Often, anxiety attacks are misinterpreted as heart attacks. Find out why this happens and how you can identify it
Anxiety can feel similar to a heart problem, with sudden tightness in the chest, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, nausea, and shortness of breath. Sometimes, signs of an anxiety attack can overlap with signs of heart-related problems. Misidentifying or delaying care can be dangerous, so it’s important to know the difference; Any delay in diagnosis may be harmful.
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To understand the key differences, HT Lifestyle reached out to Dr Bibinchandra Bhamre, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Center in Mumbai, which explained that symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, sweating and rapid heartbeat can be caused by anxiety and heart problems, making it important to know how to differentiate between them.
“A lot of people tend to rush to the emergency room thinking they’re having a heart attack, only to later find out it’s a panic or anxiety attack,” Dr. Bhamari said, indicating how anxiety attacks can mimic heart attacks, leading to panic. This becomes important for individuals so that people can accurately assess their symptoms.
In fact, the cardiologist confirmed that anxiety and heart problems actually share very similar symptoms: “Both conditions can lead to signs and symptoms such as chest tightness, rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, nausea, and a feeling of fear or doom.”
Why do they feel similar?
First, one needs to understand why feelings of anxiety and heart problems overlap.
According to the cardiologist, when anxiety occurs, the body triggers a “fight or flight” response, which results in the release of stress hormones such as adrenaline. This causes the heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate to increase, while the muscles tighten, sometimes causing chest discomfort.
A similar situation occurs during heart problems. “When it comes to heart problems, they occur when there is a reduction in blood flow to the heart muscle. This can cause chest pressure, heaviness, or pain that may radiate to the left arm, jaw, neck, or back,” he added. Other symptoms include: sweating, nausea, and severe weakness.
How to distinguish?
Differentiating between anxiety and heart problems can be difficult since they both have the same signs and sensations. Recognizing the subtle differences can help you respond better. Here are some signs shared by the cardiologist:
- Symptoms of anxiety will appear during stress and may improve with relaxation.
- Heart-related pain usually feels like pressure or squeezing and may worsen with physical activity.
- Chest pain caused by anxiety is sharp and localized, while heart pain is heavier or more severe.
- Heart symptoms may last longer and not improve with calming techniques such as deep breathing.
- It is more likely to be a heart attack if a person has a family history of diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, or a family history of heart disease. Consult a doctor without any delay.
Dr. Bibinchandra Bhamre urged people to follow a balanced diet, quit smoking and alcohol, and exercise at least five days a week to reduce anxiety and stress while maintaining heart health. If there is persistent chest pain, ask not to ignore it.
Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your physician with any questions about a medical condition.
Adrija Dey’s penchant for observation feeds her storytelling instinct. As a lifestyle journalist, she creates compelling, relatable narratives across diverse touchpoints of the human experience, including wellness, mental health, relationships, interior design, home decor, food, travel, and fashion that gently nudge readers toward living a little better. For her, stories exist in flesh and bone, carried by human vessels and shaped by everyday endeavours. It’s the little stories we live and share that make us human. After all, people and their traditions are the most natural and raw repositories of stories, and revealing them, for her, is like peeling an orange under the winter afternoon sun. Always up for a chat, she believes the best stories come from unfiltered chatter, where “too much information” is kind of the goal. An alumnus of Indraprastha Women’s College, Delhi University, and an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC), Delhi, Adrija spends her spare hours sipping on herbal tea and a sultry thriller, scribbling inner monologues that she loosely calls poetic pieces, often in the presence of her succulents. On lazier days, she can be found binge-watching, for the nth time, one of her comfort shows in the holy trinity: The Office (US), Brooklyn Nine-Nine, or Modern Family. However, dancing alone to peppy playlists is a daily ritual she swears by religiously.Read more
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