Early Symptoms of a Panic Attack
Recognizing the early symptoms of a panic attack gives you the added time to set into motion your coping strategies. Although panic attacks typically come on very suddenly, understanding the context in which they occur, for you, is an important part of recognizing these early symptoms. Exploring the thoughts that occur around the time of a panic attack is also important to understanding the early symptoms. The physical symptoms of a panic attack can start well before an actual attack; including changes to breathing, pulse, vision, hearing and bodily sensations. Making note of these sensations, after a panic attack, can help you identify the early symptoms before the next panic attack happens.
Thoughts
Typically, the thoughts associated with a panic attack are there long before the physical symptoms or the actual attack comes on. Paying attention to self talk right before a panic attack will give you clues to the internal dialogue that occurs for you right before an event. Some thoughts about being overwhelmed or not being able to handle a situation are typically playing in a person’s mind before the actual panic attack strikes.
Breathing
As anxiety increases, individuals will start to experience a quickening of the breath. This might be unnoticeable at first, but soon begins to feel like a shortness of breath and often triggers the actual panic attack as the individual feels like they cannot breath. Understanding breathing techniques to calm the breath may help stop a panic attack at this stage.
Pulse
Feeling weak or dizzy comes with a quickening of the pulse. The heart rate begins to climb as the anxious thoughts play through the individuals head and their breathing becomes more difficult. Feeling sweaty or having chills may come on at this time due to a lack of oxygen from the short quick breaths and the rapid heartbeat.
Vision
A feeling of tunnel vision is often reported before an anxiety attack hits. This might start with not being able to see peripheral areas then the area of vision continues to narrow until the person is only able to see what is directly in front of them. The tunnel vision is most likely due to the blood flow leaving the head and blood going to other parts of the body, which are more critical in the body’s defense against the panic attack.
Hearing
Ringing in the ears or feeling like you cannot hear is a common sensation which occurs prior to a full panic attack hitting. This sensation is likely due to the blood flow changes and hyperventilation. As the individual continues to struggle to get a normal breathing pattern and lower their pulse, the hearing and vision will continue to become narrow and more difficult.
Sensations
Other sensations might also occur before a panic attack takes full effect. Trembling of the hands, heart palpitations and burning sensations in the face or neck are early warning signs that a panic attack is getting closure. An individual with good coping skills can still calm themselves at this stage, but often individuals have not developed these skills yet and they will move into a full blown panic attack.
Full panic attacks can become extremely dangerous if the patients breathing and heart are involved. Seeking medical attention is advised until the individual is able to fully understand their personal panic symptoms and how to treat them in their home setting. Understanding the physical precursors to a panic attack is the best way to start preventative measures and lessen the degree of the attack. Individuals who can learn early coping skills can also learn how to completely stop a panic attack by detecting these early symptoms.