Weird chest sensations?!

Question

Hello Im currently 17 years old, and for as long as a month I have been getting these weird sensations in my chest that last a couple seconds, its hard to describe, but its like a sudden rush flushing throughout my chest and it can only be described as my chest feeling very light, I know it sounds stupid and hard to understand, but it feels as though palpitations are about to occur when i get this sensation but they dont. However the last couple of times I got this chest sensation my chest suddenly got a rush of lightness like my breath got taken away then I felt my heart thud, then I began to check my pulse and I was experiencing skipped beats, this brought on a huge amount of anxiety for me, as I am a daily sufferer of anxiety and i am extremely health anxious also. Then following the next day this happened again however my chest only got a rush of lightness for a moment and i experienced no skipped beats. I just want to know what is going on? and if anyone has any clue as to whatthis could be and if it is dangerous?? Thank you:)

itdood · Accepted Answer

sounds like the beginnings of a panic attack.  I really hate calling it a "panic" anything because people who have never experienced it, and people who do experience think it's some sort of conscious decision on your part to panic, or that there would be some sort of environmental issue to trigger it.

There isn't.  For some reason, a very primitive part of your brain is activating the "flight or fight" response when there is no need.  This activates certain things on your autonomic nervous system (ANS) and central nervous system (CNS) that are completely out of your control.  For instance, it might cause the adrenal gland to activate, pushing adrenaline for no reason, which can cause physical symptoms you describe.

It's common and there is nothing ever published to indicate that this leads to other issues down the road.

achillea · Answer

What itdood said.

This sensation of breathlessness or flushing or 'sinking' is indeed associated with panic or acute anxiety, but there doesn't have to be *any* conscious awareness of a particular worry or stress.  It's just a physical phenomenon that seems to occur in certain people (and there is a family tendency).

The best therapy for it will be found in a shrink's office--not because of a mental disorder, but because shrinks are more familiar with treating it than GPs are.