Panic attacks and fainting usually go hand in hand.
Well, not all patients necessarily faint during an attack, but most of them do.
Even though fainting by itself is not really dangerous, it can impose real harm when you bump your head against a hard object.
I need not elaborate on what can happen to you once this happens, but let's just say that can lead to death or permanent brain damage.
So, how can panic attacks cause fainting? Many of the normal functions of our body systems are disrupted during a panic attack, but our respiratory system is the one mostly affected by it.
The problem begins when you hyperventilate and the exchange of gases becomes erratic.
Remember that the slightest increase or decrease in your breathing pattern can highly affect your body's homeostasis.
So, what exactly happens inside the body when you hyperventilate? It begins when your brain signals the body that you it is under "attack" and it has to prepare for battle.
In order to do that, your body will do whatever it takes to get as much oxygen as possible.
Thus, you hyperventilate with the effort to do just that.
The problem occurs when your breathing becomes faster, yet shallower.
Because of that, instead of taking in a lot of oxygen, you do otherwise.
As a result, the oxygen levels in your brain decreases and that that leads to fainting.
This could have not been dangerous if only there was an assurance that after you lose your consciousness you'll rest you head on a soft pillow; but no, the possibility of your head landing on a pavement is imminent.
What can we do then to then to break the chains between panic attacks and fainting? The answer to that is very simple; since fainting is caused by erratic or irregular breathing, the only way to stop it is to breathe properly.
The concept is indeed easy, but putting it in to action could be a little tricky.
Sometimes, no matter how hard we concentrate; our bodies fail to do what we want them to perform.
This is the exact same reason why learning how to meditate is very important if you have this disorder.
The origins of the art of meditation could be traced from centuries ago when the world's technological resources are still very limited.
Furthermore, meditating will allow you to focus even amidst ultra stressful events and this amount of focus is necessary for you to concentrate on breathing properly during an attack.
The single most reliable breathing during an attack is what we call the pursed lip breathing.
You do this by breathing deeply through your nostrils and exhaling very slowly through your pursed lip.
The concept that drives this breathing pattern is that you should take in as much oxygen as you could, and release carbon dioxide gradually.
Now you know that fainting and your attacks do not necessarily do hand in hand.
Bear in mind the two most important things to avoid this: focus and proper breathing.
Those two are all it takes for you to stay vertical during an attack.