Last updated: October 2026
To stop a panic attack, stay where you are, breathe slowly in through your nose and out through your mouth with a longer out-breath, and remind yourself it will pass. Focus on your senses: name things you can see and feel. Most panic attacks last 5 to 20 minutes. They’re frightening but not dangerous.
If you have chest pain and you’re not sure it’s panic, call 999. Below: what to do during a panic attack, panic attack symptoms (including in women), how to tell a panic attack from a heart attack, whether a panic attack can kill you, how to help someone, panic attacks at night, prevention and treatment.
What to do during a panic attack
- Stay where you are if it’s safe. Sit down if you feel faint.
- Breathe slowly. Breathe in through your nose for a count of 4, then out through your mouth for a count of 6. Keep going for a few minutes.
- Tell yourself it will pass. Panic attacks peak and fade, usually within 20 minutes, and they can’t hurt you.
- Ground yourself. Name 5 things you can see, 4 you can hear, 3 you can touch. Press your feet into the floor.
- Picture somewhere calm, like a beach or a favourite walk.
- Don’t fight it. Letting the feelings rise and fall often makes them pass faster than trying to push them away.
If you have chest pain and aren’t sure it’s panic, call 999. It’s always better to be checked.
Panic attack symptoms
The NHS describes a rush of intense mental and physical symptoms, which can include:
| Body | Mind |
|---|---|
| Racing or pounding heartbeat | A sense of dread, or fear of dying |
| Shortness of breath, choking feeling | Feeling disconnected from your body |
| Chest pain, sweating, trembling | Feeling you’re losing control |
| Hot flushes or chills, dizziness, feeling faint | |
| Nausea, churning stomach, dry mouth | |
| Pins and needles, tingling fingers |
Panic attacks are common. In one large US survey of more than 9,000 adults, over 1 in 5 said they had had at least one panic attack at some point in their life, without going on to develop panic disorder.
Signs of a panic attack in women
The signs of a panic attack are the same in women and men: a pounding heart, breathlessness, chest pain, sweating, shaking, tingling and a sudden sense of dread. What differs is how often it happens. Panic disorder is roughly twice as common in women. Large US surveys have found that about 5 to 7 in every 100 women have it at some point, compared with about 2 to 4 in every 100 men. One analysis also found women were more likely than men to report breathing-related symptoms during an attack.
Hormonal changes can add to the picture. The NHS lists palpitations and anxiety among the symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, often alongside hot flushes, and a sudden hot, sweaty, racing-heart moment can feel a lot like panic. See our guides to perimenopause symptoms and whether menopause can cause anxiety. An overactive thyroid can also cause a fast or irregular heartbeat, nervousness and anxiety: see overactive thyroid symptoms. A GP can check for both.
There’s one more reason for women not to brush symptoms off. The British Heart Foundation (BHF) says the main heart attack symptoms are the same in women and men, but many women ignore the signs or describe them as less intense, and some people get lesser known symptoms instead of chest pain, including suddenly feeling anxious in a way that resembles a panic attack. So new or unexplained chest pain should always be checked, at any age, rather than put down to panic.
Panic attack or heart attack? How to tell the difference
Panic attacks and heart attacks share several symptoms: chest pain, a racing heart, breathlessness, sweating and feeling sick. That overlap is why you can’t reliably tell them apart at home. The table shows the typical differences described by the NHS and the BHF, but it is a guide, not a way to diagnose yourself.
