When I have mini or normal panic attacks my heart rate increases, I get lightheaded with hot flushes and tingling sensation in hands. Why?
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You’ve probably heard of “fight or flight response” at some point. Most animals have one. What it really refers to isn’t just behavior, it’s physiology.
Your body literally has systems dedicated to fight or flight response. In your brain, there are brain regions that activate in response to threat and get your body ready to survive. It’s supposed to be functional: if you need to fight or run, you need adrenaline, focused attention, threat awareness, more blood to get to your muscles, and to know you’re in danger.
Panic attack is when that response is triggered (where the idea of a trigger comes from) even though there isn’t imminent danger from a third party perspective. Sometimes not even from your own perspective.
From the POV of your body, though, it’s just trying to protect you. It has associated something with severe threat and it’s responding appropriately.
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