Ways to Recognize Anxiety Symptoms
Anxiety attacks and panic disorders affect an estimated 2.4 million Americans according to WebMD.com, and women are more likely to experience them than men. An anxiety attack can be described as an elevated sense of unease and a sudden acute episode of feeling overwhelmed and panicky. Anxiety attacks can occur on a regular basis, or randomly in people of all ages. Here are some ways to recognize anxiety symptoms:
1. Difficulty speaking and concentrating. The person experiencing an anxiety attack or extreme anxiety typically has difficulty getting focused and speaking properly. They may stumble upon their words, stutter, and feel like they can’t get their thoughts under control.
2. Muscle tightness. Sufferers often experience tightness of their muscles. Tightness often occurs in the chest area causing chest pains and difficulty in breathing.
3. Agitated and overexcited. Those who always rush and are always hyper maybe suffering from anxiety disorder. They often feel that they cannot rest and so they keep on moving or working.
4. Numbness in the extremities. As mentioned earlier, sufferers may experience a shortness of breath during a panic attack. This may result into numbness of the hands and feet due to a lack of oxygen.
5. Heart palpitations or a racing heart. People who are about to have an anxiety attack often feel like their “heart is about to beat out of their chest.” Increased heart rate and elevated blood pressure are common anxiety symptoms.
6. Increased appetite for comfort foods. Sufferers usually relieve their feelings by eating fatty and sweet foods. These foods only make the problem worse since they only provide a short-term relief to stress. After the effect wears off, sufferers will return to their previous state or may even feel worse off.
7. Extreme fatigue. Constant stress on the mind and body from an anxiety attack or anxiety problems can leave the person feeling worn out and extremely fatigued. Anxiety triggers several chemical reactions in the body that directly affect the central nervous system. This can leave the person feeling drained of energy, and unable to get enough rest to recover.
Each anxiety attack suffer may experience a different set and intensity of symptoms. But in all cases, it is extremely helpful to understand the condition by first identifying the symptoms one experiences.
Treatment for anxiety must be customized for each individual case. Treatment options usually include mental therapy, lifestyle changes, dietary changes and medical intervention.