Heart pain!!! Need help

[ellen1]

Is it normal with anxiety to get constant sharp pains in the heart area throughout the day? with funny fluttery beats? I have been getting this for the last 4 days and I'm worrying! I've never worried about heart attacks or anything like that but as I have been getting my anxiety symptoms back I was wondering if this heart pain is normal with anxiety? Because it hurts a lot and in quite scared..

[StaceyEaster93]

Is it normal with anxiety to get constant sharp pains in the heart area throughout the day? with funny fluttery beats? I have been getting this for the last 4 days and I'm worrying! I've never worried about heart attacks or anything like that but as I have been getting my anxiety symptoms back I was wondering if this heart pain is normal with anxiety? Because it hurts a lot and in quite scared..

It's completely normal if you suffer with anxiety. Have you had your heart checked though? I get pains in my chest and weird feelings in my chest constantly, even when I don't think I feel anxious, but the pain usually sends me into an instant panic.

[raggamuffin]

Stacey is right. Chest pains are very common in anxiety sufferers. often very sharp, like being pricked by a needle. They can come back too in the same place or vary. Depends how much you succumb to the emotion, fear and worry. It's often hard to remain neutral when a pain is occuring. Just breath in deep, hold for a moment and exhale for as long as possible. Telling yourself it's just anxiety and you're not in any danger. The more you work yourself up the more likely it'll come back.

The more you worry about it the more you're feedign the anxiety and the more it'll come back. I sincerely doubt there's anything wrong with the health of your heart. 4 days of this, if it was anything serious you'd know by now. Also genuine illness pains won't just come and go, come and go. They'd be there, and serious and wouldn't be going away.

Anxiety pains are very real many times and they can be at the forefront of your mind. But you need to try and distract yourself. Realize that the whole sense of danger or impending doom or serious disease etc makes your body release a lot of adrenaline. The whole fight or flight response as i'm sure you've heard about.

When you never truly relax because of anxiety your brain never really realizes there is no danger. So we're on edge, always on the look out for the next pain and then the emotions take over and yet more adrenlaine surges through our body.

The human body has a very impressive defense mechanism for fight or flight. The adrenlaine filled blood is pumped to the arms and legs for fighitng or fleeing and aroudn the chest muscles to strengthen the chest against impacts to protect the vital organs behind the chest wall.

Over time with enough anxiety these muscles become tight and you'll get muscle tweaks and pains because they're so on edge. This pain can be very sharp or dull and long lasting.

Anyways to cut a long story short, if you haven't already, go to a doctor, just check up on your heart. Not in a "Oh no you got heart disease" or anything melodramatic like that. Just for peace of mind. Then try and accept it more that it's anxiety. Whilst we think we know our bodies best, this over anxious and paranoid state of mind is us living in our own world. We don't have 5-7 years of medical training and it's simply our bodies overreacting to perceived danger when nothing is there.

Hope you feel better soon.

Ed