Anxiety and the Fear of Having a Heart Attack: How to Tell the Difference

middle aged man with chest pain touching inflammated zone When your heart doesn’t feel right, that can be very scary. You may feel like your heart is beating so fast that you can’t count how many times it beats. This is normal since your body is constantly fighting to defend itself. 

But did you know that anxiety can cause your heart to beat really fast? It can be as though you have a heart attack.

Facts about anxiety and how to overcome it

Almost everyone has experienced anxiety at some point. It might be something as simple as feeling jittery before a date or speaking in front of a large group of people. If you are worried or anxious, it is normal to feel anxious. These feelings are normal and will go away on their own.

But anxiety sometimes lasts for a very long time. Having an anxiety disorder can cause frequent episodes of panic and worry, sometimes resulting in severely debilitating panic attacks. 

Signs to look out for

When you are anxious, you will experience many signs. Many of these symptoms may be familiar to you. You may have experienced them more than once in your life. These symptoms include sweating a lot, feeling really sick, and feeling very anxious. There are times when you feel like you are feeling anxious, and it is normal to have anxiety. However, you can also feel tension in your neck or your shoulders.

Anxiety can make you feel like you are having a heart attack. Feeling like you might be having a heart attack can be terrifying, but you don’t need to worry about your heart being fixed.

Heart palpitations

Some people who suffer from anxiety may experience symptoms that mimic heart problems. When you have anxiety, it might feel like your heart will be ripped out of your chest. Heart palpitations happen when your heart rate increases very quickly. They are normal.

Keep your heart healthy with us

If you are experiencing anxiety that makes you feel like you are having heart problems, you should visit Premier Heart and Vein Care. We are a cardiology office located in San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. You can reach us at (805) 540-3333.

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