How to control heart rate during Panic Attack? - Dr. Sulata Shenoy

A panic attack is felt by some people because of extreme or unwarranted agitation due to stimuli which are perceived or unreal. This can case the person to lose control over oneself, feel very agitated and the physical or physiological concomitants of panic disorder are increased heart rate. This happens because of two reasons. The first is the sudden rush of adrenaline to enable your body to go through the fight or flight mode. The brain perceives a threat and prepares your body to either fight the enemy or flee from the scene. Any case your body needs to be sufficiently prepared to take either of these options. So the sudden rush of adrenaline can cause your heart rate to increase or to be irregular. The second is hyperventilation. When you are in panic you may not that your breath tends to be shorter and irregular as a result the insufficient carbon dioxide that is required is lowered and your heart has to pump several times more frequently or faster in order to maintain the blood supply or the circulation to all parts of the body. As a result the psychological stimulus is causing a physiological response which can have deleterious effect on your overall health. These irregular heartbeats can be experienced by one as tachycardia, arrhythmia, extra systole and palpitation which are sudden spurts in your heart beat, missed heart beat or irregular or dysfunctional beating of the heart. First of all you need to take a medical check up to check whether something is really the matter with your heart or is it due to the panic disorder. If it is panic disorder there are number of things you can do. First is remain calm because it is the opposite of getting agitated and one is agitated the heart beats get irregular. When one is calm the heart beats become stable and functional. So you have to be calm and the best way to do that is breath normally, easily, focus on your breathing, calm your mind down and just think of your breath. This is the simplest and most effective way of bringing down your heart beat. Doing meditation regularly can have a very good effect on not only your heart beat but also on your anxiety and panic disorders. Look at your lifestyle and see what are the modifications or changes that you may need to bring into. Sleep the number of hours of sleep per day, eat right, diet is very essential, exercise regularly, maintain healthy habits and a healthy lifestyle, cut down on caffeine, alcohol and smoking and give up on any habits which you feel are undesirable or detrimental to your lifestyle. Once your lifestyle is set in a particular pattern you will find that your body is better able to cope because anxiety and stress are the main ingredients of increased heart rate. Suppose your heart rate is still irregular then you may need to consult a doctor and see what can be done. Also check all your prescriptions and medications that you are currently taking because these could also contribute to irregular heart beat. Once you are done with these you can lead a happy and healthy life.