What Causes Anxiety Attacks?

Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsWhat Are Anxiety Attacks?SignsCausesTreatmentCoping With Anxiety Attacks

Table of ContentsView All

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Table of Contents

What Are Anxiety Attacks?

Signs

Causes

Treatment

Coping With Anxiety Attacks

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If you’ve ever had an anxiety attack, you know how challenging it can be. The experience may be disorienting and bewildering to you. “Why is this happening?” you might think. You may wonder what is causing your anxiety to feel so out of control.

At a GlanceIt’s understandable to wonder what causes anxiety attacks. It can be helpful to understand the causes—doing so is often the first step to getting some relief. Stress, anxiety disorders, lifestyle factors, and situational variables can all play a role. Treatment may involve therapy or medication, but there are also things you can do on your own that bring relief.

At a Glance

It’s understandable to wonder what causes anxiety attacks. It can be helpful to understand the causes—doing so is often the first step to getting some relief. Stress, anxiety disorders, lifestyle factors, and situational variables can all play a role. Treatment may involve therapy or medication, but there are also things you can do on your own that bring relief.

The Characteristics of High-Functioning Anxiety

“Anxiety attacks” is more of a colloquial term used to describe a concentrated moment of anxiety or a more sudden attack of anxiety symptoms.

Most people do not associate anxiety attacks with life threatening circumstances or specificphobias. Anxiety attacks may involve powerful feelings of fear and stress, but they are not usually linked to depression or other mental health disorders.

Anxiety Attacks vs. Panic Attacks

Anxiety attacks share many of the same symptoms as panic attacks, including rapid heartbeat, sweating, andracing thoughts. Some key differences:

To be diagnosed with panic disorder, physical ailments like thyroid and respiratory issues need to be ruled out. You usually have to have had multiple panic attacks, and the panic attacks need to have impacted your quality of life and ability to function well.

Panic Attack vs. Anxiety Attack: How They Differ

How Can You Tell That You’re Having An Anxiety Attack?

Sometimes anxiety attacks come on slowly, over the course of a few days. Other times, they seem to come on suddenly, as if out of the blue. Both types of experiences are common. Anxiety attacks aren’t just emotional or mental: they often involve some telltale physical symptoms as well.

Here are some common signs and symptoms of anxiety attacks:

Why Am I Having Racing Thoughts at Night?

What Are the Causes of an Anxiety Attack?

It can be helpful to understand what is causing your anxiety to spike, because once you know what’s causing an anxiety attack, you can work on addressing that, in the hope that it will stop you from continuing to have anxiety attacks.

Usually anxiety attacks have more than one cause—often, several factors are at play at once. For example, an anxiety attack might come on when you haven’t slept well for a few nights in a row, you’ve drunk morecaffeinethan usual, and yourworkload has piled up at the same time.

In other words, often anxiety attacks come on because of a “perfect storm” of unfortunate circumstances.

Often, certain situations in life and life stressors are a cause of anxiety attacks. These may include:

Additionally, certain people seem to have an increased propensity toward anxiety and anxiety attacks. Some factors that may make you more susceptible include:

Finally, there are certain risk factors that may make you more likely to experience an anxiety attack at some point in your life:

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)

How Do You Treat Anxiety Attacks?

If you’ve had an anxiety attack, and especially if it becomes a recurring issue, it’s a good idea to visit your healthcare provider to rule out any serious medical issues that may be causing your symptoms.

Your provider can also help you to understand what may be causing your anxiety attacks, and to refer you to amental health professionalif needed.

Just as anxiety attacks may have more than one cause, easing anxiety symptoms usually takes a multifaceted approach. Here are a few areas you may choose to focus on.

Therapy

Speaking to a therapist is one of the best ways to understand what is causing anxiety attacks. Your therapist can help you consider what types of situations trigger your anxiety, and can help you come up with effective methods for managing anxiety.

The types of therapy best known to help with anxiety attacks includecognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)andexposure therapy.

Medication

Sometimes it makes sense to consider medication—either on a short-term or longer term basis—to help manage your anxiety. You will need to seek help from an MD or psychiatrist for this, as psychotherapists can’t prescribe medication.

Common medications used to treat anxiety include antidepressants, fast acting anti-anxiety medications such asbenzodiazepines, andbeta-blockers.

In addition to treatment, there are also strategies and coping techniques you can use on your own to manage feelings of anxiety. Some effective techniques include:

Practice Mindfulness and Meditation

Research suggests that mindfulness andmeditationcan have positive impacts on reducing anxiety symptoms.These practices can help you focus on the present moment without ruminating about the past or worrying about the future.

Mindfulness and meditation also promoteself-awareness, which can help you learn to manage anxious thoughts better.

Try not to overthink meditation: just spending a few minutes a day with your eyes closed, sitting, or lying can still work wonders.

