The Difference Between Anxiety-Related Chest Pain and Cardiac Problems

As you know, feelings or emotions can influence how you think, act and how your body works. When it comes to feeling anxious, a myriad of physical reaction can affect and possibly overwhelm you. It may occur with living a stressful and hectic life yet for some, it comes with having an anxiety disorder. At this point, it’s not something that can be brushed aside or something that you can just neglect.

Experiencing anxiety, especially leading to a panic attack, is serious and can give you the sense of foreboding along with other critical body responses. One of the most common complaints that may be associated to a cardiac event or can resemble heart attack is chest pain. Usually, chest pain caused by anxiety is often confused with chest pain during a heart attack. How do you differentiate?

Believe it or not, anxiety is one of the risk factors for heart disease and may be linked to other cardiac risks. But knowing the distinction between the actual heart attack and the chest pain brought on by panic is significant. Typically, the chest pain felt during a heart attack lasts for several minutes and can happen at rest and during any activity. It is pursued by an irregular or fast heart rhythm and can induce rapid breathing. By contrast, chest pain due to anxiety lasts only for a few seconds but may occur every few minutes or hours. Also, it is unrelated to any forms of physical exertion but can manifest even at rest. Put simply, it doesn’t subside or disappear even if you stop what physical activity you were doing at its onset. The pain may not necessarily be felt in the mid to left side of the chest and it is usually accompanied with shortness of breath, tremors, sweating and so on.

What are the Causes of Anxiety-Induced Chest Pain?

Mild anxiety can be healthy and may enhance your focus or concentration especially during critical moments. However, a dose of too much anxiety can be harmful. For moderate and panic levels of anxiety, intervention is necessary. Each level generally causes both physiological, mental and emotional changes including irritability, insomnia, tremors, muscle tension, increased heart rate and blood pressure as well as palpitation and chest pain. Most often, people with this inclination should seek medical help to know whether the condition is serious and needs therapy and medication.

For chest pain associated with anxiety, the specific contributing factors are varied. The common causes include family history, environmental changes and day-to-day stress. Life transitions such as marriage, changes in work and school, moving to another house or loss of a family member may also contribute to stress and anxiety. Other sources that may trigger some anxiety include the use of medications and stimulants, lack of sleep, poor nutrition and the underlying disease.

Individuals with anxiety disorders may describe the pain as a dull ache or a stabbing sensation and can be localized near the neck and middle chest region. You may feel a sense of choking or difficulty of breathing at this point which may last for more than 10 minutes and can subside as abruptly as it starts. This is true for any panic attacks. By contrast, generalized anxiety can manifest continuously and may recur over long periods, lasting for hours or days. If the symptoms continue to aggravate your body and your everyday life then it’s crucial to know the source or cause of the anxiety and start getting medical intervention for it. This essentially involves the use of anxiolytic medications, relaxation therapies, natural supplements and other related remedies to reduce and eliminate your anxiety.