Suddenly, your heart is pounding fast, it’s hard to breathe, and you feel a deep sense of dread. You know you need to act fast, but it’s hard to know what to do when you aren’t entirely sure what’s wrong. Is it a panic attack or a heart problem? There are many similarities, after all.
That’s why our experts are weighing in with information you can use to recognize the key differences, so you can make a better — and faster — decision when every minute counts.
If you think you’re having a problem with your heart, it’s always best to call 911 or visit one of our 50 emergency care centers throughout the state. Our specialists can quickly determine whether you’re having a heart episode or anxiety attack — and provide the comprehensive heart and vascular or mental health and wellness care you need.
Understanding anxiety attacks
The exact cause of panic attacks isn’t known. But how your brain and nervous system (your body’s internal communication system) respond to fear plays a role. You may be likely to experience a panic attack if you’re under a lot of stress, have a family history of panic attacks or have an existing mental health condition.
Panic attack symptoms
A panic attack comes on suddenly, causing you to feel intense fear, even if there’s no apparent trigger. You may also feel like you don’t have any control, that nothing around you is real or that you’re going to die. These feelings tend to peak in intensity within minutes but can last for 20 or more.
Physical symptoms may include:
- Chest pain
- Chills
- Difficulty breathing
- Dizziness or feeling like you’re going to faint
- Nausea
- Rapidly beating heart
- Shaking or trembling
- Sweating
- Tingling sensation
Getting the facts on heart problems
Heart disease can cause many different types of heart problems, like blockages, abnormal heartbeat and issues with your blood vessels. Much like anxiety attacks, heart problems can be sudden, too.
Heart attack symptoms
If you think you may be experiencing a heart attack, call 911.
Heart attack symptoms may include:
- Chest discomfort
- Chest pain
- Chest pressure
- Dizziness
- Extreme fatigue
- Indigestion
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea or vomiting
- Rapid heartbeat
- Shortness of breath
- Sweating
- Upper body pain or discomfort
Sudden cardiac arrest symptoms
You may experience some of the above symptoms before sudden cardiac arrest, or it may come on suddenly. Sudden cardiac arrest requires immediate medical attention.
Symptoms include:
- Loss of consciousness
- No pulse
- Stopped breathing
Discerning whether you’re having an anxiety attack or heart problem
As you can see, some panic attack symptoms mimic heart attack symptoms. To complicate things further, according to the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, people with anxiety are more at risk for developing coronary artery disease, a significant risk factor for heart attacks.
If you think you’re experiencing a heart problem, call 911 or seek immediate emergency care. Only a doctor can tell you for sure if you’re having a heart attack or a panic attack. However, there are often important clues. Paying specific attention to these signals can help:
- Age and health history. Women age 55 and older, and men age 45 and older, are more at risk for a heart attack. Other risk factors include lack of exercise, an unhealthy diet, smoking, obesity, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, illegal drug use, certain autoimmune conditions and stress.
- Duration of the episode. Panic attacks tend to last between five and 20 minutes. Symptoms slow down and soon resolve on their own. A heart attack can’t resolve on its own and will only worsen.
- Symptoms. Heart attack symptoms don’t always come on suddenly. People can experience milder symptoms in the weeks leading up to a heart attack.
- Triggers. Heart attacks often develop while doing something physical, such as climbing stairs or shoveling snow, while panic attacks are often set into motion by a stressful situation or thought. It’s also common for panic attacks to wake you up from your sleep, while silent heart attacks happen while you sleep, with no noticeable symptoms.
Knowing what to do next
When you’re having a panic attack, it’s normal to feel as if you have no control over the situation. But there are actually a number of steps you can take on your own to relieve your symptoms, including:
- Breathing deeply, with controlled pacing
- Grounding yourself by taking note of things you can see, feel, hear, smell and taste
- Relaxing your muscles and focusing on each specific area of your body
- Reminding yourself it will end, even as panic continues to build
Heart conditions, on the other hand, are quite serious and require immediate medical attention. At HCA Florida Healthcare, we provide experienced heart and vascular care throughout Florida. If you think you’re having a heart attack, call 911 or seek immediate emergency care. If it turns out its anxiety, that’s OK. Our compassionate emergency care doctors would much rather you play it safe. We can also share information with you about our mental health and wellness programs to help you find ways to prevent panic attacks in the future.