It may not seem like a very important issue, but for some people learning how to prevent panic attacks can be a very important. This is especially true among people who suffer from certain types of phobias, or those who are exposed to high risk occupations, because they can’t afford to lose control of their nerves.
However, it’s also worth pointing out that panic attacks can happen to almost anyone, regardless of age, gender or social background. They also vary from person to person. Some panic attacks last for a few minutes, while others can last for about an hour.
Also, some panic attacks will only cause a slight increase in the person’s heart rate, while other panic attacks can cause a person to lose consciousness. Although such attacks are temporary and are generally not dangerous, they can also become a serious cause for concern if they happen regularly.
Regular panic attacks are often caused by psychological disorders, most often related to depression or anxiety. Moreover, people who suffer from physical illnesses, like asthma and diabetes, are also prone to suffer regular panic attacks. And also, people who take amphetamines and tranquilizers (for those who are undergoing rehabilitation) are also susceptible to panic attacks.
So what you need to remember here is that panic attacks can be caused by a several factors, some of which are not psychological or emotional in nature. Therefore, to prevent such attacks from happening, it’s important to consider different factors when seeking treatment. Mental, physical and psychological factors all need to be considered when seeking a long term solution for panic attacks.
Having said that, let’s move on to the solutions for treating panic attacks.
A few solutions to help prevent panic attacks.
- Breathing Exercises – The most common breathing exercises for panic attacks involve fast-paced breathing, which causes the body to expel additional Carbon Dioxide. The idea is that the more Carbon Dioxide you release from your body, the more relaxed your body and nerves become.
Another breathing exercise involves deep steady breathing. This type of breathing exercise seeks to keep you calm and to help you keep control of your breathing. And although such breathing exercises take a little practice, once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you will be able to keep yourself calm during panic attacks, and this will allow you to recover more quickly.
- Stress Reduction – Another excellent method for preventing panic attacks is to avoid stress. In addition to causing distress and mental problems, stress can also do bad things to your blood pressure. So in reducing your stress levels, you are also making yourself less susceptible to panic attacks.
One way to avoid stress related panic attacks is to maintain fixed hours of sleep. For people who suffer panic attacks, irregular sleeping habits, along with an over-dependence on caffeine, can trigger regular panic attacks.
Other methods for preventing stress related panic attacks include meditation, simple exercises and relaxation techniques. Although stress prevention is a generally simple process, the challenging part is turning it into a regular habit. If you can do that though, then you will be one step closer to avoiding future panic attacks.
- Do Something About Your Atmosphere – You must remember that panic attacks are triggered by something. In most cases, these triggers surround your immediate vicinity even if you’re not aware of them. So it’s important that you identify what it is about your surroundings that trigger your panic attacks. To do so, will allow you avoid them.
For example, let’s say that tension in a crowded area triggers your panic attacks. Some people will deal with this problem by doing certain activities, like counting one to ten or saying something funny. The goal here is to interrupt the thought process which leads to the panic attack. Although this method requires quite a bit of trial and error, once you’ve gotten the hang of it, you will have a much easier time avoiding panic attacks in certain situations.
- Undergo Cognitive Behavioral Therapy – If you want to know how to prevent panic attacks then it’s important that you learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. This therapy is designed to control the release adrenaline in your body.
The reason for this is that the release of adrenaline can make a panic attack even more severe. What Cognitive Behavioral Therapy aims to do is to control both the release of adrenaline as well as the Adrenal Corticotropic Hormone (ACTH), because in doing so, it will be able to prevent your panic attacks from getting worse.
