will anxiety cause chest pain?

One symptom that can be particularly worrisome is pain in and around the chest—a feeling some anxiety sufferers experience regularly, often during anxiety or panic attacks.

Because the chest is home to important organs like the lungs and heart, it’s understandable that feelings of discomfort in this area may frighten you. Unfortunately, this can lead to even more anxiety.

We created this guide to instead help calm your nerves.

In this article, you’ll learn why anxiety chest pain happens, what it feels like, how long it lasts, how to make it stop, and more.

You’ll also learn the difference between anxiety-related chest pain and heart attack-related chest pain, and when you should seek help from a medical professional.

Yes. Many people who experience anxiety also experience chest pain, especially during anxiety or panic attacks.

Though it can be frightening and painful, anxiety sufferers can take some comfort in knowing that there’s a reason for this uncomfortable symptom: It’s your brain and body trying to protect you from a real or perceived stressor.

Anxiety chest pain can feel different to different people. Symptoms in the chest area can be described as:

These uncomfortable feelings can come on gradually, or all at once.

It is more typical, however, for chest pain to present itself during panic or anxiety attacks that come on quickly, and for the sufferer to already feel anxious before the chest pain starts.

Anxiety is the body’s response to a real or perceived stressor, and anxiety and panic attacks can produce a number of physical symptoms in addition to mental turmoil.

When you’re anxious, your body enters what’s typically referred to as a “fight or flight” state, preparing to help you battle against (or flee from) something that could hurt you.

Your body does this in many ways, including increasing your heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure, and by triggering the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Many of these “fight or flight” responses can cause chest pain. Common causes for chest pain include:

Though it can feel alarming, anxiety chest pain is fleeting. Pain typically lasts around 10 minutes, though other anxiety or panic attack symptoms (like dizziness, shortness of breath, or nausea) may last longer.

If your symptoms continue, are getting worse, or are just concerning, call your doctor, visit an urgent care center, or be evaluated through a telehealth appointment as soon as possible.

Some panic or anxiety attack sufferers may also feel soreness in the chest area for a few hours after the attack, due to the intense muscle contractions in the wall of the chest that took place during the attack.

In order to stop anxiety chest pain, you have to go straight to the source: your anxiety.

Luckily, there are simple techniques you can use and lifestyle changes you can implement to help manage your anxiety or panic, many of which are free and easy to do.

Breathing deeply from your diaphragm is an effective way to reduce anxiety by slowing the heart and breathing rate, and can even stop a panic or anxiety attack in its tracks.

Though you can find many different types of breathing exercises online, a simple but effective exercise is as follows: Put one hand on your belly, and your other hand on your chest.

Take a slow, deep breath through your nose and allow your belly to push out the hand on your belly. The hand on your chest should not move. Exhale your breath through pursed lips and allow the hand on your belly to move inwards again, pushing all the air out. Repeat this 10 times.

Meditation and other relaxation exercises (like journaling, counting, and visualizing) can be effective tools in calming the brain and slowing anxious thoughts.

Meditation is a practice that has been used for thousands of years, and even a few minutes can help wipe away stress and restore inner peace. Many web sites (including YouTube) offer free guided meditations, and no equipment is needed.

Getting up and getting active is one of the best ways to help reduce your anxiety—and regular exercise is a great way to keep generalized anxiety in check.

Not only can it act as a welcome distraction from racing thoughts, but exercise can also decrease muscle tension and increase serotonin and other anti-anxiety neurochemicals.

While smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol and caffeine can feel like they’re helping quell your anxiety, studies show that all three can actually make it worse.

If you don’t want to quit any of them completely, take note of which you have consumed before you feel anxious to try to pinpoint which may be negatively impacting you, and limit your intake accordingly.

While sleep may be the last thing on your mind in the middle of an anxiety or panic attack, getting enough sleep is important for keeping your anxiety in check.

Sleep deficiency has been linked to anxiety, depression, and other forms of illness. Adults should aim for seven to nine hours a night for healthy functioning and wellness.

Anxiety chest pain is so alarming because we associate chest pain with heart attacks. And it’s fair to feel concerned—about 735,000 people in the U.S. have heart attacks each year, and chest pain is one of the common symptoms.

But studies show that 80% of people who go to the emergency room with chest pain are not having a heart attack, and 58% of that group suffer from moderate to severe anxiety.

Though pain related to a heart attack and anxiety chest pain can feel similar, there are several differences between the two that can help you determine which you may be experiencing.

For example, while anxiety chest pain can feel different from person to person, it tends to limit itself to just the chest.

Most people experiencing heart attack chest pain, on the other hand, explain it as a squeezing, heavy, and/or aching pain that radiates outwards from the chest to the arms, shoulders, and jaw (also known as angina).

