Does being stressed and having panic attacks cause permanent health damage to the heart etc. and shorten your life?

Although the symptoms caused by a panic attack closely mimic having a heart attack, having panic attacks do not cause permanent damage to your heart. We do know that individuals who are stressed and prone to panic attacks and higher levels of anxiety may over time have complications from those higher levels of stress. Their immune system may become more compromised from stress and they tend to get sick more frequently. We also know that folks who do not manage their stress levels are more prone to high blood pressure (hypertension).

A study published in the Huffington Post, that those who are “under chronic stress exhibited shortened telomeres. Telomeres are the protective edges that bind the ends of DNA strands together. The damage of these telomeres leads to errors in how the DNA instructs cells to behave, so their length is directly tied to our longevity.” (www. Huffington Post)

Some people have a genetic predisposition to more stress-related health problems e.g., hypertension, & hyperlipidemia. Daily exercise and a healthy diet are a great place to start. You can also start to take control over your stress and panic attacks. Learn to de-stress by doing a simple mindfulness breath meditation. Start by sitting upright with your feet grounded on the floor and breathe through your nose and exhale through your mouth focusing on your breath. If your mind wanders bring it back to your breath. As you take in the next breath on the exhale let go of any stress you may feel in your body or in your mind. Imagine placing that stress on a cloud and letting it float away. Count to nine on the exhale of your second breath. With each breath continue to focus on letting go of your stress as you count down to zero. I ask my patients: “How low is your fun quotient?” “When was the last time you had a mental health day and played?”

One of my favorite books that I use with many of my patients who have panic attacks is Mastery of your Anxiety and Panic. David Barlow, Ph.D. & Michelle Craske, Ph.D. (Amazon). This workbook can be used alone or with the help of a cognitive-behavioral therapist.

Be Well!
Lawrence J. Schulte, Ph.D. C.Ht.

Ph.D. Clinical Health Psychology 1990-Present
Registered Hypnotherapist (2016-Present)

Why am I having panic attacks with no clear triggers to set them off?

We have a genetic protective mechanism that if we are experiencing an emergency situation or perceive that we are in a life-threatening situation we will fight or flee. The flight or fight response gave primitive homo sapiens a mechanism to exist in a world where danger was a daily experience. Today panic attacks occur when we experience a stressful life experience. The experience may be negative in nature (e.g., loss of a job, severe illness, death of a parent, or financial problems). The experience may also be positive (e.g., getting married, buying a home, having a child, getting a promotion). For some people, we become more susceptible to panic attacks with little or no reason. For other people they develop ulcers, headaches, or stomach problems as a reaction to stress.

If you have experienced a panic attack and you have a family member who has experienced a panic attack (genetic precursor) you have an increased probability that you will experience a panic attack as a reaction to stress.

If you are in your car and you proceed through a green light but the person who is supposed to stop at the red light runs it and slams into you this is a real type of emergency. You may experience a panic attack which is your body’s normal reaction to overwhelming stress. Next week when you drive through the same intersection you may experience another panic attack even though there is no emergency. This is an example of a spontaneous panic attack.

Those individuals who respond to stressful events with panic often become hyper vigilant to the physiological symptoms associated with a panic attack. These include difficulty breathing, pounding or racing heart, chest pain/tightness, sweating, shaking/trembling, nausea, hot or cold flashes, numbness or tingling, feelings of unreality, feeling dizzy of faint, a fear of dying or a fear of losing control. All of these sensations cause people to become frightened.

The physiological sensitivity causes the person to search for some type of danger, and if the danger does not exist s/he will make up a reason for the physical feeling, e.g., I must be having a heart attack or I’m going crazy. This cognitive catastrophic conclusion causes the person to experience even more stress and they have a panic attack “out of the blue.” Unlike the automobile accident there is no clear trigger.

It is important to keep in mind that even if there are no obvious triggers, there is always something going on that will elicit the panic attack. We know that cumulative stress can cause individuals to have panic attacks. We also know that many people develop “beliefs” about the causes of their panic attacks for which they do not have any concrete evidence. The individual may believe s/he is going crazy, is not in touch with reality or is dying.

Mastery of Your Anxiety and Panic by David H. Barlow, Ph.D. & Michelle G. Craske, Ph.D. is an excellent handbook that you can use alone or with a cognitive-behavioral therapist to manage your anxiety and panic attacks. I often use this book with many of my patients. Available at Amazon.

Be Well!
Lawrence J. Schulte, Ph.D. C.Ht.

Ph.D. Clinical Health Psychology 1990-Present
Registered Hypnotherapist (2016-Present)