Chest pain can be a scary thing. Even the most rational thinking person can get pains in their chest and fear that they are having a heart attack. Chest pains, however, are also one of the most common symptoms of a panic or anxiety attack. Chest pain can also be associated with stress.
When chest pain is stress-related, it is generally not a sign of heart disease. As a matter of fact, it is usually not associated with the heart at all, as difficult as that might be to believe. For one thing, when chest pain is caused by stress, the pain tends to be located in the center of your chest. Your heart, of course, is not situated in the center of your chest.
So what causes the chest pain?
Well, the part of the spinal cord that gets pain signals is near the same area that gets signals for chest pain. One area can more or less bleed into another area, making you feel as though you are having heart pain. In actuality, it is just chest pain and not your heart.
When the body is stressed, it turns on a defense mechanism in order to fight the stress. Sometimes, the body thinks it is in actual danger when it’s not. At any rate, it’s ready to fight! When this occurs, you might notice other physical symptoms such as breathing quickly, your muscles tightening, your adrenalin kicks in, and your pupils dilating. With all of this going on inside of you, your chest can actually tighten. This, in turn, can cause the chest pain.
Oddly enough, once the chest tightens and the pain is caused, it can lead to further stress on your body. You might begin to panic at the tightening of your chest, which can actually intensify the pain.
People who experience anxiety associated with their stress are more likely to experience chest pain. Anxiety can stem from stressful situations such as trouble at work, frictions within personal and professional relationships, and big life changes like a new baby or a move. Anxiety is generally caused by fear and many people who suffer from anxiety go on to have anxiety attacks or panic attacks.
Stress is not always a bad thing. As a matter of fact, some stress is good. Stress can produce adrenalin and make us motivated. Our bodies occasionally need the stimulation that stress can provide. However, if you are experiencing chest pain with stress on a regular basis, it doesn’t hurt to check with your physician to make sure that everything is okay.