Dr Ranj Singh has shared practical advice for people experiencing a panic attack. Appearing on BBC Morning Live on Friday, November 6, the doctor explained that panic attack symptoms can feel similar to a heart attack, but said that if you recognise you are having a panic attack, simple actions such as stamping your feet or sucking on a sweet could help.
What a panic attack feels like
According to mental health charity Mind, a panic attack is a severe reaction to anxiety that can come on suddenly, with very intense physical and psychological symptoms. They are not usually dangerous, but they can feel frightening and make it seem like something is seriously wrong.
Sometimes called anxiety attacks, they can cause a pounding or racing heartbeat, feeling faint, dizzy or light-headed, feeling very hot or very cold, sweating, trembling or shaking, nausea, chest or stomach pain, struggling to breathe or feeling like you are choking, hyperventilation, shaky legs, and dissociation from your mind, body or surroundings. During an attack, people may fear losing control, fainting, having a heart attack, dying, or losing touch with reality.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique
Dr Ranj urged people to try the 5-4-3-2-1 technique during a panic attack. This involves naming five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. For the final step, he suggested sucking on a sour or fizzy sweet.
Explaining why this helps, Dr Ranj said: "These do not treat the panic attack, what they do is they distract your brain from the process." He described it as a never-ending cycle where the panic attack causes stress and the stress feeds back into the attack, adding: "What you're trying to do is break that cycle - and these grounding techniques can help you do that."
Why panic attacks happen and how to tell them apart from heart attacks
Panic attacks can last from five to 20 minutes, typically peaking around the 10-minute mark, though some people may experience symptoms for up to an hour. Dr Ranj explained the biological reason: the body's built-in fight-or-flight response kicks in when encountering a perceived threat, producing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol that prepare the body to fight or run, often accompanied by psychological symptoms.
The doctor admitted that panic attacks and heart attacks are "extremely difficult to distinguish, especially for the person who is experiencing it." Both can cause chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating, dizziness and nausea. Panic attacks can also cause trembling, tingling, a choking sensation and a fear of dying. A heart attack, he said, may involve pain, pressure, heaviness or tightness in the chest, with pain radiating to the neck, jaw, arm, back or upper abdomen.
He stressed: "You cannot reliably distinguish between a panic attack and a heart attack purely on physical symptoms alone. So if you're getting it for the first time, it's really really important that you seek help. If you think you're having a heart attack, please call 999 and do not try to drive yourself to the hospital."
The NHS advises calling 999 for chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, chest pain spreading to the arms, neck or jaw, severe difficulty breathing, pale, blue or grey lips or skin, or if someone has passed out and is not responding normally. NHS 111 should be called for sudden shortness of breath, chest pain with nausea or vomiting, or chest pain with a racing, slow or fluttering heartbeat. Support for anyone affected by heart conditions is available from a GP, the British Heart Foundation website, or the BHF Heart helpline on 080 802 1234.