| Panic attack | Heart attack | |
|---|---|---|
| Onset | Sudden rush of intense fear and physical symptoms, often during stress or worry, sometimes out of the blue | Sudden pain or discomfort in the chest that persists |
| Chest pain | Often a sharp, continuous pain brought on by worry or a stressful situation | Pressure, tightness, squeezing or crushing; may feel like indigestion or burning |
| Where the pain spreads | Usually felt in the chest; the NHS doesn’t describe it spreading | Can spread to either arm, the neck, jaw, back or stomach |
| Sweating and nausea | Common, with trembling, dizziness, tingling fingers and a sense of dread | Common, with light-headedness, breathlessness, and sometimes pale, blue or grey skin |
| How long it lasts | Most last 5 to 20 minutes; some up to an hour. Symptoms peak and fade | Doesn’t go away and doesn’t settle with slow breathing |
| Triggers | Stress, worry, caffeine, alcohol, poor sleep, or no obvious trigger | Usually a blood clot stopping enough blood reaching the heart |
| Who’s at higher risk | Anyone; panic disorder is more common in women | Smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, overweight or obesity, a close relative who has had a heart attack |
If you’re not sure, call 999. Don’t try to work it out yourself, and never assume a first episode of chest pain is “just panic”, especially if you have any of the risk factors above. If you’ve had panic attacks before but this one feels different, stronger or longer, call 999 too. It’s always better to be checked and find it was panic than to wait at home.
Call 999 for possible heart attack signs. The NHS says to call 999 if you have:
- chest pain that feels tight or like squeezing, or that doesn’t go away
- chest pain spreading to your arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach
- chest pain with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or shortness of breath
- severe difficulty breathing: gasping, choking or not able to get words out
- pale, blue or grey lips or skin
- someone who has passed out and isn’t responding normally
Don’t drive yourself to A&E.
A racing or pounding heart on its own is very common with panic and anxiety. If yours tends to happen in bed, see heart palpitations at night, and for chest tightness that comes with worry, see anxiety chest pain. Both explain when to get checked.
Can you die from a panic attack?
No. A panic attack on its own isn’t dangerous and can’t kill you. The NHS says panic attacks are frightening but won’t cause you physical harm, and a fear of dying is one of the symptoms it lists, which is why it feels so real at the time.
The important catch is that the same symptoms, a racing heart, chest pain and breathlessness, can also be signs of a serious problem such as a heart attack. The reassurance only applies once you know it’s panic. If you’ve never been checked, or the chest pain is new, different or isn’t settling, call 999. For symptoms that keep coming back but aren’t an emergency, see a GP, who can examine you and rule out other causes.
Worrying about the next attack is common and can keep the cycle going: see anticipatory anxiety. If you’ve been checked and still can’t stop worrying that your symptoms mean something serious, our guide to health anxiety may help.
Panic attack vs anxiety attack
“Anxiety attack” isn’t a medical term, but people often use it for a build-up of worry and tension over hours. A panic attack comes on suddenly, peaks within minutes and fades. See anxiety symptoms for the full picture.
How to help someone having a panic attack
- Stay calm and stay with them.
- Speak in short, simple sentences: “You’re safe. This will pass.”
- Breathe slowly alongside them so they can match you.
- Ask what helps. Don’t crowd them.
- Call 999 if they have chest pain, collapse, or you’re not sure it’s panic.
Panic attacks at night
Some people wake suddenly with a racing heart and a feeling of dread. Use the same breathing, then get up, sit somewhere dim and calm, and go back to bed when the feelings have settled. Cutting caffeine after midday and alcohol in the evening can help. See anxiety at night and how to stop overthinking.
How to prevent panic attacks
- Practise slow breathing daily, not only during an attack. See nervous system regulation.
- Exercise regularly to burn off tension.
- Try yoga or pilates.
- Cut back on caffeine, alcohol and sugary drinks, and stop smoking. See caffeine and anxiety.
- Use a CBT-based self-help book. Your GP can recommend one.
- Sleep well. See sleep hygiene.
Many people also build a daily calming routine. See our honest guides to natural supplements for anxiety and choosing a CBD oil.
Treatment and when to see a GP
See a GP if you’ve had panic attacks, especially if they keep happening or you’re worried about having more. Treatment usually starts with CBT, which adults in England can refer themselves to through NHS Talking Therapies. Medicines such as SSRI antidepressants can also help.
Where to get help
- Emergency: call 999 if you have chest pain and aren’t sure it’s panic, or if you or someone else is in danger.
- Urgent mental health help: call NHS 111 and choose the mental health option.
- Someone to talk to: Samaritans on 116 123, free, 24 hours a day.
