Physical symptoms of mental disorders are also among the factors that negatively affect daily life. If you are experiencing anxiety attacks or panic attacks, you may want to know what happens in your body afterward.
Anxiety attack and panic attack are types of psychological seizures that differ in some aspects, but both can cause some common symptoms afterwards. Confusion (or brain fog), fatigue, weakness and even body aches are also common after such experiences.
Anxiety is actually a natural emotion. Worrying in unexpected situations provides us with the necessary adrenaline to take the necessary precautions and prepares our body to cope with difficult situations. Likewise, panic is a commonplace emotion and enables us to take precautions, escape, and protect ourselves and those around us in dangerous situations. However, when these feelings develop in an unhealthy way or when we are not in the mental capacity to cope with these feelings, they get out of control and appear as attacks. Anxiety and panic can be harmless, even helpful, to the extent that they can be controlled, but when we worry or panic uncontrollably, things change.
During an anxiety or panic attack, various chemical changes begin to occur in the body and a large amount of adrenaline hormone is secreted in the nervous system. Heartbeat quickens, breathing becomes shorter. When the attack passes and the intense responses of the nervous system subside, new symptoms appear and you can feel exhausted, both physically and mentally.
What causes post-attack symptoms?
Anxiety attack and panic attack have many common features, but they are fundamentally different from each other.
Our nervous system activates the survival mode in certain dangerous situations, causing some changes in our body. For example, when we sense that life is in danger, the nervous system can activate the "fight-or-flight" mode, whereby we start pumping blood so that we can fight or escape dangers while slowing down non-urgent functions such as digestion. Our heartbeat speeds up. In the case of panic disorder, our nervous system can activate these mechanisms even when there is no real danger. A panic attacker often thinks he or she is having a heart attack or is about to die. He is short of breath, he may sweat, and his heartbeat becomes very fast. This can also trigger anxiety, but in a panic attack, the physical symptoms are most disturbing.
Anxiety attacks (or attacks), on the other hand, occur when the anxiety is out of control. The feeling of anxiety now feels uncomfortable in every way and becomes uncontrollable.
In both attacks, adrenaline is secreted in the body. When the attack is over and the adrenaline subsides, it is normal to feel intense fatigue in the body, due to an intense emotional experience. Usually, people who have an attack feel exhausted and pain may be felt in prominent areas. Especially if you breathe very quickly and heavily during the attack, some pain may be felt in the chest area. Experts say that symptoms such as nausea, digestive problems, headaches may also be included in the post-attack effects.
In some people, the symptoms may decrease immediately after the attack, while in others it may last for a few hours, sometimes for a day or two.
How to get rid of fatigue after a panic attack?
Although panic or anxiety may show different symptoms, experts explain that the physiological changes that occur in the body, and especially the symptoms that occur afterwards, are caused by similar reasons.
An overload of the nervous system can have long-lasting effects, even after a short attack. Therefore, you can try some simple methods to relax the nervous system.
In the long term, therapy is the best way to deal with attacks and other mental disorders. Understanding the source of the troubles and working on yourself does not always give quick results, but with the right therapy, it definitely gives results, and the duration, frequency and effects of the attacks can decrease over time and completely disappear thanks to therapy.
In the short term, methods known to relax the nervous system can be applied. Just as it can panic as if it needs to run away from a predator even when a tiger isn't around, our nervous system can relax and relax when we say "we're safe". Dim the lights, turn on some calming music, and take some time to really relax.
Breathing exercises, which will especially relax the vagus nerve, will both help reduce the symptoms in the short term and help you feel safer in the long term, making it easier to cope with anxiety and panic. It is possible to make your daily life 'mentally health friendly' by eating healthier and exercising.