Chest pain can stem from both physical issues (heart, lungs, digestion, muscles) and mental health conditions (anxiety, panic attacks, depression), often feeling similar, so it's crucial to get immediate medical attention (call emergency services) to rule out life-threatening heart problems like heart attacks, as they share symptoms with anxiety-induced chest pain, but anxiety pain tends to be localized and shorter, while heart pain often radiates and worsens gradually.
Chest pain from a heart attack starts slowly and gradually gets worse, while an anxiety attack causes sudden chest pain that slowly improves. Many people find that anxiety-related chest pain goes away in about 10 minutes. However, other anxiety-related symptoms can last up to an hour after the pain improves.
If you have chest pain that's new and severe, or associated with other symptoms like shortness of breath or nausea, these are reasons that you should go to the emergency department. Classically, heart pain is in the center or left side of the chest, and it may radiate down the left arm or into the jaw.
Constant chest tightness from anxiety can also stem from hyperventilation, where rapid and shallow breathing reduces oxygen levels in the blood, causing chest discomfort. Over time, this can become a habitual response to stress, leading to daily episodes of chest pain.
Mental health conditions like depression, anxiety, and chronic stress can have a significant impact on physical health, leading to symptoms like chest pain, high blood pressure, and even heart disease.
Somatization is the name used when emotional distress is expressed by physical symptoms. Everyone experiences somatization at times. Examples can include your heart beating fast or butterflies in your stomach when you feel nervous, or muscles becoming tense and sore when you feel angry or under stress.
Broken heart syndrome is a condition with symptoms that may feel like a heart attack, such as chest pain and shortness of breath. It can happen after you go through a very stressful physical or emotional event, such as a stroke or the death of someone you love. Your doctor may call this stress-induced cardiomyopathy.
“When stress hormones are elevated, your blood pressure may rise and you may feel heart palpitations, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or even chest pain. In extreme cases, stress can also cause the heart to temporarily weaken, a condition called stress-induced cardiomyopathy.”
By taking proactive steps, you can not only prevent chest pain but also improve your overall health and well-being.
Sometimes chest pain is just chest pain. Sometimes it's only a muscle strain, heartburn or bronchitis. More often than not there are benign reasons, but you should be evaluated by a healthcare professional if you're worried. Chest pain can signal a serious condition, heart-related or otherwise.
In this article we'll discuss common presentations of ACS and then review the five other acute deadly causes of chest pain: aortic dissection, pericarditis with tamponade, esophageal perforation, pulmonary embolus and tension pneumothorax.
Phone 999 immediately if: You or someone else has symptoms like: central chest pain or discomfort in the chest that doesn't go away – it may feel like pressure, tightness or squeezing. pain that radiates down the left arm, or both arms, or to the neck, jaw, back or stomach.
You may experience chest pains, heart palpitations and other physical sensations and misinterpret them as being signs of heart disease, when in reality, they're symptoms of anxiety.
Symptoms of psychogenic pain can be inconsistent or unpredictable in nature. Pain may come and go, change in intensity or location, or not follow a specific pattern. Other types of pain may have a more consistent presentation. This often aligns with the underlying condition or injury.
The difference is that, when extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers are the cause of abnormal rhythm, symptoms may feel like an initial skip or hard thumping beat followed by a racing heart. When anxiety is the trigger, heart rate typically increases steadily rather than suddenly.
The anxiety chest pain location often feels like it's coming from the center or left side of the chest. Some people experience tightness or pressure in the chest, which is described as heavy and can create a feeling of suffocation. This sensation is accompanied by a sense of anxiousness or worry about personal health.
Feeling nervous, restless or tense. Having a sense of impending danger, panic or doom. Having an increased heart rate. Breathing rapidly (hyperventilation).
A panic or anxiety attack can cause physical symptoms such as a rapid heartbeat, sweating, shaking, dizziness, and trouble breathing. If you have them often, talk to your doctor about whether therapy or medication could help you. You can also learn to calm yourself with breathing and relaxation techniques.
The #1 worst habit for anxiety isn't singular, but avoidance (procrastination), poor sleep, and negative thought patterns (like catastrophizing) are top contenders, creating vicious cycles where anxiety fuels these behaviors, and the behaviors, in turn, worsen anxiety by preventing healthy coping and creating more stress. Other significant habits include excessive caffeine, poor diet, too much screen time, and social withdrawal, all disrupting the body's ability to manage stress effectively.
Teas for stress and anxiety relief
The idea is simple: set a timer for five minutes and commit to a task you've been avoiding. When the timer ends, you can stop—guilt-free. Ironically, once you start, you often find the momentum to continue. This technique reduces overwhelm and helps people shift from “I can't” to “I can at least start.”
How to deal with emotional pain: 8 ways to support yourself
Anxiety-induced chest pain can last anywhere from a few minutes to several hours and is often accompanied by rapid breathing, heart palpitations, and a sense of losing control.