The incidence of anxiety and stress is commonplace in today's society. Anxiety is something we all feel and serves a very useful purpose in our lives. But when these emotions become overwhelming they can cause serious complications in your daily routine.

Stress is the trigger to anxiety, this much is known, but the root of the stress is the optimum diagnosis in solving the anxiety puzzle. However, stress is such a subjective disorder that any of literally hundreds of reasons, or combination of reasons could be responsible.

Endorphins are the body's inherent pain reliever and is known to help enhance mood. However, when there is an undue amount of stress and anxiety, the release of this neurotransmitter is hindered, causing the effects to become limited and diminished. The body then feels an elevated sense of dread.

An elevated state of negative emotions can cause one to behave irrationally. Fear will drive one into dysfunction and a state of hysteria. While panic attacks have no detrimental effects on physical health, repeated episodes of these emotional swings can have destructive side effects on the mental wellness of the person.

The Start Of The Cycle

A full blown panic attack that is caused by excessive worry usually happens in lightning speed and without any precautionary signs. The sufferer becomes restless and he experiences sweaty hands, a pale or flushed complexion and he always feels clammy. He perceives his situation to be threatening and he believes that terror will strike him soon. This overwhelming sense of fear causes him to feel as if he is about to die and that he will not survive the trauma. The duration of each attack can last up to hours in extreme cases, although on average the sufferer endures it for 30 to 45 minutes. The experience usually renders the victim mentally drained and physically weary.

If left untreated, anxiety and stress can also cause disturbing long term effects. The patient suffers chronic fatigue because he is inundated with too many worrisome thoughts that he is unable to sleep. This disrupts his sleeping patterns. Other problems such as headaches, irritability, clenched jaws and grinding teeth will then ensue. Extreme irritability will cause his concentration level to dwindle, and this will lead to an explosive behavior.

All these problems will ultimately cause the patient to develop agoraphobia, which is a fear of leaving the safety of one's house. This will only further aggravate the matter as he now has to deal with the phobia and seek help for his sporadic anxiety attacks.

Seeking Treatment and Becoming Well Again

Physiological reasons for panic attacks that are not brought on by anxiety and stress include hypoglycemia, thyroid disorders, heart attacks and other myocardial complications are more readily controlled as it is merely a matter of treating the underlying cause. Those that develop mood disorders generally respond well to a mix of psychotherapy, behavior modification and medications.

Also important is a change to a healthier lifestyle, workouts are encouraged not only for the physical benefits but also for it's stress relief values, blowing off steam as it were. Diet is also a concern consuming foods and supplements that favor the benefits of a healthy mental state. Hypnotherapy helps alleviate some phobias and has been enjoying increased popularity as a treatment. Early detection is the key, the sooner you treat the symptoms, the greater your chance of keeping further episodes at bay.

Trevor Mosley was once a sufferer of anxiety and panic attacks. Head along to his website today in order to discover how you can stop your anxiety and panic attacks once and for all.