How Long Do Anxiety Attacks Last?
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An anxiety attack is the same as a panic attack, yet it will come on without warnings or signs. Even though it may feel like the attack lasts forever, in reality they are usually over within minutes. Stress and health problems can bring on an attack. Lack of sleep, especially if you are in a stressful situation already, can trigger an anxiety attack.
What Is It Exactly?
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An anxiety attack is a sense of total upset. An irrational fear, or feeling that you just can't explain. There may be no basis for the fear, yet it is totally real to you. You may cry, become short of breath and be totally terrified. If you have a fear of a certain thing, and are confronted with the object of your fear, it can trigger an attack.
Some attacks can be very mild, while others are intense and frightening. The sheer force of the attack will scare you, thus causing the attack to worsen. You cannot control your emotions. You may begin to tremble and shake. It is defined as an irrational fear that simply overwhelms you and you are not able to control your emotions.
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Learning to Cope
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Once you are aware that you are subject to having anxiety attacks, there are many ways you can learn to control the attack, or at least shorten its duration. If you feel the attack coming on, remove yourself from the situation that is causing it, if possible.
Try to control your breathing and talk yourself through the attack. If you have a friend or a family member that has witnessed the attacks, she can be a source of comfort. Sometimes a hug or a reassuring voice can stop the attack and calm your frazzled nerves.
Breathing exercises can help control the attack as well. Practice breathing slowly to steady your beating heart and to speed up the flow of oxygen to your lungs. Breathe in through the nose very deeply and slowly, and then exhale through the mouth. Friends are great at coaching you into doing this when you are in the middle of an attack.
If you are already in a stressful situation, try to remove the stress as much as possible. Keep yourself healthy by talking long calming walks, or doing something else you enjoy. The more relaxed you keep yourself the less attacks you will have. The fewer attacks you have mean they will not be as severe either.
Get Help
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If you find that you are unable to control the attacks, and they are becoming more severe and lasting longer, you may need to seek help. Talk to your doctor about medication to help you relax, or about seeing a counselor.
Your doctor may even prescribe an inhaler to help you breath, if the attacks are severe. Just knowing you have an inhaler to help open those air ways, may in fact lessen the attack and you never actually have to use the inhaler. It will give you security, and that is really what you are looking for.
Keep a journal of each time you have an anxiety attack to see if there is a certain pattern that is causing it. Perhaps there are certain situations, places or even people that cause the attacks. If you cannot avoid situations, places or people that cause the attacks, try to figure out the root of them.
While anxiety attacks are really a mental issue the symptoms they trigger can be quite physical. If you experience things so traumatic that you feel you just can't cope, please seek the advice of a medical professional. If your attacks are becoming more severe and lasting longer than a few minutes, you need help coping with them.
Panic or anxiety attacks can also accompany feelings of grief or depression. If you are taking any kind of medications, drugs or alcohol, these can also contribute to an anxiety attack. Talking to a doctor and checking into your overall health, your eating habits and your lifestyle can help you to overcome severe bouts of anxiety that last longer than a couple of minutes.
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