Chest pain is one of the deadly health conditions that many people suffer from. You can have chest pain due for several reasons. However, it is really unfortunate that most people barely pay attention to their chest pain. As a result, they suffer from accidental strokes and unwanted cardiac arrests. Some of the potential causes of chest pain can be high blood pressure, high blood sugar, high levels of triglyceride, and many more. However, a weird but equally potential cause of chest pain is stress and anxiety.
Yes, you read that right. The more you stress or suffer from anxiety, the more prone are you to suffering from chest pain. You must have come across doctors and mental health specialists telling you all the time about avoiding stress as much as possible. There is certainly a reason behind this. Most people have a habit of ignoring the slightest chest pain that they face regularly. They think the chest pain will subside on its own.
In reality, whenever you encounter chest pain, make sure to visit a cardiologist as soon as possible. This is because you don’t know what is going on inside your body. Here, a cardiologist can help you in the best possible way. So, book a consultation for the treatment of chest pain. However, before you reach out to a doctor, read this blog to know more about the relationship between chest pain and stress, and anxiety.
What does chest pain due to anxiety and stress feel like?
A potential question that most people worry about is – “How to understand if the chest pain occurred due to stress and anxiety?” Well, this is certainly a genuine question that demands a clear answer. Indeed, the chest pain that occurred due to stress and anxiety is very similar to that of any other form of chest pain. However, there are slight differences.
When chest pain is due to stress and anxiety, every person will have different symptoms. This is because the cause of stress and anxiety for each person is different. The same person can experience different symptoms on different days. Since anxiety has different symptoms, it because a challenge to figure out anxiety and its potential causes and effects on the body. However, the chest pain that occurs due to stress and anxiety has the following symptoms:
- The pain in the chest is sharp and shooting
- The chest keeps on aching persistently
- You feel a spasm or an unusual twitch in the chest
- You experience a stabbing pressure on the chest
- The muscles of the chest experience extreme tightness and tension
- Sometimes, the chest starts burning and becomes numb
If you have never experienced chest pain in the past, and these symptoms trigger all of a sudden, know that you need to be extra careful in these situations. Research in 2018 proved that 20% to 50% of the people who rush to the emergency ward of the hospital suffered a heart attack due to stress and anxiety.
What are the causes of stress and anxiety chest pain?
When you suffer from stress and anxiety, your body reacts to it differently. The moment your body gets hit by stress and anxiety, it starts releasing stress hormones. Along with cortisol and adrenaline, other stress hormones do havoc on your body. With the release of these hormones, your blood pressure gets enhanced much more than it normally should. This makes your heart race at a greater speed. Sometimes, the heart starts beating twice in a single second. This fluctuating heartbeat puts a lot of pressure on your heart.
As a result, you start sweating and feeling uncomfortable. Sometimes, this pressure on your heart can also lead to breathing problems. Your mouth can become dry and you may find it difficult to concentrate. When stress causes tightness in the chest, it can lead to hyperventilation, and spasms of the esophagus. If you have a blocked heart, make sure to stay away from stress as much as possible. Otherwise, it is sure to worsen the condition. Sometimes, heartache due to stress can also lead to a mild heart attack.
How to treat chest pain induced by stress?
The moment you have chest pain due to anxiety or stress, we recommend you visit a doctor soon. If the problem is related to stress, you have to find out the root cause of the problem to eliminate it from the root. It is not possible for a layman to eliminate the stress from your body and mind. For this, you need an expert. If you are undergoing a lot of stress and anxiety, you need to visit a psychologist or mental counselor as soon as possible.
After knowing the cause, your doctor can design the treatment plan accordingly. For treating chest pain caused due to stress, the one-size-fits-all policy does not work. You cannot rely on the treatment plan that worked for your friend. Some of the healthy habits that can keep your stress levels in control include regular exercise, yoga, meditation, stretching, physical therapy, and reaching out to counselors for stress management.
Home remedies to control stress
Stress management does not happen overnight. To have control of your stress levels you need to first acknowledge that you are under mental pressure. If you think that things in your head are not going as per your plan or you are messing up things, you can reach out to a mental counselor. He will have a detailed talk with you and try to find out the root cause of the problem.
Indeed, there are some home remedies that you can try out to control stress. One of the most beneficial remedies for managing stress is meditation. You can start your day with a set of calm and poised meditation. Another way of controlling stress is undergoing physical activity. You can engage in any form of exercise like gymming, cycling, swimming, home workouts, etc.
Conclusion
Chest pain can be a serious condition if you do not pay proper attention to it. Whenever you have a problem in your chest, it is better to find out the cause of chest tightness and pain right away. Finding out the root cause can help you fix treatment for your problem.
