The next step to curing panic attacks is to learn some coping techniques.  When you feel a panic attack coming on deep breathing should be your first line of defense.  Breathe in very slowly and deeply and then breathe out very slowly.  Do a 5 or 10 second count in then out.  This does two things.  It takes your mind off the panic attack and secondly controlling and slowing the oxygen that is going into your body produces a chemical change within your body that can actually stop the panic attack in it’s tracks.  Over oxidation from breathing in and out very quickly when you realize the panic attack is coming on, which is normally what happens, typically intensifies the panic attack.  So, you should really try and master your deep breathing techniques.

The next thing you need to do is fix your diet.  Caffeine is known to increase the frequence of panic attacks or intensify the symptoms.  You need to cut out all caffeine products.  Even a little caffeine from some chocolate can have a negative effect.  Decaffeinated products also maybe contain minute traces of caffeine so beware.  Also, if you have been a long time caffeine drinker, give yourself 1 to 2 months until you will feel 100% again from getting the caffeine out of your diet.  Drink more water, it’s good for you.

The next thing diet wise is to cut how candies and other similar foods.  Candies spike your insulin levels and because people with panic attacks tend to be hyper in tune with little changes in their bodies “equilibrium” state this can trigger a panic attack.  I have personally tried cutting down on other types of very high glycemic foods as these will typical have a similar affect on your system that a package of skittles will have.

Start excercising.  Excercise has a positive impact on both your physical and mental side.  A good 30 minute run or lifting weights can do wonders for relieving the everyday stresses you may face.  It should also help you face your panic attacks.

Lastly you need to start confronting the fears / walls you’ve built around yourself that might trigger the panic attacks.  A cognitive behavioral therapist can help you identify these triggers and assist you in confronting them.  Confronting your fears and the things you are afraid of will probably be the toughest thing, but it is one of the only things that will cure panic attacks.  That being said if you put all the tips to cure panic attacks listed above into action and then you use some of the strategies your cognitive behavioral therapist will give you for confronting your panic attacks.  There is absolutely no reason you can’t cure your panic attacks or at least get them under control.

Disclaimer:  You should obviously consult a medical doctor before starting any new exercise or nutritional program as every person is different and some people may react differently to different things.

One situation which is not infrequent is panic attacks. As with any medical emergency, it’s important to recognize the signs and symptoms of panic attacks so that proper help can be administered. First, let’s deal with the myths about signs and symptoms of panic attacks. One of the symptoms of a panic attack is trembling uncontrollably. Too often, this leads one to believe that the person has “gone crazy” or is being a nuisance by, not only shaking, but spouting gibberish. In all honesty, shaking is definitely a sign of a panic attack but speaking gibberish is not. It’s important to point this out because understanding what signs and symptoms of panic attack really are will help determine the proper treatment for this person. Any misinformation given to a medical emergency worker can delay treatment further. The next step is to determine what the signs and symptoms of panic attacks really are.

The most common signs of panic attacks include trembling, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain (or chest tightness), hot flashes cold flashes, burning sensations, sweating, nausea, dizziness, light-headedness, hyperventilation, and tingling sensations. These are easily recognizable signs of panic attack that are obvious when someone is suffering from these conditions. Although symptoms such as these should be treated immediately as in any other medical emergency, it’s helpful to know what the cause is or what triggered it just for background information. If, for example, you have a friend or a family member who suffers from panic attacks periodically, it might help to know the cause so that the they can be treated professionally in order to prevent future occurrences of panic attacks.

One common cause, or “trigger”, that can cause panic attacks is heredity. There may be a family history of other relatives having suffered similar symptoms. Other causes include post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive behavior, and phobias.

When administering help to a panic attack sufferer, particularly someone you may not know but you’re seeking emergency help for, never ask “what brought this on?” What the cause is shouldn’t matter because the immediate concern is to seek immediate help to the victim. It’s important not to delay the process in seeking help asking impertinent questions like “so what’s wrong with you?” or “is this for real?” Even if you recognize symptoms for treating panic attacks, there’s a possibility of a heart attack in which case you never want to delay getting medical help for a victim. It’s best to avoid conversation and start assisting immediately.

The very first step would be to guide the victim to a safe cool place to either sit or lie down and offer some water if that’s possible. Once the victim is in a safe place, call 911. You will very likely be asked a series of questions by the 911 operator to determine the type of emergency that needs to be tended to. The operators are usually well trained in the area of diagnosis and can determine how quickly an ambulance can go to where the victim is. One major distinction between a heart attack and a panic attack is that a victim of a panic attack can regain composure after about 15 minutes. It’s possible that the victim will recover during the time you’re speaking to a 911 operator. That may immediately determine that an ambulance isn’t needed.

If you see that the victim of a panic attack has regained his or her composure and appears to be functioning normally, you can suggest going to a hospital emergency room to be checked. It may be that the victim has previously had episodes like these in the past and opt not to go. If a victim fears that a panic attack may soon set it, having a medical professional check the person should be advised.

