Panic Attack Symptoms: 7 Signs Of The Condition That Can Be Confused For Stress

Panic attack is your body's extreme response to danger, stress or excitement. Mayo Clinic describes panic attack as a "sudden episode of intense fear that triggers severe physical reactions when there is no real danger or apparent cause. Panic attacks can be very frightening. When panic attacks occur, you might think you're losing control, having a heart attack or even dying." Panic attacks are common and studies show that up to 35% of people experience at least one in their lifetime, and roughly 11% have one in a given year.

When panic attacks are not managed, it can lead to panic disorder. Some panic attacks might be caused due to stress. Panic attacks can look like everyday stress, making people brush off the alarming symptoms as just another tough day. While stress builds gradually, panic attacks happen suddenly and intensely. Understanding the difference is important as it can help in proper management. Here are some signs of panic attack that can be confused for stress.

Signs Of Panic Attack You Should Know

1. Rapid Heartbeat

One of the most alarming yet common signs is a racing or pounding heart, which is often described as palpitations or fluttering. When you're under chronic stress, your body stays in a low-level fight-or-flight mode, releasing adrenaline steadily, which elevates your heart rate over hours or days. This can feel manageable and with the discomforts subsiding after rest or a walk. On the other hand, a panic attack causes extreme signs: your heart beats violently within seconds, reaching speeds that feel like it might burst or skip entirely. Victims often clutch their chest. This might also feel like a heart attack and the peak hits in under 10 minutes.

2. Shortness of Breath

Feeling out of breath or unable to draw a full breath is a sign that stress sufferers know well. Stress tightens chest muscles gradually, leading to sighs or gasps that improve with deep breaths or yoga. Panic, on the other hand, causes hyperventilation or a choking panic. Suddenly, air seems scarce, your throat constricts, and each breath feels insufficient, causing suffocation. Unlike stress, which is linked to identifiable triggers like deadlines, this happens unpredictably, amplifying fear and exhaustion in mere minutes.

3. Sweating and Trembling

Clammy hands, mild sweats, or shaky limbs during high-stress periods are common as cortisol floods your system, preparing for "danger." These symptoms happen during events like arguments and are manageable with grounding techniques. Panic attacks cause drenching sweat, cold and profuse despite normal temperatures along with uncontrollable tremors that affect your whole body. Imagine shaking as if freezing, even in warmth, limbs jitter violently which makes standing impossible. This can last for 5-20 minutes and it can be more than subtle jitters of stress.

4. Chest Pain or Tightness

Stress often causes knots in your chest caused due to hunched shoulders or emotional weight. It causes a dull ache which can be relieved by stretching or hot showers. Panic attack, on the other hand, causes stabbing pain that is similar to angina. It can be accompanied by radiating discomfort to arms or jaw.

5. Dizziness or Lightheadedness

Feeling faint or unsteady is common in stress and it is linked to fatigue, dehydration, or skipped meals. Symptoms develop slowly and improve with rest. However, a panic attack might trigger acute vertigo: the room spins wildly, or you feel detached, as if floating outside yourself. This might also be accompanied by numbness or tingling in the fingers and face.

6. Nausea or Stomach Distress

Butterflies or queasiness from stress are gut reactions to anxiety. It might be persistent but mild and can be eased by light meals. Panic, on the other hand, affects your stomach acutely. You might have waves of nausea, cramps, or vomit urges.

7. Intense Fear or Doom

Stress causes worry linked to real issues, like bills or conflicts. Panic causes baseless terror; irrational certainty of dying, going insane, or losing control. This has no link to reality and this "doom sense" increases rapidly. It is irrational yet overwhelming and vanishes abruptly unlike stress's uneasiness.

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.