When Panic Strikes: How Long Can An Anxiety Attack Last?

Your heart races, adrenaline coursing through your veins. Your thoughts are a jumbled mess, and you feel sweat break out along your underarms and cheeks. You feel a painful squeeze in your chest and grow lightheaded. Are you having a heart attack? Are you losing your mind? Or are you having an anxiety attack? While an anxiety attack can be a distinct phenomenon that’s not quite the same as a panic attack, it can produce similar symptoms. Below, we’ll explore what an anxiety attack is, what might cause one, and what you can do to manage one quickly. 

What is an anxiety attack?

An anxiety attack can be thought of as a physical manifestation of anxiety. Specific anxiety attack signs and symptoms can vary from person to person, as can their duration, frequency, and severity. Although some people require a trigger to experience an anxiety attack, others might experience them without warning. Some people with anxiety disorders, for instance, can experience a sudden onset anxiety attack in the middle of a nap or another seemingly mundane task.

Most often, anxiety attacks begin abruptly. Even when a trigger is present, they are often difficult to anticipate, and therefore difficult to curb. To qualify as a panic attack, symptoms generally need to begin quickly and possess at least four classic anxiety attack symptoms. 

What are the symptoms of anxiety attacks?

The most common anxiety attacks symptoms include:

• A racing heart
• Difficulty breathing
• Sweating
• Trembling
• Dizziness 
• Nausea
• Digestive upset
• Chills
• Numbness or tingling in the extremities
• Losing a sense of reality: many people may fear that they will die or lose their minds amid an attack and might seek out medical intervention for their symptoms

Not all of these symptoms must be present for an anxiety attack to have occurred. Some of them may occur in one attack and not show up in another, potentially making identifying attacks somewhat difficult.

As a consequence of anxiety attack symptoms, many people begin to practice avoidance to attempt to keep them at bay. This might include avoiding any situation that creates anxious feelings, including going to new or unknown places, talking to others, or even taking on new or exciting tasks. 

Even for individuals who are aware of their condition, anxiety attacks can feel embarrassing and frightening. The cost of losing your usual freedom may be seen as worth it to avoid anxiety or panic.

How long do anxiety attacks usually last?

In general, most anxiety attacks last less than 10 minutes. The exact duration of most types of anxiety attacks can differ from person to person and attack to attack, but most last between a few minutes and 10 minutes total. However, some of the symptoms can persist past that 10-minute time frame.

Panic attacks can also come in a stream. A single attack might last 10 minutes, but another one can follow soon after. Attacks can be differentiated based on the height of their symptoms; for instance, a single panic attack might begin with mild feelings of unease, reaching a crescendo at around ten minutes, then fall back down after that point. Another attack, however, can begin immediately after, peak, and fall again. This cycle can go on and on, creating the appearance of a single, long panic attack that seems to keep going on and on.

Is there a difference between panic and anxiety attacks?

As a matter of technicality, there can indeed be a difference between a panic attack and an anxiety attack. The term "anxiety attack" is not recognized as a legitimate mental health condition, while a panic attack is an actual term legitimized and recognized by mental health professionals. The two are often used interchangeably, however, as many people who experience anxiety also experience panic attacks.

The distinction can be an important one though, as professionals usually use the phrase "anxiety attack" to indicate a period of heightened anxiety. In contrast, "panic attack" denotes an actual attack of feelings of terror or panic resulting from anxiety. People who have anxiety disorders might experience periods of calm or decreased anxiety, and a steep incline in anxiety symptoms might be described as an anxiety attack. In contrast, the symptoms discussed above are often ascribed to a panic attack.

While the verbiage might not seem to be a big deal, it can be. To legitimize panic attacks and have your symptoms and experiences recognized for what they are, you may need to be able to use the proper phrasing. A mental health professional may be far more likely to provide effective, useful treatment when you can correctly identify your symptoms than if you consistently misidentify your symptoms, experiences, and needs.

Getting a diagnosis

Before diagnosing panic disorder, most mental health professionals will encourage a complete panel of tests to ensure there is no physical reason for the symptoms you've been experiencing. 

From there, a mental health professional can evaluate you for the presence of anxiety and related symptoms. You may be evaluated for panic disorder if you have consistent panic or anxiety attacks. If you do not have consistent attacks, your provider may look at the possibility of an anxiety disorder based on any other symptoms you might be having. 

How to manage panic attacks

Managing panic attacks is often a focal point in therapy for someone with an anxiety disorder or panic disorder. Doing so often begins with learning how to identify your triggers and signs that something is amiss. This might be a feeling of unease, signs of gastric distress, or even just a general feeling of malaise. Once you have learned to identify the signs of a panic attack, you can take more proactive measures in keeping your proverbial head above water.

From there, many therapists may encourage you to engage in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), a form of psychotherapy that seeks to change the associations your mind makes. Through CBT, a therapist can walk you through your symptoms and experiences to lessen your intense feelings about the world around you, your symptoms, and yourself. 

Some people may also enlist the help of an antidepressant or other pharmaceutical medication to prevent panic attacks from occurring or to manage them once they have already begun more easily. Some require both an antidepressant and another medication, while others rely more fully on a single medication.

Enlisting lifestyle changes and habits can also help ease anxiety attacks. One of the simplest changes to make may be limiting alcohol and caffeine consumption. Including exercise in your daily routine can also help, as can things like mindfulness and grounding practices like yoga, meditation, and muscle relaxation.

If you or someone you know has begun to experience anxiety or panic attacks, you may benefit from the help of a mental health professional, such as those available through online therapy. Therapists can provide a window into your needs, behaviors, and motives to create a clear, workable picture of exactly what you need to heal and move forward. When you pursue therapy through the web, you can do all this and more right from the comfort of your own home.

You can rest assured that the quality of your care won’t be comprised by its format, too. One recent study found that online cognitive behavioral therapy can effectively treat and reduce symptoms of anxiety, which suggests that for many, online therapy can be just as useful as traditional options for managing anxiety attack symptoms.

Takeaway

Anxiety attacks can be alarming once they have begun, and the threat of one returning can likewise cause a lot of stress. As you begin to learn more about the condition, its symptoms, and its duration, though, you can more effectively anticipate, prevent, and manage symptoms. The help of a mental health professional can accelerate this process and help you feel better faster.