A stress attack is also called a panic attack or an anxiety attack. Symptoms of a stress attack can occur at any time, day or night and under any circumstance. The cause of your stress attack can result from real threats to your health and safety or from perceived threats. Emotional and psychological stress and fear can cause a fight or flight response that affects your entire body.
Rapid Heart Rate
A stress response in the body causes the release of powerful chemicals called catecholamines. Donna D. Ignatavicius, MS RN, and M. Linda Workman, Ph.D, authors of "Medical-Surgical Nursing: Critical Thinking for Collaborative Care", explain how catecholamines work on the entire cardiovascular system, preparing the body for the fight or flight response, which allows you to defend yourself or flee from what is threatening you. One effect of catecholamines includes an increased heart rate. The purpose of this response is to increase blood flow to vital organs (heart and brain) and your muscles. However, a rapid heart rate causes several uncomfortable side effects. You might feel your heart pounding in your chest. Your heart rate may even become slightly irregular with extra beats and you may feel chest tightness or pain because of this.
Rapid Breathing
Another effect of catecholamines is an increased respiratory rate. During a stress attack the body prepares itself to fight or flee. Rapid breathing or hyperventilating, helps oxygenate the heart and muscles which prepares a person for action. However, when you are experiencing a stress attack there is no real physical threat, and hyperventilating only adds to your symptoms of anxiety.
Hyperventilation affects the body by causing vasoconstriction (narrowing of blood vessels), which increases the blood pressure, and makes your hands feel cold. Rapid breathing also affects the balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body; it causes you to "blow off" more carbon dioxide which causes symptoms of numbness and tingling in the body, headache, and syncope (passing out).
Tremors
The chemicals released during a stress attack cause an adrenaline rush in the body. Muscles, nerves and reflexes become hyper-responsive and tremors and shaking can result.
Nausea
Part of the stress response includes the shunting of blood from non-vital organs to other parts of the body, like the heart, brain and muscles. The stomach is considered a non-vital organ during a stress attack. The result of the decreased blood flow to the stomach, as the Mayo Clinic explains, is nausea and abdominal cramping.
Feelings of Doom
All of the symptoms of a stress attack can cause you to feel dread and fear. You may think you are about to die, especially if you do not know why you are feeling this way. The fear that stress attack symptoms cause can further intensify and your symptoms.
References
- "Medical-Surgical Nursing: Critical Thinking for Collaborative Care"; Donna D. Ignatavicius MS RN, & M. Linda Workman Ph.D; 2006
- The Mayo Clinic: "Panic Attacks and Panic Disorders: Symptoms"
