How Long Can Anxiety Attacks Last? Understanding Panic Disorder

Anxiety is a natural and common response to stressful or frightening situations. Although many people have felt anxious at some point in their lives, people diagnosed with an anxiety disorder experience symptoms that can be challenging to cope with. Sometimes, an individual living with anxiety may experience what are known as anxiety attacks. These are intense periods of fear, dread, and tension that are often caused by a specific concern. Anxiety attacks can last for varying lengths of time and may be accompanied by a host of other symptoms that can make them difficult to cope with. Understanding the causes, symptoms, and duration of anxiety attacks can help you regain control over them. You can’t always prevent anxiety attacks, but you can learn how to manage them and reduce their impact on your life. In this article, we’ll be discussing ways to identify, cope with, and reduce the frequency of anxiety attacks to help you live a healthier and more productive life.

What is an anxiety attack?

An anxiety attack is an episode of severe anxiety and fear with a sudden onset. Unlike panic attacks, which often have no identifiable cause, anxiety attacks are often the result of a particular concern. Anxiety attacks can occur whether you have an anxiety disorder or not. Anxiety attacks occur when the body’s “fight or flight” mechanism is triggered by a situation that seems stressful or frightening. The “fight or flight” response is a deeply ingrained biological process that has evolved over thousands of years to help us survive.

Since anxiety attack symptoms tend to come on suddenly and feel very intense, you may assume that you’re having a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. Emergency Departments are regularly utilized by those experiencing anxiety attacks and panic attacks, with an estimated 50% of people with panic disorder visiting the ER on multiple occasions due to their symptoms. People who have experienced one anxiety attack are more likely to have another one in the future. Worry and fear about having an anxiety attack can make another one more likely, forming a negative feedback loop. 

Possible symptoms of an anxiety attack

Symptoms of an anxiety attack can vary, but may include the following: 

• Fast, pounding heartbeat
• Heart palpitations (can be fluttering, skipped beats, or hard beats)*
• Shortness of breath*
• Feeling like you’re choking or being smothered
• Chest tightness, pressure, or pain*
• Increased sweating
• Hot flashes
• Nausea or indigestion
• “Pins and needles” sensation
• Feeling detached from your body

What to do when experiencing symptoms of an anxiety attack

*If you are experiencing shortness of breath or chest pain for the first time and are concerned, you may be having more than a panic attack. Call 911 or proceed to your nearest emergency room.

Symptoms of an anxiety attack vary from person to person and may be different each time. While symptoms can be intense and terrifying in the moment, anxiety attacks are not life-threatening. You can’t die from an anxiety attack, and it can’t hurt you. Still, they can be incredibly difficult to experience. 

How long can anxiety attacks last?

Anxiety attacks usually come on over a longer period of time, but they can also occur without warning. If you experience ongoing attacks, you may sense that an attack is imminent for a few minutes or even hours before it starts. Anxiety attacks normally last for about 5-20 minutes, although this can feel like a long time when you’re struggling with one.

Rarely, anxiety attacks can last up to an hour or longer. The symptoms may ebb and then return. While this can be very distressing, anxiety attacks don’t last forever. Your symptoms will end once your brain is no longer sending a danger signal. You may feel more tired than usual for a few hours up to a day after having one or more anxiety attacks.

What can cause an anxiety attack?

Sometimes, an anxiety attack has an obvious cause, while other times, there may be no apparent reason for one occurring. Its causes can be psychological or mental. Anything that activates the body’s “fight or flight” response could theoretically cause an anxiety attack.

This reaction is supposed to subside once the threat is dealt with. However, in some people, this system misfires and detects a threat when there is none. Since there’s no actual threat in front of you, the stress hormones continue to circulate through your body, causing the acute fear and physical symptoms you experience.

If certain things seem to generate anxiety attacks for you, you may have the urge to avoid them. However, this may only cement the association in your brain between the stimulus and the fear. Instead, you can learn how to develop healthy coping strategies to manage your anxiety when faced with these things. For example, if you were in a car accident and now riding in cars makes you anxious, you can learn muscle relaxation and breathing techniques or mindfulness to manage your anxiety.

