The signs of a panic attack can include:
	palpitations (pounding heart or a rapid heart beat)
	trembling or shaking
	throat constriction, often accompanied by a feeling of choking
	thumping in the throat
	gasping for breath or a feeling of being smothered
	numbness or a tingling feeling in the hands or feet
	an upset tummy or nausea
	feelings of ‘unreality’ - as if you are detached from yourself
	hot or cold flashes
	sweating
	deep fear of going mad or losing control
	deep fear often including a fear of dying
	dizziness, unsteadiness, fainting or a feeling of unconsciousness

Four or more of the above symptoms indicate a full blown panic attack, whereas two or three is known as a limited-symptom panic attack.

If you have extreme physical reactions to a panic attack and lose control you may feel detached from yourself or have feelings of ‘unreality’. During a panic attack you may be unable to speak, have a dry mouth, experience pain in the gums or feel rooted to the spot.

The physical feelings you experience during a panic attack are merely a physical response to the increase in adrenaline, which is produced when your body goes into "fight or flight" mode. Although it can be terrifying, it isn’t a physical problem and it won’t kill you.

A panic attack can include all of the symptoms in the table above or only a few. As you can see, it can affect you on a physical level as well as affecting your thoughts and your behaviour.
 
A panic attack can leave you emotionally drained, physically exhausted and feeling 'off colour'. The result is that you feel even more anxious and so, if you fail to take appropriate action, you go through life worried that another panic attack will occur out of the blue. The greatest fear of someone who has suffered a panic attack is that he/she will have another sometime in the future.

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