Are anxiety and chest pain linked? Discover how anxiety causes chest pain, the difference between anxiety and cardiac chest pain, and when you should seek medical attention.

Anxiety and Chest Pain: A Close Relationship

Chest pain is a frightening experience that sends many people to the emergency room. Nearly half of them learn they don’t have a heart problem. Of those, 30-40% discover that anxiety was the culprit.

Anxiety and chest pain share a close relationship, but that doesn’t mean you can assume anxiety is to blame. You can’t risk delaying medical attention when there’s a chance you have a heart condition or you’re having a heart attack. If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call 911. Otherwise, your cardiologist can run diagnostics to rapidly determine if you have cardiovascular disease.

Understanding Anxiety and Its Impact on the Body

Anxiety is your body’s natural reaction to a threat, whether the threat is immediate or in the future. Any time you feel anxious, your brain automatically sends out hormones that activate the fight-or-flight response. This response energizes your body to deal with the threat or quickly react and escape the situation.

How Anxiety Causes Chest Pain

When you’re anxious, your brain sends a surge of adrenaline and cortisol through your body. These hormones immediately trigger a rapid rise in your heart rate and blood pressure. As a result, many people experience chest pain and sweating, or have a hard time breathing.

The sudden boost of adrenaline can narrow the arteries in your heart and attach to cells inside the heart. This condition, called stress cardiomyopathy, mimics a heart attack, from symptoms all the way down to changes in your heart’s electrical activity.

Though stress cardiomyopathy usually heals within a few days or weeks, it may lead to weak heart muscles, congestive heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms. Chronically high hormone levels may also trigger a panic attack (causing symptoms that feel like a heart attack) and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Distinguishing Anxiety-Induced Chest Pain from Cardiac Chest Pain

It’s hard, if not impossible, to tell the difference between anxiety-induced chest pain and the pain caused by an underlying heart condition. Both can cause symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, sweating, heart palpitations, and a feeling of dread or being out of control.

However, there are a few general differences in the pain location and patterns:

• Chest pain from a heart attack often spreads throughout your chest and radiates to your jaw, shoulders, and arms, while anxiety-related chest pain stays in your chest.
• Chest pain from a heart attack starts slowly and gradually gets worse, while an anxiety attack causes sudden chest pain that slowly improves, often within 10 minutes.

It’s important to note that these differences are not written in stone, and everyone experiences symptoms slightly differently. If you have any concerns about your chest pain or other heart-related symptoms, it’s crucial to seek medical attention.

When to Seek Medical Attention for Chest Pain

If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call 911 immediately. Otherwise, consult with a cardiologist who can run diagnostic tests to determine the underlying cause of your chest pain. Delaying medical attention can be risky, even if the pain is caused by anxiety.

Managing Anxiety-Induced Chest Pain

While it’s important to rule out any underlying heart condition, there are ways to manage anxiety-induced chest pain:

1. Practice relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga to calm your mind and body.
2. Engage in regular exercise to reduce stress and anxiety levels.
3. Seek support from a mental health professional, such as a therapist, to address the root causes of your anxiety.
4. Avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine, which can worsen anxiety and chest pain.

By understanding the connection between anxiety and chest pain, and taking steps to manage your anxiety, you can reduce the occurrence and severity of anxiety-induced chest pain.

Conclusion

Chest pain can be a frightening experience, but it’s important to understand the relationship between anxiety and chest pain. While anxiety and chest pain are closely linked, you can’t assume anxiety is the cause, as it could signal an underlying heart condition. Seeking medical attention and managing your anxiety through various techniques can help you reduce and address anxiety-induced chest pain.