Panic Attacks Disorder

5 Responses to “How come when you have a panic attack you cant breathe?”

1. vampira53 Says:
   September 13th, 2008 at 6:13 am

   Panic attack stems from the bodys ‘fight or flight’ instinct. This response floods the body with hormones (adrenaline) that aid in defending the body from harm, and the ‘panic attack’ is a response from the sympathetic nervous system. The release of adrenaline causes the body to prepare for strenuous physical activity, therefore increasing heart rate, causes rapid breathing and sweating (to aid with heat loss). Because strenuous activity rarely follows, the hyperventilation leads to a drop in carbon dioxide levels in the lungs and then in the blood. This can cause many of the other symptoms of panic attacks such as numbness, dizziness, burning and lightheadedness. The release of adrenaline also causes blood vessels to constrict, causing dizziness and lightheadedness.

   The person experiencing such an attack often feels as though they are unable to catch their breath, and they begin to take deeper breaths, which also acts to decrease carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

   So to answer your question, your body is in fact ‘panicking’. When your fight or flight mode initiates your body is preparing to have to defend itself – and when it doesnt have to do so, your body has a hard time rebooting itself into normal mode. You are unable to inhale and exhale properly due to the secretion of adrenaline. What is taking place in a panic attack, i have explained above =)

2. John D Says:
   September 15th, 2008 at 2:02 pm

   I am not a doctor, I really can’t answer this question. I wish I was so I could help you out.

3. Piper G Says:
   September 16th, 2008 at 12:46 pm

   Negative emotions (like sadness, stress, anger, etc.) causes your Serotonin production to be low; when your Serotonin level is low, you are more prone to getting Anxiety, Panic Attacks, Depression, etc.

   Medication like Antidepressants (SSRI – Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) helps to boost Serotonin level.
   But there are natural ways to do it without medication. There’s this strange herb called St John’s Wort – it is said to be more effective than Prozac. No, it is not for mild depression only and ignore those sayings. In fact, it does help anxiety and panic-attacks as St John’s Wort works like prozac. Other natural ways will be exercise, diet, more exposure to light, etc.

   The problem is that, even if your Serotonin is balanced… you have that learned behavior in your mind. You need to break that initial cycle to destroy that learned behavior – Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) does this. A technique that you can use without CBT will be Distraction… There are several other techniques to help cope them!
   Ok, to use Distraction: Firstly, try to….

   Extracted from Source.

4. d_mcd_ Says:
   September 17th, 2008 at 7:17 am

   You hyperventilate and experience shortness of breath because your body is flooded with epinephrine, a fight or flight hormone that causes rapid heartbeat rapid breathing. People don’t always know why they have panic attacks but it is treatable. People don’t always have fear when they experience a panic attack, but the body is responding as if it is in panic. There are many ways of treating the disorder, including medication, which you should discuss with your doctor.

5. aswiee1994 Says:
   September 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pm

   when i get panic attacks i am the same way.and yes it is hyperventilation