What is an Anxiety Disorder?
Your heart is racing, feeling like it is pounding out of your chest. Your throat feels tight and you are having difficulty breathing. Your stomach rolls with nausea. You find yourself fighting to hold down your lunch. All of this is accompanied by an overwhelming fear. You feel out of control, like death is just around the corner.
This is a common panic attack. If this sounds like an experience you’ve had, you may be one of the many who have a panic disorder. A panic disorder is just one of the many categories of anxiety disorder. You will find that 2-3% of anxiety sufferers are afflicted by this condition. However, around 30% of the patients will go through a panic attack at one point in their lives.
The truth is panic disorders are misunderstood. We don’t know how they come about exactly, or even what makes someone like yourself susceptible to them. Then again, we do know it appears in the teenage years and early adulthood. Oddly enough, more women are hit with panic disorder than men.
The symptoms won’t always be the same between each individual either. In fact, some situations last a few minutes while others can last for 30. If you’re wondering if what you’re enduring is a panic attack, then you need to look at the symptoms. They are anything from chest pain, breathing difficulties, the feeling of doom or shaking and trembling to, nausea and vomiting, hot or cold flashes, or feeling faint. The important issue is that they come out of nowhere.
A good way to control your panic disorder is by avoiding the places that are associated with a panic attack. If the case is more severe, the individual may not want to leave his or her home. Instead, the comfort of familiar surrounding is more comfortable. Keep in mind this doesn’t always resolve the problem, and can create other issues.
Research has found some potential causes of panic disorder. If the person previously had a bad experience, they may relate any symptoms experienced then as a harbinger of bad things to come.
The good news is there are several treatments for panic disorder. However, it’s important to find the right one for you. One angle is when your doctor prescribes anti-depressants. We definitely don’t recommend going this route, simply because they’ve pretty much been proven not to work. Instead you will end up covering up the real issue. Plus you have to think about the side effects and possible addiction.
Since medication of that nature is out the window, a natural approach might be your best bet. Having the proper rest, exercising, and changing your diet may play a major role in controlling and reducing your anxiety disorder. Heck, just getting 8-10 hours a sleep can reduce anxiety by 50%. You can find some good self-help books on this and other natural benefits online.
Some experts believe that stress can play a role in panic disorder. Exercise is an excellent stress reliever. In addition to relieving stress, exercise helps you maintain a healthy body weight, necessary to keeping hormone levels in balance.
Food is another important area. The research over the years suggests that some foods increase anxiety. Some things you might want to stay away from are coffee, dairy products, refined, sugar, honey, and maple syrup. The best thing to do is keep a food log.
Relaxation can also be helpful. Whenever you are relaxed, anxiety and fear seem to diminish. It allows the nerves to become more stable, which in turn helps for those stressful situations and times. So you may want to try something like Yoga and meditation. Then of course there is aromatherapy, which helps you relax and keep the stress at bay.
While it may not be possible to completely cure your panic disorder, these treatments can help reduce the severity of it. This will enable you to live a somewhat normal life without the constraints imposed by the disorder.
Meanwhile, Julie U. Stevenson has endured panic attacks for over 13 years. We recommend taking a look at her story by visiting here website: My Anxiety Solution and find out how she was able to rid herself of this burden and get her life back.
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