Tip: Try a Meditation AppIf you have never meditated and aren’t sure where to start, you might want to consider downloading a guidedmeditation appto get started.

Tip: Try a Meditation App

If you have never meditated and aren’t sure where to start, you might want to consider downloading a guidedmeditation appto get started.

Get Active

Lifestyle Changes

We can’t control every aspect of our lives, including the things that trigger anxiety, like conflicts at work or in relationships. But there are certain things we can control. Making tweaks to our lifestyle can help us manage stress and anxiety, which can decrease your risk of having an anxiety attack. For example:

What This Means For YouAnxiety attacks are common, and understanding what causes them can empower you to make changes in your life to decrease their recurrence or seek the help you need to feel better. However, sometimes anxiety attacks are more debilitating or indicate something more serious.If you are having severe physical symptoms, such as symptoms of a heart attack, or if your anxiety attacks are preventing you from functioning on a day-to-day basis, please get in touch with your healthcare provider.

What This Means For You

Anxiety attacks are common, and understanding what causes them can empower you to make changes in your life to decrease their recurrence or seek the help you need to feel better. However, sometimes anxiety attacks are more debilitating or indicate something more serious.If you are having severe physical symptoms, such as symptoms of a heart attack, or if your anxiety attacks are preventing you from functioning on a day-to-day basis, please get in touch with your healthcare provider.

Anxiety attacks are common, and understanding what causes them can empower you to make changes in your life to decrease their recurrence or seek the help you need to feel better. However, sometimes anxiety attacks are more debilitating or indicate something more serious.

If you are having severe physical symptoms, such as symptoms of a heart attack, or if your anxiety attacks are preventing you from functioning on a day-to-day basis, please get in touch with your healthcare provider.

What You Can Do to Cope With Anxiety

7 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim H, Choi K, Na E, et al.Anxiety attacks with or without life-threatening situations, major depressive disorder, and suicide attempt: a nationwide community sample of Korean adults. Psychiatry Research. 2018;270:257-263. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.050American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.National Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.Pires GN, Bezerra AG, Tufik S, Andersen ML.Effects of acute sleep deprivation on state anxiety levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep Med. 2016;24:109-118. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.07.019Richards G, Smith A.Caffeine consumption and self-assessed stress, anxiety, and depression in secondary school children.Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2015;29(12). doi:10.1177/0269881115612404Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Additional ReadingU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know.

7 Sources

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Kim H, Choi K, Na E, et al.Anxiety attacks with or without life-threatening situations, major depressive disorder, and suicide attempt: a nationwide community sample of Korean adults. Psychiatry Research. 2018;270:257-263. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.050American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.National Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.Pires GN, Bezerra AG, Tufik S, Andersen ML.Effects of acute sleep deprivation on state anxiety levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep Med. 2016;24:109-118. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.07.019Richards G, Smith A.Caffeine consumption and self-assessed stress, anxiety, and depression in secondary school children.Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2015;29(12). doi:10.1177/0269881115612404Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5Additional ReadingU.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Kim H, Choi K, Na E, et al.Anxiety attacks with or without life-threatening situations, major depressive disorder, and suicide attempt: a nationwide community sample of Korean adults. Psychiatry Research. 2018;270:257-263. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.050American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.National Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.Pires GN, Bezerra AG, Tufik S, Andersen ML.Effects of acute sleep deprivation on state anxiety levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep Med. 2016;24:109-118. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.07.019Richards G, Smith A.Caffeine consumption and self-assessed stress, anxiety, and depression in secondary school children.Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2015;29(12). doi:10.1177/0269881115612404Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5

Kim H, Choi K, Na E, et al.Anxiety attacks with or without life-threatening situations, major depressive disorder, and suicide attempt: a nationwide community sample of Korean adults. Psychiatry Research. 2018;270:257-263. doi:10.1016/j.psychres.2018.09.050

American Psychiatric Association (APA).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. 5th ed, text revision. Washington, D.C.; 2022.

National Institute of Mental Health.Anxiety disorders.

Pires GN, Bezerra AG, Tufik S, Andersen ML.Effects of acute sleep deprivation on state anxiety levels: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Sleep Med. 2016;24:109-118. doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2016.07.019

Richards G, Smith A.Caffeine consumption and self-assessed stress, anxiety, and depression in secondary school children.Journal of Psychopharmacology. 2015;29(12). doi:10.1177/0269881115612404

Hofmann SG, Gómez AF.Mindfulness-based interventions for anxiety and depression.Psychiatr Clin North Am. 2017;40(4):739-749. doi:10.1016/j.psc.2017.08.008

Aylett E, Small N, Bower P.Exercise in the treatment of clinical anxiety in general practice - a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC Health Serv Res. 2018;18(1):559. doi:10.1186/s12913-018-3313-5

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.Relaxation Techniques: What You Need To Know.

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