Anxiety attacks, or panic attacks as they are more or less the same thing, are on the increase. Who knows whether it's our modern more stressful way of life or not. But the fact remains they are causing more and more people no end of problems.

Could you spot if you were having a panic or anxiety attack? Not a simple question to answer because symptoms can vary from the downright petrifying to almost unnoticeable. You may just feel a bit of a hot sweat. But you may also feel like your heart is bursting out of your chest.

I think if you were having the more serious symptoms you would know you needed some type of help. But you could also be having mild symptoms and not even know it's an anxiety related attack. These mild symptoms could well be warning signs of something worse to come.

My wife suffered a bad panic attack while she was out driving our car. I probably needn't say that it wasn't just the attack that shook her badly, but the fact she was driving and could have had a major accident. This type of situation just doesn't warrant thinking about.

If you haven't been feeling yourself lately, maybe you've had one or two of these symptoms… Difficulty sleeping, a bit on edge or anxious, can't concentrate, constantly irritated or fidgeting a lot. Having any of these mild symptoms could be a warning sign.

But before you actually have a panic attack thinking about those symptoms let me put your mind at ease. There are many normal things that can cause symptoms like those. And all of them are nothing to fret about. Too much caffeine can stop you sleeping. Uncomfortable clothing can cause you to fidget.

However if you think you may want to delve further and check out if you are a potential anxiety attack victim. You can take an anxiety symptoms test which may give you a better idea. All you do is tick a few boxes with either yes or no and total your score at the end.

Then you can decide if you need to take further action.