Though both men and women suffer may suffer from anxiety panic attacks, this article highlights only the anxiety attack symptoms in women. Being aware of these symptoms can help people give prompt first aid to those having sudden panic attacks…
Anxiety is among the common problems found both in men and women alike. However, the severity of these attacks is more often seen in women as compared to men. Women may have anxiety attacks in case of increased stress levels or due to biological changes. Biological changes include menstrual cycle, childbirth or menopause. Women who chronically suffer from anxiety, term it to be normal. They do not think it is worth mentioning, till the attack symptoms worsen.
Quick Look At Anxiety…
Anxiety is in itself a physiological and psychological state. It is characterized by components like cognitive, emotional, behavioral and somatic aspects. The feeling of anxiety is said to be a mix between the feeling of fear and concern. In other words, it is a ‘fight or flight’ response to the built-in alarm to the perceived threat, whether real or imagined. The literal meaning of the word anxiety is ‘to trouble’ or ‘to vex’. Anxiety is a mood condition, which often does not have identifiable triggering stimulus.
The difference between fear and anxiety is that, it is fear when one is worried about a specific danger and anxiety is when one is worried about unspecific and objectless things, for no apparent reason. Anxiety is considered to be a normal reaction to any kind of stress. Often, anxiety is a result of difficult situations, whether personal or professional. A person is said to be suffering from anxiety disorder, when he becomes excessively anxious about everything. There are different types of anxiety, namely existential anxiety, separation anxiety, test anxiety, stranger and social anxiety, trait anxiety, etc. Severe anxiety may also include obsessive compulsive disorders and post traumatic stress disorders.
Anxiety Attack Symptoms in Women
There are many symptoms of anxiety attack in women.
- The first among anxiety panic attacks symptoms is the sudden feeling of “doom”. The woman also starts to fear the smallest of the happening as well.
- A lot of women begin to perspire heavily and added to it, they have a choking sensation. In some cases, body chills also accompany these symptoms of anxiety attack.
- The physiological symptoms also include palpitations of the heart, ranging from severe to moderate. General shortness of breath is the other physiological symptom of an anxiety attack. There are women, who also experience chest pain as one of the many anxiety symptoms.
- Among the other symptoms, is also a feeling of dizziness and trembling of the body. In some cases, these symptoms are also accompanied by nausea and a tingling sensation through the body.
- There are women who suffer from ‘derealization’. This is when the women feel no attachment to the world and may be totally detached.
- Some women also suffer from abdominal distress when they have anxiety attacks.
- Among the many symptoms of anxiety attack in women, is the fear of dying, although there may not be any reason to believe the same.
- In generalized anxiety disorder, there is an exaggerated tension and worry in daily life. There is a constant negative thought of everything going wrong, although there is no reason to think the same.
- Many women who suffer from anxiety attacks find it difficult to concentrate and are often irritable. If the irritation increases, they can have explosive anger.
- Due to the constant fear, they may also suffer from sleep disorders and disturbed sleep. They may also suffer from nightmares or bad dreams. Some women also experience déjà vu like feeling.
- In some cases it has been observed, that the women tend to become less social due to a change in their personality.
- Fatigue accompanied by headaches is also a common symptom of anxiety attack in women.
- Increase of blood pressure and blood flow to all the major muscles is commonly observed in the case of anxiety attacks in women.
- Women who have anxiety attacks will seem to suffer from some soft of mental distraction. They may find it difficult to concentrate on any given thing and be anxious about things around them.
Treating Anxiety Attack Symptoms in Women
To treat anxiety attack symptoms, professional help may be required. It will be more required when the fear and worries assume enormous proportions and are affecting daily and routine activities. Most people do not have to take the treatment for a very long period. The treatment depends on the type of anxiety and on the severity of the problem. Most of the anxiety problems are treated with behavioral therapy, but in some cases, medicines might also be required.
It is important to note that chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, palpitations, etc. should not automatically be attributed to anxiety attacks. These can also be symptoms of some other medical condition. Hence, it is recommended to let your health care professional do the correct diagnosis of the problem at hand.
