Hormones (and hormone imbalances) can be hard to handle, and can make your anxiety worse: however, if you eliminate the causes of stress that can trigger hormone imbalances, you will be taking the first step towards taking your seemingly uncontrollable panic attacks into your own hands.
Breaking the cycle of panic
Talking therapies and medicines are the most common treatments: Talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) help you to manage triggers of anxiety and the way you react during a panic attack. For example, by employing mindfulness techniques.
Anxiety can be caused by an imbalance in two key hormones, serotonin and cortisol. Imbalances of these important chemical messengers disrupt the brain chemistry and nervous system which regulate our moods, stress levels, and emotions.
It is not yet known what causes panic attacks but certain factors may play an important role, including genetics, mental health conditions, major stress or having a predisposition to stress. Whilst there is usually a cause, panic attacks can often appear to be triggered by nothing at all.
When vertigo happens, panic can often set in because people experiencing vertigo feel a loss of control. Vertigo is a condition that can be triggered by a change in the position of the head.
The dizziness that accompanies anxiety is often described as a sense of lightheadedness or wooziness. There may be a feeling of motion or spinning inside rather than in the environment. Sometimes there is a sense of swaying even though you are standing still.
The dizziness and vertigo cause the initial feeling of panic and anxiety, which in turn causes the vertigo and dizziness to worsen and happen more frequently. This only causes more anxiety, at which point the vicious cycle repeats.
Triggers for panic attacks can include overbreathing, long periods of stress, activities that lead to intense physical reactions (for example exercise, excessive coffee drinking) and physical changes occurring after illness or a sudden change of environment.
If you have repeated, and unexpected panic attacks, you may have panic disorder. Panic disorder causes bouts of overwhelming fear when there is no specific cause for the fear. In between panic attacks, you may worry greatly about when and where the next one may happen. It can even keep you from leaving your home.
Experts have found that reduced levels of serotonin in the brain are linked to depression and anxiety. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is also believed to contribute to symptoms of anxiety.
Symptoms of mood and anxiety disorders are thought to result in part from disruption in the balance of activity in the emotional centers of the brain rather than in the higher cognitive centers.
Staying active, finding ways to control your breathing, talking out your anxieties, and coming up with ways to de-escalate stressful situations can all provide relief from dizziness caused by anxiety.
Panic attacks require enormous amounts of energy, which can take quite a toll on your nervous system. Relax and rest for a few days following an attack, so your body has time to recover. Our therapists recommend turning out the lights and taking a nap or relaxing with your eyes closed following an attack.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs).
Generally safe with a low risk of serious side effects, SSRI antidepressants are typically recommended as the first choice of medications to treat panic attacks.
Follow the 3-3-3 rule.
Look around you and name three things you see. Then, name three sounds you hear. Finally, move three parts of your body — your ankle, fingers, or arm.
The number of panic attacks you have will depend on how severe your condition is. Some people may have one or two attacks each month, while others may have several attacks a week. Read more about the symptoms of panic disorder. Panic attacks can be very frightening and intense, but they're not dangerous.
Panic attacks can occur at any time. Many people with panic disorder worry about the possibility of having another attack and may significantly change their life to avoid having another attack. Panic attacks can occur as frequently as several times a day or as rarely as a few times a year.
The key to stopping or minimizing any panic attack is to focus on your external world (sights, sounds, sensations) rather than the internal signs (heart racing, scary thoughts or rapid breathing). To stop a panic attack, focus on your five senses, says psychiatric social worker Chantel Bruha, LICSW, LADC.
Yes, vertigo causes extreme anxiety in most people. Anxiety, by itself, does not produce vertigo. However, in association with conditions that do produce vertigo, anxiety can make the vertigo much worse. People with certain anxiety disorders such as panic attacks can sometimes also experience vertigo.
The most common causes of imbalance without dizziness are related to dysfunction of the muscles, joints and peripheral nerves (proprioceptive system), or the central nervous system (brain). People with bilateral vestibulopathy have balance issues but no dizziness if the damage affects both ears at the same time.
It can make you feel sick, dizzy and unbalanced. The symptoms may only last for a few seconds but can last for days at a time. Vertigo is a symptom that can happen for many different reasons. Sometimes it can be linked to an underlying condition such as a heart arrhythmia or blood pressure problems.
Dizziness. Hearing loss in one or both ears. Loss of balance (may cause falls) Ringing in the ears.
That being said, an emotional imbalance can have two general causes: Allowing emotions to consume you or not allowing yourself to experience negative feelings at all. Mental illness, trauma, and stress can all cause this imbalance to take hold.
Common causes include inner ear problems, medicines, infections, and traumatic brain injury. These disorders can occur at any age. But they are most common as you get older. Treatment depends on the underlying cause and can include medicine, rehabilitation, and lifestyle changes.