Panic Attacks And Fainting
A frequent question that is asked about panic disorder is can panic attacks cause fainting? Because of certain symptoms that may seem related to fainting like hyperventilating, panic attacks and fainting have been thought to be related.
This is important and a thorough understanding of what is actually happening is necessary so as not to cause more even panic and make things worse. For a person having a panic attack, the fear may cause the person to have shortness of breath and this may lead to hyperventilation. They may suddenly have the feeling of lightheadedness and confusion which they often associate with fainting.
Biological causes of panic attacks
There are a number of biological causes of panic attacks and the following video will explain what they are.
One thing you need to understand is that when a panic attack happens, it may only last for thirty minutes or so. The feeling of fainting may happen at the start of the panic attack but this seldom occurs. In fainting, a person lacks oxygen that circulates in the brain. And the time for a panic attack is less for this to even occur.
Can panic attacks cause fainting?
Sometimes it can, but only because the person has fainted due to an unrelated medical reason.
If this occurs the person should consult a doctor right away since the fainting spell might be a symptom of low blood pressure or another cause. When a person has a fainting episode, he/she should be left in the same place so as not to cause panic when he/she wakes up and wonders where they are, which is stressful in itself.
