When someone suddenly feels chest pain, shortness of breath, or a racing heart, it’s natural to worry about a heart attack. But in many cases, these symptoms may actually be due to an anxiety or panic attack. Both can feel frightening, and both can involve intense physical sensations.
However, they have different causes, treatments, and risks. This article explains how to tell them apart using research-based information, in simple terms that are easy to understand.
A heart attack, also called a myocardial infarction, happens when blood flow to the heart is blocked. This can damage or destroy part of the heart muscle. It’s a medical emergency and needs urgent treatment.
Anxiety attacks, often called panic attacks, are sudden periods of intense fear or stress, usually triggered by emotional factors rather than physical problems in the heart.
The most common symptoms of a heart attack include chest pain or pressure that feels like something heavy is sitting on the chest. This pain may spread to the left arm, shoulder, jaw, neck, or back. People often describe it as squeezing, tightness, or burning. Other signs are shortness of breath, nausea, cold sweats, dizziness, or feeling unusually tired.
These symptoms usually build up over a few minutes and don’t go away with rest. According to the American Heart Association, chest discomfort is the most common warning sign, especially in men. Women may have less obvious symptoms, such as tiredness, back pain, or nausea.
An anxiety or panic attack can also cause chest pain, rapid heartbeat, trouble breathing, sweating, dizziness, and nausea. But the chest pain is often sharp or stabbing rather than heavy or squeezing. It may stay in one spot and come and go quickly. People having a panic attack often describe a feeling of fear, doom, or losing control.
The attack usually peaks within 10 minutes and fades within 30 minutes to an hour. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, panic attacks are not dangerous in themselves but can feel very real and scary.
One key difference is how the symptoms start. Heart attack symptoms usually come on gradually or during physical activity or stress. Panic attacks often come on suddenly, even during rest or sleep, and are closely linked to emotional stress, trauma, or certain triggers.
Another difference is response to rest. Heart attack symptoms often stay or worsen with time, while panic attack symptoms may go away when the person calms down, breathes deeply, or gets reassurance.
Doctors use tests like electrocardiograms (ECG), blood tests, and scans to check for heart damage. But these can only be done at a hospital or clinic.
That’s why if someone isn’t sure whether they are having a heart attack or a panic attack, they should always call emergency services or go to the hospital. It’s better to be safe and have a false alarm than to miss a real heart attack.
It’s also possible to experience both at the same time. For example, someone with heart disease may also suffer from anxiety, or a panic attack may happen in response to chest discomfort from another condition. This can make it even harder to tell them apart. That’s why regular check-ups, knowing your health history, and managing stress are all important.
In conclusion, heart attacks and anxiety attacks share similar symptoms, but they come from different causes and require different responses. Chest pressure, pain that spreads, and symptoms that don’t go away may signal a heart attack.
Sharp pain, sudden onset, and fear without a clear cause are more likely due to anxiety. If in doubt, always seek medical help. Understanding these differences can save lives and reduce fear.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk, and herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects risks of heart disease and cancer, and results showing strawberries could help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.
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