Amid many tasks, jobs, and daily concerns, feelings of anguish and fear, in addition to stress, invade our lives. With this, a new health problem has emerged, called by experts “cardiac anxiety.”
These anxiety symptoms resemble heart problems, a situation that significantly confuses patients. We know this is a normal human feeling, and it is even essential to ensure survival, as it alerts us to dangerous moments. However, when it is in excess, quality of life and even physical health are impaired. That’s what we’re going to show you in this article. Check out!
What Is Anxiety?
First, we need to clarify that anxiety is that feeling of fear and concern, especially for something you don’t even know will happen. It can also be described as the feeling that something will not happen in the best way.
The problem arises when all this anguish appears for no apparent reason. For example, anxiety is normal when you’re about to undergo surgery. The body sees this moment as something dangerous. However, realizing fear when you need to talk to someone else is a sign that this is a pathological issue. Sometimes, the patient can be diagnosed with the so-called “Generalized Anxiety Disorder” when the sensation is constantly present.
Heart Anxiety
When fear and anguish generate cardiac symptoms, we have “cardiac anxiety.” Usually, the person does not have any heart problems that justify the discomforts felt, but they still exist.
Some examples are:
- chest pains
- shortness of breath
- the feeling of a rapid heartbeat
- general malaise and
- excessive sweat
This can be explained by a concept called “somatization.” It shows that mind and body are linked, as some psychological disorders can generate physical symptoms, such as those described above.
In stressful situations, the body releases the hormone cortisol, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. This gets more blood to all body parts and helps them react in a dangerous situation. However, we know that, in most cases, anxiety comes for no reason.
Differences Between Heart Anxiety And Heart Problems
Some heart problems generate the same symptoms of cardiac anxiety. However, specific details contribute to the differentiation of both conditions. We’ll show you what you need to watch out for.
Physical Heart Problems
Some symptoms that something is not right with your heart are:
- chest pressure;
- severe pain in the chest that spreads to the arms, shoulders, and jaw;
- symptoms start suddenly and worsen with physical exertion;
- shortness of breath;
- nausea and vomiting;
- excess sweat and
- sense of imminent death.
heart anxiety
In that case, you might feel:
- chest pain with stitches
- tingling in the body
- symptoms that start after a stressful moment and usually improve with time
- racing heart
- shortness of breath
- excess sweat
- stomachache
- a strong feeling of fear
In any case, it is essential to seek medical help
As you’ve noticed, the symptoms of cardiac anxiety, Holiday heart syndrome and more serious problems, such as a heart attack and heart failure, are similar. Therefore, it is always recommended to seek medical help. After all, prevention is better than cure, right?
With the specialist such as CardioCare for example, it will be possible to analyze the conditions of your cardiovascular system and check if there is any physical illness. If nothing is diagnosed, you will need help from mental health professionals, such as a psychologist and psychiatrist.
