Anxiety attacks, also known as panic attacks, are episodes of sudden and intense fear, anxiety, and discomfort that reach a peak within minutes. The exact duration of anxiety attacks can vary significantly between individuals. However, most anxiety attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes on average.
What is an anxiety attack?
Anxiety attacks are characterized by an abrupt onset of intense physical and psychological symptoms that typically reach their peak within 10 minutes. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, dizziness, trembling, sweating, hot flashes or chills, tingling sensations, fear of dying, and feelings of detachment or unreality.
While anxiety attacks are often frightening, they are not dangerous or life-threatening. However, symptoms can sometimes be mistaken for those of a heart attack or other medical emergency. If you are unsure, it is best to seek medical evaluation to rule out any underlying conditions.
Typical duration of an anxiety attack
Most anxiety attacks last between 5 and 20 minutes. However, duration can vary considerably:
- Mild attacks may only last a few minutes
- Moderate attacks tend to last 10 to 15 minutes
- Severe attacks can last 20 minutes or longer
- Some attacks may feel like they last hours, even though the peak intensity is shorter
Factors like your personal anxiety triggers, overall stress levels, and coping abilities can influence attack length. With effective management strategies, it is possible to shorten anxiety attack duration.
Phases of an anxiety attack
Anxiety attacks tend to unfold in several phases:
- Rumination phase: Anxiety begins to build. You may feel tense, on edge, restless or dread. This phase can last hours or days if anxiety builds gradually.
- Acute phase: Anxiety rapidly escalates over 5 to 10 minutes. Panic symptoms like racing heart and shortness of breath peak at the heights of this phase.
- Peak phase: Anxiety symptoms crescendo. Feelings of unreality and fears of losing control or impending doom reach their climax. This phase usually lasts less than 10 minutes.
- De-escalation phase: Anxiety levels begin dropping over several minutes as symptoms gradually subside.
- Recovery phase: The body returns to a calm, relaxed state. Residual effects like fatigue, muscle tension or concentration difficulties may persist temporarily.
The entire attack may last 20 minutes or longer. However, the peak intensity is typically the shortest phase, lasting only 5 to 10 minutes in many cases.
Attack duration can vary
While anxiety attacks usually end within 20 minutes, wide variability exists. Attack length depends on factors like:
- Intensity of the attack
- Triggers and stressors involved
- How fearful the attack makes you feel
- Activities being performed during the attack
- Use of coping strategies
- Presence of outside support
Someone having a mild attack while resting at home may only experience 5 minutes of symptoms. But someone having a severe attack triggered by a phobia may endure over 30 minutes of distress. Seeking care or using grounding techniques can help shorten episode duration.
Duration of untreated anxiety attacks
Without treatment, anxiety attack duration often increases over time. Someone newly experiencing panic may initially only have brief, mild attacks lasting 5 minutes. But untreated attacks often worsen, with peaks lasting 20 minutes or more. Treating the underlying cause of anxiety allows attack duration to be better controlled.
Short-term duration changes
Anxiety attack length may spike temporarily during periods of high stress. Events like:
- Losing a job
- Death of a loved one
- Public speaking
- Moving
Can all cause attack duration to increase for days or weeks. But this typically improves once the stressor passes.
Long-term duration changes
Without proper management, attack length often increases over months and years. Untreated anxiety tends to worsen over time. Panic attacks may start out brief and become longer and more severe. Over the long-term, attack duration can increase with factors like:
- Avoiding anxiety triggers, which reinforces fear
- Development of additional anxiety disorders
- Increasing life responsibilities
- General worsening of anxiety symptoms
Seeking help through counseling, medications, or self-help strategies can prevent attack worsening.
Does attack duration decrease with treatment?
Yes, anxiety attack duration often improves significantly with effective treatment such as therapy, medications, or self-help strategies. Possible benefits include:
- Shortened peak phase duration
- Reduced time spent ruminating
- Faster recovery between attacks
- Better ability to manage fears during an attack
Treatment also helps reduce attack frequency and severity. With certain therapies, panic attacks may stop completely. Many people see attack duration drop to less than 5 minutes with adequate treatment.
Treatment benefits by phase
| Phase | Improvements |
|---|---|
| Rumination phase | Less time agonizing before attacks |
| Acute phase | Faster peaking of symptoms |
| Peak phase | Shorter duration at max intensity |
| De-escalation phase | Faster drop in symptoms |
| Recovery phase | Less fatigue and faster return to normal |
As anxiety improves through treatment, attack duration shortens and becomes less disabling.
Tips to shorten anxiety attack duration
You can help curtail anxiety attack length using self-help techniques like:
Deep breathing
Deep, rhythmic breathing helps lower heart rate and blood pressure while bringing in more oxygen. This provides immediate symptom relief.
Progressive muscle relaxation
Tensing and relaxing muscle groups interrupts your anxiety response. This causes attack intensity to dissipate more quickly.
Meditation
Quieting your mind helps relieve feelings of panic. Focusing inward on the present moment reduces fearful thoughts.
Grounding
Grounding techniques like describing your surroundings in detail or counting backwards help anchor you and prevent detachment.
Exercise
Light exercise like walking helps burn off adrenaline and anxious energy, speeding up recovery.
Distraction
Engaging fully in an activity you enjoy makes your attack feel shorter by refocusing your mind.
Self-talk
Challenging negative thoughts with positive self-talk prevents them from prolonging your attack.
When to seek emergency care
Most anxiety attacks are not medical emergencies. However, seek immediate assistance if:
- Chest pain, pressure, or tightness does not improve after 5 minutes
- You are at high risk for heart problems
- You have difficulty breathing
- You suddenly lose vision, speech, or balance
- You have thoughts of harming yourself
These could potentially indicate a medical issue requiring emergency evaluation.
Seeking professional treatment
Consider pursuing professional help if your anxiety attacks:
- Occur frequently
- Limit your daily activities
- Cause significant distress
- Worsen over time
A doctor can check for underlying medical conditions and refer you to mental health providers for therapies than can help shorten attack duration.
Medical care
A primary care provider or psychiatrist may prescribe anti-anxiety medication or beta-blockers to help control panic symptoms.
Psychotherapy
Seeing a therapist can help you get to the root of your anxiety. Cognitive behavioral therapy is often very effective for panic disorder.
Holistic approaches
Relaxation techniques, exercise, yoga, meditation, and improving sleep and diet can help reduce anxiety.
When to expect improvement
With proper treatment, most people see noticeable improvement in their anxiety attack severity and duration within 6 to 8 weeks. However, ongoing therapy is often needed to manage anxiety long-term. Some tips for getting anxiety relief include:
- Taking medications consistently, for at least 4-6 weeks to allow them to build up in your system
- Attending regular therapy appointments, like once per week
- Practicing relaxation and grounding techniques daily
- Avoiding alcohol, drugs, and caffeine
- Getting regular exercise and enough sleep
While anxiety attacks can be scary in the moment, most are time-limited. By using effective coping strategies and seeking help when needed, you can reduce the duration and impact of attacks over time.
Conclusion
In summary, anxiety attacks typically peak in 10 minutes or less but can last anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour in some cases. Untreated attacks tend to increase in duration and intensity. However, various therapies and self-help skills can shorten episode length and speed up recovery between episodes. Seeking professional help is recommended if anxiety attacks are frequent, long-lasting, or interfering with your quality of life. With consistent treatment, most people find their anxiety improves within 2 months, allowing them to regain control.