{"id":10996,"date":"2025-05-11T15:40:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-11T12:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/?p=10996"},"modified":"2025-09-17T15:10:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-17T12:10:49","slug":"brief-04","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/health\/brief-04\/","title":{"rendered":"How can you cope with panic attacks? Why do they happen? Which doctor should you see?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"podcastplayer\"><figure class=\"wp-block-audio podcastplayer\"><audio controls src=\"https:\/\/anchor.fm\/s\/1046d7c48\/podcast\/play\/103361583\/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2025-4-29%2F401199002-44100-2-0900ca4d9f75e.m4a\" preload=\"none\"><\/audio><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><span class=\"mks_dropcap_letter\" style=\"font-size: 72px; color: #dd3c7a; \">\u201cW<\/span>hy did I even read that news?\u201d A whirlwind spun up in my head \u2014 thoughts like scraps of paper swirling in the dark. My heart began to pound, as if trying to break out of my chest and fly into the sky. My ears started ringing, and the air turned thick and heavy, as if it had become oil. It felt like someone had wrapped my chest in a tight band. My hands went cold, and the world suddenly became distant and blurred. Everything inside me tightened, and a single thought echoed through my mind: \u201cWhat\u2019s happening to me?\u201d Time stretched, and each breath felt like it might be the last.<\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p>In this episode of the Misery Shared Podcast, Slava talks about panic attacks \u2014 how they work on the inside, from the brain\u2019s perspective, in simple terms. He also shares techniques that may help during a panic attack, especially if you don\u2019t have immediate access to a psychologist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Disclaimer<\/strong>: the author makes it clear that he is not a psychologist or a psychotherapist. He strongly opposes any form of online diagnosis. This podcast is not intended for self-diagnosis or self-treatment. Its purpose is to explain things in simple terms and to encourage people to seek help from a therapist \u2014 even if it feels like a waste of time. It also aims to help listeners choose a good mental health professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A panic attack is a sudden and intense wave of fear that comes on within minutes. You may not even understand where the threat is coming from \u2014 your body simply switches into \u201cfight or flight\u201d mode, even though there\u2019s no visible danger. A panic attack isn\u2019t a separate illness \u2014 it\u2019s always a symptom, though a serious one. That\u2019s why, when it happens, you should first contact your general practitioner. They\u2019ll need to rule out any underlying issues, like heart problems or thyroid disorders. If everything checks out, the doctor will most likely refer you to anxiety specialists \u2014 a psychologist or psychotherapist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>But why is a panic attack such a serious symptom? Because its signs can closely resemble several different conditions \u2014 each of which requires a different approach.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Slava explains: for example, if your heart starts racing, your hands begin to shake, and you feel anxious \u2014 it might not be a panic attack at all, but low blood sugar. In both cases, the body switches into \u201cfight mode\u201d: adrenaline speeds up your pulse, chills may set in, and your vision can blur. But there\u2019s a key difference. With low blood sugar, you may feel the same weakness, maybe a strong headache or even mental fog \u2014 but if you eat something sweet or drink some juice, the symptoms will pass. During a panic attack, however, hunger is usually absent. The line is very thin \u2014 and that\u2019s exactly why, instead of guessing what\u2019s going on, you need a specialist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slava adds that if hypoglycemia (which is low blood sugar) is also something new for you, there\u2019s a quick way to rule it out \u2014 and possibly even save your life: eat a spoonful of sugar or drink half a glass of any regular (non-diet) soda. It\u2019s important that this be a simple, fast-absorbing carbohydrate. That means milk, chocolate, or pastries won\u2019t work \u2014 because they also contain fats, which slow down sugar absorption. As a result, your blood glucose will rise too slowly. Using those as first aid is not only incorrect \u2014 it can even be dangerous. Drinks labeled \u201csugar-free\u201d or \u201czero calories\u201d won\u2019t help either. You need fast sugar. So, as strange as it may sound, carry at least six sugar cubes with you (three cubes equal roughly 15 grams of sugar \u2014 enough to raise your glucose level). If the issue was hypoglycemia, you should start feeling better within 10\u201315 minutes of taking those 15 grams of sugar. If not, take another 15 grams and wait again \u2014 this is known as the \u201c15-15 Rule\u201d. After that, make sure to see a doctor. And if you still don\u2019t feel better \u2014 or if you\u2019re getting worse \u2014 call an ambulance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Slava emphasizes that he\u2019s describing all of this in such detail because he himself rarely went to the doctor \u2014 and when he experienced a sudden drop in blood sugar, it was only thanks to the people around him who immediately recognized what to do that everything turned out okay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Returning to the main topic, Slava continues: the line between different conditions that resemble a panic attack is quite thin \u2014 because of the physical symptoms involved. As we\u2019ve already noted, a panic attack can also cause trembling, a rapid or pounding heartbeat. You might feel short of breath, break out in a sweat, feel hot or chilled. There may be pressure in the chest, nausea, dizziness, and more. And because these symptoms resemble many other conditions \u2014 including, for example, a heart attack \u2014 it\u2019s essential to rule out even the slightest risk. And only a doctor can do that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If we focus specifically on a panic attack \u2014 what does it feel like in the moment? Like intense fear that something catastrophic is about to happen. There\u2019s a sense of unreality, as if everything around you isn\u2019t quite real. It becomes very hard to hold on to even a single thought. But after a few minutes, it gradually passes. So, if it is a panic attack \u2014 and you\u2019ve already been medically checked and ruled out other conditions (like heart problems) \u2014 then the attack itself isn\u2019t dangerous to your health. However, as an event, a panic attack signals some serious changes in the body \u2014 at the level of brain chemistry and neurological responses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Listen to this episode to learn in simple terms how a panic attack works \u2014 why it happens, and what strategies can help you cope if you can\u2019t reach out to a psychologist.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/health\/brief-05\/\">next episode<\/a> of the Misery Shared Podcast will focus on insomnia: its causes, and some practical tips that may help you restore a healthy routine or fall asleep more easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to contact us but are afraid to use comments, you can send us an e-mail. After that it will be enough to delete your letter from the \u201cSent\u201d folder.<br>Our e-mail address is: <a href=\"mailto:help@belarus.fm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener nofollow\">help@belarus.fm<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this episode of the Misery Shared Podcast, Slava talks about panic attacks \u2014 how they work on the inside, from the brain\u2019s perspective, in simple terms. He also shares techniques that may help during a panic attack, especially if you don\u2019t have immediate access to a psychologist. Disclaimer: the author makes it clear that [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":10571,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[394],"tags":[352],"class_list":["post-10996","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","tag-audio-in-russian"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10996","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10996"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10996\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10571"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10996"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10996"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/belarus.fm\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10996"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}