- Ongoing support: in England you can refer yourself to NHS Talking Therapies without seeing a GP first.
Related guides
- For more ways to steady yourself, see 10 grounding techniques.
- If panic hits in social situations, see social anxiety.
- Anxiety dizziness.
- The vagus nerve and anxiety.
- If panic leaves you feeling sick, see anxiety nausea and how to settle your stomach.
- 4-7-8 breathing, and a gentler no-hold version for panic.
- A panic attack is a sudden surge of fight or flight.
- For everyday stress spikes that aren’t full panic attacks, see how to calm down.
- For shaking that lingers between attacks, see shaky hands and anxiety.
- Why do panic attacks cause tingling? We explain overbreathing in our guide to pins and needles.
- Between attacks, a few minutes of slow breathing a day can be a useful habit. See breathwork for anxiety for the gentlest techniques to try.
- Heart palpitations: anxiety or something else?.
- Panic usually makes you light-headed rather than spinning; if the room spins, read our guide to vertigo.
FAQs
How do you stop a panic attack fast?
Stay where you are, breathe slowly with a longer out-breath, remind yourself it will pass, and focus on what you can see, hear and touch.
How long does a panic attack last?
The NHS says most last 5 to 20 minutes. Some have been reported to last up to an hour.
Can a panic attack hurt you?
Not physically. The NHS says panic attacks are frightening but not dangerous, and they won’t cause you physical harm. But the symptoms can look like a heart attack, so if you have chest pain and aren’t sure it’s panic, especially the first time, call 999.
What triggers a panic attack?
Stress, caffeine, alcohol, lack of sleep and anxious thoughts can all play a part, but panic attacks can also come on without an obvious trigger.
How do I help someone having a panic attack?
Stay calm, stay with them, use short reassuring sentences and breathe slowly with them. Call 999 if they have chest pain or collapse.
Can you die from a panic attack?
No. A panic attack on its own isn’t dangerous and can’t kill you, even though a fear of dying is a common symptom. But chest pain, a racing heart and breathlessness can also be signs of a heart attack, so if you’re not sure it’s panic, call 999.
How can I tell if it’s a panic attack or a heart attack?
You often can’t be sure at home. Heart attack pain tends to feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing, can spread to the arms, neck, jaw, back or stomach, and doesn’t go away. A panic attack usually peaks and settles within 5 to 20 minutes. If you’re unsure, call 999 and don’t drive yourself to A&E.
Are panic attacks more common in women?
Yes. The symptoms are the same, but panic disorder is roughly twice as common in women as in men in large population surveys. Perimenopause and an overactive thyroid can cause palpitations and anxiety too, so it’s worth seeing a GP if attacks are new.
Should I go to A&E for a panic attack?
Call 999 if you have chest pain, severe difficulty breathing, or you’re not sure it’s panic. If you know it’s panic and it feels like your usual attacks, slow breathing and grounding usually see it through, and you can see a GP or call NHS 111 afterwards if attacks keep happening.
Sources
- NHS. Panic disorder.
- NHS Every Mind Matters. Anxiety.
- NHS. Heart attack.
- NHS. Chest pain.
- British Heart Foundation. Are heart attack symptoms different for men and women?
- British Heart Foundation. Women and heart attack symptoms.
- NHS. Symptoms of menopause.
- NHS. Overactive thyroid: symptoms.
- NHS. Where to get urgent help for mental health.
- Samaritans. Contact Samaritans.
- Kessler RC et al (2006). The epidemiology of panic attacks, panic disorder, and agoraphobia in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Archives of General Psychiatry.
- McLean CP et al (2011). Gender differences in anxiety disorders: prevalence, course of illness, comorbidity and burden of illness. Journal of Psychiatric Research.
- Sheikh JI et al (2002). Gender differences in panic disorder: findings from the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Psychiatry.
- Balban MY et al (2023). Brief structured respiration practices enhance mood and reduce physiological arousal. Cell Reports Medicine.
This guide is general information, not medical advice.