Offering help to a person suffering a panic attack should not be avoided. It doesn’t help to stand by the sidelines just watching to see what will happen. It really shouldn’t take more than 30 minutes of your time to assist someone whose situation could have worsened if help had not arrived.

Symptoms of Panic Attacks:

• Palpitations, pounding heart, or hastened heart rate
• Shaking or trembling
• Sweating
• Sensations of shortness of breath or suffocation
• Chest pain or uneasiness
• Feeling of choking
• Feeling dizzy, wobbly, lightheaded, or faint
• Nausea or abdominal distress
• De-realization (feelings of unreality) or depersonalization (being separated from oneself)
• Fear of dying
• Fear of losing control or going crazy
• Chills or hot flashes
• Paresthesias (numbness or lack of feeling or tingling sensations)

Please remember if you suspect you might be experiencing panic attacks it is always best to see a licensed therapist for a professional opinion. That being said, now that you’ve successfully identified what symptoms of panic attacks you are experiencing you can determine whether or not you personally think you are actually suffering from the disorder and you can explore some possible treatments like, cognitive behavioral therapy.

Here are some of the normal symptoms of panic attacks:

-          Rapid heart beat or a perceived racing heart or louder/faster beat.  In reality this may or may not actually be occurring, but we think it is.

-          Tightness in the chest, chest pain, or just general chest heaviness.

-          Dizziness/Feeling light headed

-          Shortness of breath/hyperventilation

-          Numbness or tingling of your appendages

-          Sweating

-          Energetic

-          Upset stomach or butterflies

-          Urgent need to urinate or have a bowel movement

-          Muscle weakness/weak or shaky legs

-          Lack of saliva or dry mouth

-          Hot and/or cold flashes – flushing

-          Fear of dying

-          Fear of going insane or crazy

-          Catastrophizing the situation by think you are lose control or make a mockery of yourself

-          The need to flee or escape

-          Need to pretend that you are calm to the other/your peers

-          Holding breath

-          Muscle tightness

-          Avoidance/fleeing

-          Trying to take your mind off of things

This anxiety toward this sub-set of panic attack symptoms is also typically excaserbated by the fact about how the sufferer envisions his peers will view these symptoms.  Someone suffering from panic disorder may start thinking that people think they are weak or not prepared to give a speech, when they start trembling.  However, this type of thought process in reality cannot be further from the truth on how your typical person would in reality feel toward someone displaying these physical symptoms.  Most people would feel sympathy for you and empathize with your situation about how you are having a tough time, for example, giving your big speech.  It would be a very very small  set of people, if any at all, that might be irritated by these physical symptoms…But, hey who cares about what that group of people thinks anyway.  Anyone that is going to feel ill will toward another individual because they are having a rough time giving a speech is probably not a good person to begin with.

That all being said, deep breathing can be an excellent tool for combating these symptoms and panic attacks in general. It is probably the easiest and cheapest tool you have to fight your panic attacks.         When you perform deep breathing you are physically changing the chemical reaction that is happening in your body as a result of the attacks and you are doing the most obvious of things, taking your mind off your attack and focusing your mind on something else.  It is important when performing deep breathing to breath in slowly and deeply and then exhale slowly.  It can be helpful to count to 5 when breathing in and when breathing out.  Deep breathing is best implemented immediately when you feel yourself starting to panic.

Hopefully this has all been informative in helping you understand the physical symptoms of panic attacks and providing you with a tool to help you in your battle with panic disorder.

Panic attacks generally last about thirty minutes according to the American Psychological Association. That being said panic attacks can be as short as 15 seconds. In addition, they may form a recurring sequence of episodes which keeps on for an extensive period, say, for hours. In cases where attacks have happened before, the afflicted will often feel major anticipatory anxiety and partial symptom panic attacks in between full blown attacks.

1. Increased heart rate – You are getting up to give that big speech and then all of a sudden your heart starts racing. You are unsure of what is happening but you know that it can’t be normal. You start to worry that something could be wrong, as your heart races more and more. Sound familiar…well it should. Thousands and thousands of people get a pounding hearting heart rate when they have panic attacks. The fear around this symptom stems from a vicious cycle we form, questioning why we would be having this symptom in this particular situation and the thinking that it isn’t normal. This also stems a fear that maybe you are having a heart attack. Just remember the next time your are in a situation like this, that the chances that the worst case scenario would happen, a heart attack, is extremely unlikely.

2. Fear Of Dying – This is a very typical symptom in where the subject might be doing something or may not be doing something that cause some bit of natural anxiety. All of a sudden the person feels something. Immediately this throws them into a downward spiral of panic, fear, and anxiety. This spiral spurs more intense symptoms such as, light headedness, rapid heartbeat, etc. For instance a rapid heartbeat could lead someone who is in this downward spiral to start to panic because they think they are having a heart attack. Or someone who is feeling light headed to start to panic and think they are dying of an aneurysm. The fear of dying symptom can be overcome by just remembering that almost no one ever dies from a panic attack. And the chance that you would actually die is so astronomically small that it is not even worth worrying about.

