Your heartbeat is going fast, and at any moment it’s going to come right out of your chest. Your throat is feeling tight, it’s hard to breathe and at any moment you could lose your lunch thanks to the nausea. The overwhelming fear is becoming too much, and at any moment death is around the corner.

This is a common panic attack. If this sounds like an experience you’ve had, you may be one of the many who have a panic disorder. A panic disorder is just one of the many categories of anxiety disorder. You will find that 2-3% of anxiety sufferers are afflicted by this condition. However, around 30% of the patients will go through a panic attack at one point in their lives.

The truth is panic disorders are misunderstood. We don’t know how they come about exactly, or even what makes someone like yourself susceptible to them. Then again, we do know it appears in the teenage years and early adulthood. Oddly enough, more women are hit with panic disorder than men.

Symptoms can vary widely between sufferers, but can last anywhere from a few minutes to half an hour. They generally include chest pain, difficulty breathing, an impending feeling of doom, shaking or trembling, feeling faint, nausea or vomiting, or hot or cold flashes. These often appear out of the blue, with no apparent triggering event or place.

Sufferers may begin to avoid the activities or places that they associate with their panic attack. In some cases, they may become agoraphobic, scared to leave their own homes, preferring to remain in comfortable, familiar surroundings. However, this doesn’t always resolve the problem. Left untreated, panic disorder can have a widespread effect on not only the sufferer, but others around them.

You will find research out there that there have been findings of potential causes. It only takes one bad experience, and when you keep it inside, the bad things to come is always on your mind.

There are several avenues of treatment for panic disorder. The doctor may prescribe SSRI or tricyclic antidepressants. Anti-anxiety medications may also be prescribed, but medication as pretty much been proven not too work. They just freeze your emotion, they are addictive and they also have bad side effects.

For those that prefer more natural means of treatment, there are some options. Sleep, exercise, diet and relaxation can all play a role in anxiety disorder. According to scientific research, getting eight to ten hours of sleep a night can reduce anxiety by up to 50%. They are also some very good self-help book worth reading.

Some experts believe that stress can play a role in panic disorder. Exercise is an excellent stress reliever. In addition to relieving stress, exercise helps you maintain a healthy body weight, necessary to keeping hormone levels in balance.

Another area to look further into is the use of food. Research has discovered that some foods can increase anxiety. Things like coffee, dairy products, refined sugar, honey, and even maple syrup on those pancakes or waffles. So we recommend keeping a food log and figure it out for yourself.

Just relaxing can also be helpful. Just being relaxed can actually diminish the anxiety and fear. This will allow the nerves to become more stable, and help with those stressful situations. A good combatant for this is Yoga and meditation. Oh, and let’s not forget about aromatherapy, which relaxes you and keeps the stress at bay.

Granted, it’s possible this won’t cure your panic disorder. However, it can reduce and control your panic attacks. The idea is to have as much of a normal life as you can.

Meanwhile, Julie U. Stevenson has endured panic attacks for fourteen years. We recommend taking a look at her story by visiting here website: Anxiety Cure and find out how she was able to rid herself of this burden and get her life back.