Can Stress Relief Really Help Panic Attacks and Anxiety Disorders?

If you’re looking for help for panic attacks, you’re not limited to just mood-altering drugs. While medications that alter brain chemistry are helpful for many people who suffer from these debilitating seizures, simple steps to reduce stress in your life can go a long way toward reducing stress.

People who suffer from panic attacks and other anxiety disorders find that intense feelings of fear suddenly and irrationally take over. They are so strong that they can make it impossible to lead a normal life. Sufferers commonly experience a rapid and irregular heartbeat, sweaty palms, shortness of breath, and may even think they are having a heart attack.

There can be many physical and mental triggers that cause panic attacks. Too much caffeine, not getting enough sleep, alcohol, high levels of certain hormones, vitamin deficiencies, and many other factors have been linked to panic attacks. However, one of the most universal is the high level of stress.

A recent study in Behavioral Neuroscience showed that high levels of stress led to increased levels of sustained anxiety. We all go through stress, but if we are overexposed, our bodies produce too much hormones, cortisol, and corticosterone. In the study, mice exposed to high levels of these hormones showed much more anxious tendencies than those that received only small doses.

The cost that overexposure to these hormones has on our bodies seems to decrease our ability to deal with stressful events, so a panic attack can be caused by something minor. The trigger may not even be noticeable to us; too much caffeine, not getting enough sleep, or just a fluctuation in our blood sugar levels.

Having suffered from anxiety disorder and panic attacks, I can personally testify to the role stress plays in it. A little argument with my girlfriend would make me feel like I couldn’t breathe. A counselor explained to me that the stress level in our body is like liquid in a cup. The fuller it is, the easier it will be to spill when you put something new on it. If a cup is only halfway up, you can drop a large ice cube and it won’t spill. On the other hand, if it’s filled to the brim, only a few drops will send it over the top.

To reduce panic attacks, we need to find ways to eliminate and control our stress. Here are some great tips to keep stress under control and those nasty hormones out of your system:

• Plan it: We often encounter stress from being in a rush or not feeling fully prepared for what is happening in our lives. By making a schedule and knowing how you are going to deal with stress-inducing factors, you can be one step ahead of the game.
• Be flexible: Sometimes we get stressed because we don’t get to everything on our “to do” list. Hey, come on in! You have to play with the punches and remind yourself that not everything is a life and death task.
• take it easy: Yes, I know that is easier said than done, but finding ways to relax and relieve stress goes a long way in reducing panic attacks. Learn about techniques for deep breathing, meditation, progressive muscle relaxation, and even visualization to help you keep seizures from getting you under control.

Stress relief may not completely eliminate panic attacks, but it is certainly a step in the right direction. Not only will it help improve your overall health and well-being, but with fewer panic attacks you can better manage your life.