There are also differences when it comes to when the pain starts, and how long it lasts.

Anxiety chest pain tends to start when the body is at rest, and, as previously mentioned, lasts for approximately 10 minutes (this can vary, though).

Conversely, heart attack chest pain typically starts slowly when the body is active, and the pain gradually increases in intensity. Chest pain during a heart attack also tends to get worse with exertion and lasts longer than pain related to anxiety.

Interestingly, 30% of people experiencing a heart attack do not report chest pain. Other heart attack symptoms may include nausea, shortness of breath, increased heart rate, back pain, and exhaustion.

If you think you are experiencing a heart attack, seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Even if you suffer from anxiety, chest pain shouldn’t be ignored.

If you are experiencing persistent chest pain, seek medical advice to pinpoint the cause and rule out a heart problem, like coronary artery disease.

It may just be anxiety-related chest pain, but it’s always better to be sure. Both anxiety-related chest pain and heart conditions are treatable with the proper healthcare.

If anxiety and its symptoms are impacting your quality of life, a therapist and/or doctor can suggest therapy (like cognitive behavioral therapy) or prescribe medication to help get your anxiety under control.

This medical care can be life-changing by helping get symptoms—including chest pain—to subside.

Stress and anxiety are among the most under-reported and under-treated diseases in America. Nearly 20% of adults in the US suffer from mental health illness and fewer than half receive treatment. Our mission is to increase access to treatment for those suffering in silence.

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Chest pain is one of the most common symptoms associated with anxiety/panic attacks. Chest pain due to anxiety could be cardiac or non-cardiac in origin. However, various therapies and medications have proved beneficial in minimizing anxiety-induced chest pain.

Panic disorder is a common mental condition affecting 1 – 4 per 100 people. Repeated episodes of anxiety coupled with continuous worry or behavioral changes may lead to symptoms like chest pain. Chest pain is present in between about 20% to 70% of panic attacks.

About 18% - 25% of patients in emergency hospital units who have chest pain have panic disorder.  The chest pain due to anxiety means that such patients unnecessarily undergo cardiac tests; however, the true cause still remains undiagnosed in many instances.

Various factors contribute to chest pain caused by panic attacks, classified into cardiac or non-cardiac causes. Chest pain is due to cardiac origin, which means the blood supply to the heart is reduced, which is referred to as coronary spasm or ischemia. However, chest pain that is non-cardiac in origin may originate from musculoskeletal systems, the esophagus or other organs that are unrelated to the heart.

Some reasons for chest pain due to anxiety include:

Non-cardiac reasons – the pain may originate in the musculoskeletal system or esophagus. It may also be due to hyperventilation (episodes of rapid or fast breathing), which may cause the muscles of the intercostal chest wall to tense or go into spasm. Anxiety may also lead to esophageal dysmotility which can cause esophageal spasms, which is one of the reasons for chest pain.

Cardiac reasons – Cardiac pain due to anxiety can also be due to the direct action of anxiety-linked mechanisms on the heart. The pain may be due to autonomic stimulation along with the impact of episodes of  hyperventilation. The combination of these factors may result in the contraction of the muscular wall of the coronary arteries that supply heart muscle (coronary artery spasm).

Coronary artery spasm can lead to reduced blood supply to the heart, thereby causing an oxygen deficit to the cardiac muscle. This results in cardiac chest pain. In addition to these factors, anxiety can aggravate chest pain in individuals with a past history of heart disease, primarily due to the increased need for myocardial oxygen because of a faster heartbeat and increased blood pressure.

Small-vessel ischemia - Anxiety may also result in contraction of the small vessels of the heart, due to sympathetic overactivity. Panic attacks and the associated stress or hyperventilation episodes may lead to a spike in microvascular tone and chest pain.

It is also important to note that panic disorder may occur in association with actual ischemia of the heart muscle because of the way the heart and respiratory system change their functioning during these attacks. This is mediated by increased sympathetic stimulation. The ischemia in turn causes pain and further anxiety. This sets in motion a vicious cycle.

It is difficult to differentiate between the two forms of chest pain. However, some of the following symptoms may help to distinguish these forms:

Chest pain due to anxiety is a treatable condition. However, it is imperative to seek professional help if one has chest pain. A correct diagnosis is essential to identify the exact cause of chest pain. The physician will identify the cause of chest pain based on history and various physical examinations.

Pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic therapies may be used to treat chest pain due to anxiety.

Selective serotonin receptor inhibitors (SSRIs) and benzodiazepines are two classes of drugs used to treat panic attacks. These drugs are highly effective and are used for frequently occurring panic attacks. However, benzodiazepines are usually avoided in patients who are alcohol or drug abusers.

