing to do with terror – like in the midst of a deep sleep or a dull meeting or while in a class or stuck in traffic or in line at the grocery store. And you don’t have to have a diagnosed panic disorder to experience a panic attack. Panic attacks come on suddenly and unpredictably, and often peak after about 10 to 20 minutes mark.
More: Panic attack symptoms: Am I having a panic attack? – Mental Health – C-Health
Pounding in your chest, difficulty breathing, chest pain or discomfort, and feeling dizzy or lightheaded are panic attack symptoms that overlap with afib symptoms. Sudden onset is another. Either could start at any time for any reason, Dr. Day said, about afib and panic attack. However, not all symptoms are the same, and the differences can help your doctors determine whats causing your heart to race. Afib or Panic Attack? A single panic attack can last a few minutes or an hour. A type of arrhythmia called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) can make your heart beat as much as 150 to 250 times a minute. This is the heart arrhythmia most likely to be mistaken for a panic attack.
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A Piece of Peace 