Chest pain and anxiety

Heart Attack or Not?

There are many different conditionswhich cause us to feel chest pain. Therefore, many of these areinstantly connected to a heart attack, the worst case scenario. So,many people whose life is not endangered at all, choose to seekmedical attention fearing for their lives while, actually, there isno reason for that. A pinched nerve, painful muscles or a rib injury,all cause chest pain, but have nothing to do with one's heart. On theother hand, there are illnesses capable of replicating all thesymptoms of an ongoing heart attack, like angina, gallbladder or somepancreas problem. Moreover, mere anxiety may lead to this confusingtype of chest pain, making a person think the worst. All in all, itis necessary to know how to recognize the right symptoms of ananxiety attack in order to know when you are not having a heartattack, taking into consideration the similarity between the symptomsof the two.

Symptoms To Be Aware Of

First of all, in case your chest hurtsand you are not sure whether it is a heart or a panic attack, makesure you pinpoint the location of the pain. Namely, in case you arehaving an actual heart attack, the very center of your chest wouldcause you pain, which will not get worse, if you touch or press thispart of your body. The pain is to remain constant for a period longerthan 10 minutes. The pain is best characterized as crushing.Regardless, it does not cause you breathing difficulties.

On the other hand, chest pain provokedby an anxiety attack manifests through pain in the area above yourheart. This pain is sharp and causes breathing problems, increasingthe amount of air one breathes in. Here, pressing your chest may onlymake things worse, increasing the pain and discomfort. However, thisfit is short lasting. Thus, one is to suffer from an anxiety attackfor less than 10 minutes.

Interestingly enough, anxiety attacksmay strike due to a heart attack. Taking into consideration that thefirst ones are triggered by adrenaline in our organism once we findourselves in a life-threatening situation, it is not strange that ananxiety attack may be triggered by the heart attack itself. Then, itis necessary for one to stay calm, so as not to makethings worse. Therefore, make sure you apply panic attack relieftechniques every time you experience chest pain, in order to rule outthe worst case scenario and thus relax.