The physical symptoms of an anxiety attack are not something that you are unlikely to forget once you experience them. Labored breathing, perspiration, chest pain, numbness of fingers and toes and uncontrolled shaking are among the symptoms that may occur. During an anxiety attack, a victim may experience one, several or even all of these symptoms.

A person who is in the midst of a panic attack may think that he is experiencing a serious medical emergency such as a heart attack, may end up calling an ambulance and/or go to the emergency room. Although this is not usually a necessity, sometimes it is helpful to have medical assistance to help alleviate the attack. But if you suffer frequent bouts of anxiety, you may need to find other methods to deal with any physical symptoms of an anxiety attack.

The physical symptoms of an anxiety attack are thought to be linked to an instinctual survival response know as "fight or flight". If a person is in a dangerous situation, a supercharge of hormones is delivered to various organs in the body. This gives the body increased energy, strength and alertness. This allows the body to respond to a situation or fight the problem or flee from it. In the case of an anxiety attack this release in hormones and the subsequent reactions by the body occur without any apparent external reasons.

Recent research suggests that recurring panic attacks are related to an increased incidence of future stroke or heart attack. Those who experience a single instance of the physical symptoms of an anxiety attack without a prior record of anxiety disorder are not necessarily prone to cardiovascular issues or any long-term issues. But further study is needed to determine if repeated panic attacks actually cause heart problems or are only related to them in some way.

Doctors speculate that medications commonly prescribed for anxiety disorder can put the patient at risk of a cardiovascular event. No matter what, physical symptoms of anxiety attacks are an indication that something is not right, and the underlying problem needs to get taken care of.

It is difficult to deal with or treat the physical symptoms of an anxiety attack. The symptoms are treatable but the underlying causes are psychological and embedded within the person's psyche. Different therapies have been developed to delve into the psychological traits that cause stress in a person, which manifests as an anxiety attack. One such effective therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy which uses a subject's own willpower to fashion responses to any stressful situation that he or she may encounter.

Deep breathing, advanced relaxation techniques, aromatherapy, acupuncture, or massage therapy can help people address the physical symptoms of an anxiety attack. Regardless of what others may tell you, it is not easy to relieve an anxiety attack by simply talking yourself out of it. Anxiety should be treated as the medical condition that it is. With proper treatment, people can alleviate the effects of anxiety.