3. Dizziness – Dizziness can be particularly frightening to someone having a panic attack. This symptom typically exacerbates the panic attack by making the subject think they are on the verge of passing out. The fear of embarrassment and the exaggerated thoughts of being a socially ridiculed from passing out further sends the person into a downward spiral of panic. It can be important if you suffer from the dizziness symptom that even if you do pass out, which is very very unlikely, the vast majority of people are not going to hold it against you or think less of you, but they will be genuinely concerned for your well being.

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is regarded as the first line of treatment. The first part of treatment is mainly informational; many sufferers are significantly helped by merely knowing what panic disorder is and how many others experience it. The main worry of most of the people who are having panic disorder is that the panic might persuade a heart attack or their panic attacks mean they are ‘going crazy’. ‘Cognitive restructuring’ which means altering one’s way of thinking assists people change those types of thoughts with more positive and realistic ways of analyzing the attacks.

‘Cognitive Behavioral Therapy’ (CBT) refers to a psychotherapeutic method which intends to resolve problems regarding dysfunctional behaviors, emotions and cognitions through a systematic and goal-oriented procedure.

There is experimental proof that CBT can effectively treat various problems with anxiety, mood, personality, psychotic disorders, eating and substance abuse. Some researchers and clinicians are ‘cognitive oriented’, for example, cognitive restructuring, whereas others are ‘behaviorally oriented’ like in vivo exposure therapy. Other intercessions merge both of these such as imaginal exposure therapy.

CBT is used in various clinical as well as non-clinical environments. It has been effectively used for treating countless clinical disorder, behavioral problems and personality conditions. Though CBT is extremely useful for many disarrays, it is vital to note down that this therapy is not likely to be successful for the treatment of psychiatric troubles caused only by alcohol or drug abuse. It is argued that before starting CBT, such patients must be aimed at dealing with their alcohol or drug abuse problems- ideally seeking for total abstinence.

An idea in CBT cure for anxiety disorders which is very crucial is ‘in vivo exposure’, that is, a steady exposure or contact to the real, panicked stimulus. This therapy follows the assumption that the anxiety or fear response is naturally conditioned and also that evasion strengthens positively and upholds that fear. A particular phobia, for instance, ‘fear of spiders’ can habitually be treated with therapist modeling and in vivo exposure in one sitting.

Social phobia also has been frequently cured by coupling exposure and cognitive restructuring. Heimburg’s ‘group therapy protocol’ is an example. There is evidence for cognitive interventions improving the effect of the remedy for social phobia.

CBT helps patients with severe mental disorders to understand experiences which cause symptoms and to link main feelings and thoughts with factors which prompt to or precipitate them. Patients can even devise and perform behavioral experiments which can assist them to learn to get their quality of life better, with the help of a therapist.

Some meditation and yoga traditions depict a clear difference among diaphragmatic breathing as well as belly breathing or abdominal breathing. In diaphragmatic breathing, if we use the more precise method, it will be more helpful.

A general exercise of diaphragmatic breathing is in this way:

• Lie or sit at ease, by wearing loose garments.
• Place one hand on the stomach and the other on the chest
• Inhale slowly through your pursed lips or nose in order to decelerate the breath intake.
• When inhaling, experience your stomach enlarge by your hand
• Exhale slowly through tightened lips to control the air release
• Rest, Relax and repeat

Taking many negative breaths, instantly followed by an equal number of positive breaths is another exercise of diaphragmatic breathing. This helps to raise the blood oxygen levels and the body energy. Inhale, exhale at once and then seize breath for a while during negative breaths. The stress is to keep your lungs vacant and these decrease the oxygen level in your blood. In positive breaths, you have to inhale, seize the breath, and exhale then to keep your lungs filled. Positive breaths boost the oxygen levels in the blood. Even though not taught, keeping on breathing from or into the chest simultaneously can give an increasingly “fulfilling” exercise. The aim is for having the whole torso go in and out while breathing just like one is bounded by a growing as well as constricting inner tube.

Doing diaphragmatic or deep breathing can be beneficial or therapeutic and can become your normal way of breathing with sufficient practice.

Pranayama and Yoga teachers think that the fullest and most complete way of breathing is actually the “three-part breath” which is also known as “The Complete Breath” in Yoga. This consists of diaphragmatic breathing as the initial step, then thorax expansion, and finally chest expansion. In Tantric yoga, this method of breathing is known as that which eases the greatest flow of life force through the body. The “three-part breath” has many variations, but many breathing teachers and therapists uphold that this method can make breathing imbalances and other problems.