After a panic attack, the victim will sometimes suffer the symptom of tightness in chest. Chest tightness mostly strike patients who have mild and severe levels of anxiety. Many people tend to mistake chest tightness with the onset of a heart attack. However, the former is often less severe and less painful than an actual heart attack.

Many people describe chest tightness as the pressure on the chest cavity area. During this, the patient’s heart beat will begin to quicken and he experiences a shortness of breath. If he does not have the slightest clue what is happening to him, he becomes fraught with fear. Fear is often an accompanying emotional symptom.

Difference between panic tightness and heart attack

Chest tightness led on by panic attacks are often mistaken for a heart attack. In reality, there is a difference in the intensity of the episodes. The former is of course less severe. The patient may be rushed to the hospital. Typically, when he arrives at the emergency room his symptoms will subside. Being able to distinguish between the two will help to save one from a misdiagnosis and allow him/her to deal with his anxiety sooner.

A heart attack feels more like a crushing and squeezing sensation in the chest, unlike the tightness experienced in an anxiety attack. The pain of a heart attack spreads rapidly to the shoulders, neck and jaw, and feeling lightheaded and faint. These symptoms may not be experienced in a panic attack.

How tightness in the chest occurs

Beginning at the central nervous system, panic attacks cause the fight or flight response to activate. This response is the body’s natural way of dealing with dangerous situations that are either real or perceived. Once activated, the sufferer will begin to feel chest tightness due to the fact the brain is sending out signals to the rest of the body and warning them of danger. One’s anxiety level then begins to fluctuate. Some people burst into a maniacal episode even at the slightest provoke. If you are one of these people, you should seek medical treatment as soon as possible.

The tightness in the chest can be a continuous sensation during the course of an anxiety attack, or it can come and go sporadically. Tightness can be accompanied by pain, similar to a stab or piercing in the chest, or combinations of all these feelings. They may begin in the chest then spread to the oesophagus, and can be made worse by lying down on one’s back.

Treatment for chest tightness

One effective treatment for chest tightness is for one to implement relaxation techniques. Begin first by sitting down and inhaling through the nostrils and exhaling through the mouth. The victim should keep his mind focused on the breathing and less on the fearful thoughts that have triggered the attack.

Modern medicine has helped to stave off the symptoms of panic attacks and provide relief when one feels discomfort in his chest. Most people have an inhaler in hand so that they can use it when chest tightness strikes them again.

The best treatment is always prevention, so it is very helpful for sufferers of tightness in the chest with anxiety to realize that their fears are not always real and to stop the anxiety attacks before they begin. Facing and analysing the stress triggers of the anxiety go a long way in the treatment and cure of panic tightness.

Discover how you can overcome your anxiety today so you never again have to suffer from this terrible affliction. Why should you continue to suffer from severe panic attacks when you could cure yourself forever today?