Addressing panic disorder: How to manage symptoms of anxiety attacks

If you’re currently experiencing an anxiety attack or feel like you’re on the verge of having one, you’re probably searching for ways to stop it. While you may not always be able to stop a panic attack or an anxiety attack, you can gain more control over your symptoms and learn how to lessen the duration of the experience with the following methods:

• Tell yourself that you’re having an anxiety attack. Sudden panic can make you think there’s something wrong with your body or that you’re in danger. You may jump to the conclusion that you’re having a heart attack, for example. Remind yourself that what you’re feeling, no matter how intense or frightening it seems in the moment, is an anxiety attack. Fearing your symptoms might only make them worse.
• Slow down your breathing. During an anxiety attack, your respiratory rate goes up. Focusing on your breathing and taking slower, deeper breaths instead of short, shallow ones can help calm your body. Research has suggested that there may be an imbalance of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the body during an anxiety attack. To rectify this, breathe in through your nose for a count of 4 and out through your mouth for a count of 6.
• Use grounding techniques. Grounding techniques can draw your attention away from your symptoms and distract you long enough to stop the panic. Try counting five items in the room for each of the senses— five things you can see, five things you can hear, and so on. You can also do a scan of your body, paying attention to what you can feel, such as your bottom touching the chair you’re sitting on, or your hands on your lap.
• Avoid fighting the anxiety. Struggling against anxiety can make it worse. Just like a person is not supposed to battle with quicksand, or they will sink deeper, it can be crucial not to fight your anxiety. Instead, try to move along with your symptoms, concentrating moment to moment mindfully.

Professional help for panic disorder

If you’ve been experiencing anxiety attacks for some time and home remedies aren’t giving you any relief, professional mental health interventions could be helpful. There are proven ways to manage and stop panic attacks and lower the instance and severity of acute anxiety attacks, including the following: 

• Therapy: Talk therapy is usually the first line of treatment for people struggling with reoccurring anxiety attacks. During therapy, the therapist helps you recognize what situations or things cause your anxiety and learn coping skills, such as progressive relaxation and mindfulness, to stop a panic attack more effectively. This can lower the frequency of your anxiety attacks and help you cope with the symptoms of any attacks that still occur.
• Medication: Your psychiatrist or physician may also prescribe medication to help you manage your anxiety. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the most prescribed and studied medication class for anxiety attacks. Always consult a doctor before deciding to start or stop a new medication.

Should I ever worry about anxiety or panic attacks?

As previously stated, an acute anxiety attack can’t hurt you, no matter how serious the symptoms appear at the time. Still, if you strongly believe that what you’re experiencing may be something more serious than an anxiety attack, contact your doctor or proceed to the nearest emergency room. Getting a professional’s opinion can be crucial in any instance.

However, long-term stress can put strain on the heart and increase the risk of certain heart conditions, like coronary artery disease. The physical effects of anxiety may also worsen symptoms for someone who has been diagnosed with heart disease. 

Addressing anxiety and panic attacks with a mental health professional

Depending on the severity and frequency of your anxiety attacks, you may find yourself avoiding anything that could cause one. This can limit your world and isolate you, which may only prolong the impact anxiety is having on your life and well-being. Reaching out to a professional could change the course of your life in a positive way. With online counseling services through Regain, you can receive guidance and support from any place that feels comfortable to you. All you’ll need is a smart device and a stable Wi-Fi connection. There’s no need to drive long distances or meet with someone new face-to-face, which can cause some to experience even more panic. Instead, you can gain tools for managing your symptoms and begin to live a healthier life right from the comfort of your home.

The effectiveness of mental health care through online therapy

Research has shown that online counseling can be just as effective as face-to-face options. In one study, researchers assessed the efficacy of an intensive one-week online cognitive behavioral therapy program for panic disorder and agoraphobia. They found large improvements in panic symptom severity, agoraphobic avoidance, functional impairment, and days out of role (days one must abstain from all of their daily activities due to health problems). High levels of satisfaction were reported by all participants and the “results provide promising preliminary evidence for the feasibility and acceptability of internet-delivered intensive CBT for panic disorder and/or agoraphobia.” CBT is an approach that helps people learn how to reframe their negative thoughts to be more helpful, which often allows them to change their behaviors in response. 

Takeaway

Anxiety attacks can be debilitating and make it difficult to carry out the normal responsibilities of daily life. Left untreated, they may worsen and continue to affect your quality of life. There are many treatment options for anxiety attacks, and it can be important to find the methods that work effectively for you. Connecting with a licensed counselor can allow you to identify the root of your anxiety and take steps to overcome it. A counselor can equip you with new coping skills so that anxiety doesn’t have as big of a grip on your life. With time and patience, you can learn how to manage your symptoms in a way that helps you to live a healthier, more stable, and more productive life.