3 Ways to Deal with Chest Pain Caused by Anxiety
Most Americans would agree that the responsibilities they have, whether from work or from home, can be not only demanding but also stressful. Stress can have a rather large impact on one's physical and mental health and can manifest itself through physical symptoms. In fact, approximately 77% of Americans experience stress-derived symptoms. Among all of the known symptoms, chest pains are perhaps the most common. If you constantly experience chest pains or pressure on your chest due to anxiety, here are 3 ways you can deal with this symptom.
Get the Type of Medication You Need
Once your medical provider has determined that the chest pains come from anxiety, the easiest way to obtain immediate relief from the chest pains is to speak to a medical provider in order to determine whether there are any medications available that can help. Your medical provider will want to explore many options with you to determine what your body responds to best. Common medications prescribed for anxiety include
- antidepressants, like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRI), tricyclic antidepressants and monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), which will need to be taken regularly;
- benzodiazepines, which are quick acting and can reduce symptoms of anxiety, like chest pain, effectively or almost immediately; and
- beta blockers, which are used to control symptoms like rapid heartbeat, blushing, shaking, and trembling.
The type of medication that will be most beneficial for your situation will depend on many factors. Your medical provider will need to determine whether any of these medications will react with other medications that you may be currently taking.
Learn How to Relax
While medications can help relieve chest pain almost immediately, they do not really target the underlying cause behind the pain. The chest pains are caused by the activation of the fight or flight response within your body. Learning how to relax when you are stressed can prevent the chest pains entirely. Even if the chest pains cannot be avoided entirely, learning how to relax can help lessen the severity of the chest pains and reduce stress levels indefinitely. There are many different activities that can help you relax. You can try
- meditating to quiet an otherwise chaotic and hyper mind;
- participating in aerobic exercises, like a quick run or a short walk around the block, for at least 30 minutes;
- distracting your mind by concentrating on another task, like a crossword puzzle;
- stimulating your sense of smell with aromatherapy; or
- taking a break to talk to a friend or even spending time with a pet.
Although it may be difficult to participate in some of these activities amid the chest pains, just know that it'll get easier each time that you try. Getting yourself pumped to go for a run when you are experiencing chest pains will be difficult; however, you'll be amazed at how quickly the pain may go away when you start moving around.
Adopt Better Problem-Solving Skills
Learning how to relax can help reduce your overall stress levels on a regular basis to prevent chest pains; however, you should also learn how to eliminate the triggers of anxiety. Anxiety is usually caused by the presence of a problem or the difficulties in dealing with a problem. Adopting better problem-solving skills can help you avoid chest pains altogether.
Once again, there are plenty of different problem-solving tactics you can implement. If you want to learn more tactics and skills, consider joining an anxiety support group. Some common suggestions include writing down your problems and breaking them down into smaller components so that they are more manageable and learning how to see your problems in a different perspective.
Conclusion
Chest pains from anxiety are usually not serious nor life threatening; however, they can significantly impact your quality of living. Most of the time, these chest pains can feel like a very serious problem, but chest pains can be a thing of the past with the right medication and with the right tweaks to your lifestyle. To learn more, speak with a representative from an establishment like Alpert Zales & Castro Pediatric Cardiology.