Stressful situations can cause anxiety, our body’s natural response to stress. But feelings of apprehension can also be accompanied by physical effects such as rapid breathing, increased heart rate and nausea. How our brain perceives these physical changes – in particular, breathing – could be key to better understanding anxiety disorders and treating them.
Anxiety disorders are the most common mental health problem in Europe, affecting about 25 million people across the region.
Whereas anxiety is a normal reaction to difficult times, enabling us to take precautions, people with disorders can have high levels of dread that come out of nowhere and affect their daily life.
‘Having an anxiety disorder is when anxiety levels are both elevated and are causing problems,’ said Dr Olivia Faull, a neuroscientist at the University of Zurich in Switzerland. ‘It can stop (people) from doing things that they would like to do or things that they need to do like going out to the shops or visiting friends.
I agree, although I have not been diagnosed as long as many have been here. I had severe panic attacks a few before diagnosis, bad enough that I said goodbye to Sharon. Over the last four years I have been on a mission to learn as much as I can about my condition. This included about panic attacks and how to control them, which has not really helped when waking up with one. Waking up like that in the middle of one is the worse time of all, you are already distressed, trying to calm down and reason with oneself is almost impossible, this happens after coughing in my sleep. I do not normally have a cough, only with an infection.
I started with panic attacks after a 'breakdown' in 1995 and would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night in the middle of a full blown attack. Absolutely horrendous and one of the worst experiences of my life.
Thankfully now, while I do get panicky when struggling to breath, night time panics have not returned. I did manage to overcome the panic back then but never completely got control of the anxiety which, as I said, has increased in recent years.
It is, as you know, an automatic response to increased adrenaline when struggling whether awake or asleep. I now find it difficult to relax but have found that a low dose of oramorph when I really struggling takes the edge off. I wonder if it might help you. You have my sympathy in trying to deal and cope with them.
Have had problems with anxiety for over 25 years now greatly aggravated by chronic lung disease and severe breathlessness. As knitter says it's a vicious circle and very difficult to control.
Terrific piece of reading 2Greys. Thank you. I've subscribed to recieve updates on the work about anxiety as it's very different from any other article I've read.
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