A panic attack is a very sudden onset of fear or anxiety that quickly brings about several physical symptoms such as sweating, racing heartbeat (palpitations), hyperventilation, choking, dizziness, feeling sickness, numb or tingling fingers and often a strong feeling you are about to die.
These frightening physical symptoms are caused by your body going into “fight or flight” mode, usually lasting less than half an hour, with symptoms reducing in severity after 10 minutes.
Your body tries to rapidly take in more oxygen for your arms (to fight) and your legs (to run away). This makes your breathing quicker and can cause hyperventilation. Your heart beats quicker and your muscles tense up.
Oxygen is removed from other areas of the body such as the stomach – giving rise to nausea.
The often-experienced ‘fear of dying’ may be because these symptoms mimic other serious conditions such as a heart attack. If you still feel unwell after 20 minutes of slow breathing, you should get medical help in case this is more than a panic attack.