Various psychotherapy techniques like talking therapies, and especially cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), have proved beneficial in treating chest pain due to anxiety. Once a correct diagnosis is made, the following lifestyle modifications and home remedies may be used to treat chest pain:

Deep breathing can have a calming effect on body and mind. This technique can normalize the heart rate. First inhale the air for 10 seconds, hold it back for one second and then again exhale for 10 seconds, to bring down chest pain.

Mind-calming techniques - Some simple steps like diverting the attention towards pleasant things or places can relieve the anxiety. It may lead to a slow feeling of relief from the symptoms of panic disorder like chest pain. The patient should realize that chest pain due to anxiety is not life-threatening; being optimistic and relaxed can help in relieving chest pain.

Maintaining general health - Performing regular exercise, managing stress with proper techniques and coping strategies, getting enough sleep and eating a well-balanced diet may also prevent the recurrence of panic attack symptoms like chest pain. Cutting out caffeine, smoking and alcohol are also important as these may aggravate anxiety.

When you're anxious, your brain sends a surge of adrenaline and cortisol through your body. These hormones immediately trigger a rapid rise in your heart rate and blood pressure. As a result, many people experience chest pain and sweating, or have a hard time breathing.

Chest pain is a frightening experience that sends many people to the emergency room. Nearly half of them learn they don’t have a heart problem. Of those, 30-40% discover that anxiety was the culprit.

In short, anxiety and chest pain share a close relationship, but that doesn’t mean you can assume anxiety is to blame. You can’t risk delaying medical attention when there’s a chance you have a heart condition or you’re having a heart attack.

If you suspect you’re having a heart attack, call 911. Otherwise, Laura Fernandes, MD, FACC, at Woodlands Heart and Vascular Institute can run diagnostics in the office to rapidly determine if you have cardiovascular disease.

Learn how anxiety causes chest pain and if it’s possible to tell the difference between anxiety and heart-related symptoms.

Anxiety is your body’s natural reaction to a threat, whether the threat is immediate or in the future. Any time you feel anxious, your brain automatically sends out hormones that activate the fight-or-flight response.

Whether you’re stuck in traffic, worried about a job interview, or face a threatening situation, your brain’s natural reaction energizes your body so you can deal with the threat or quickly react and escape the situation.

When you’re anxious, your brain sends a surge of adrenaline and cortisol through your body. These hormones immediately trigger a rapid rise in your heart rate and blood pressure. As a result, many people experience chest pain and sweating, or have a hard time breathing.

The sudden boost of adrenaline can narrow the arteries in your heart and attach to cells inside the heart. This condition, called stress cardiomyopathy, mimics a heart attack, from symptoms all the way down to changes in your heart’s electrical activity.

Though stress cardiomyopathy usually heals within a few days or weeks, it may lead to weak heart muscles, congestive heart failure, and abnormal heart rhythms.

Levels of adrenaline and cortisol don’t return to normal in people with anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Chronically high hormone levels may trigger a panic attack (causing symptoms that feel like a heart attack) and increase your risk of cardiovascular disease.

It’s hard, if not impossible, to tell the difference between anxiety-induced chest pain and the pain caused by an underlying heart condition. In addition to your chest pain, both can cause:

Everyone experiences slightly different symptoms, whether they have anxiety or a heart problem. For this reason, the following two qualities aren’t written in stone. However, they’re generally true and may help you determine the cause of your chest pain:

Although heart attack occurs in 805,000 people in the U.S. every year, only 2–4% of individuals with chest pain who come in to see a doctor receive a heart problem diagnosis.

Nevertheless, having chest pain can be alarming, as it is still likely it could be due to a heart attack.

It is important to know that while there are similarities between anxiety chest pain and pain due to a heart attack, there are also some significant differences.

A heart attack has a different cause. It occurs due to a blockage in a person’s coronary artery. Also, chest pain from an anxiety or panic attack most often develops when an individual is at rest. By contrast, heart attack pain most often develops when a person is active.

Pain from a heart attack also frequently travels from the chest to other parts of the body, such as the jaw, shoulders, and arms. In contrast, chest pain stemming from anxiety remains in the chest.

Furthermore, anxiety chest pain may feel sharper than the pain caused by a heart attack, which people often describe as a squeezing, heavy pressure.

There is also a difference in whom panic attacks and heart attacks affect. While panic disorders are more common in women, heart attacks are more common in men.

Learn how to tell the difference between a panic attack and a heart attack here.

• Practice deep breathing. Focused, deep breaths can calm both your mind and your body.
• Take stock of the situation. Accept your feelings of anxiety, recognize them, and then work through putting them in perspective.
• Picture a beautiful scene.
• Use a relaxation app.
• Be proactive about your physical health.