Key Points
- Anxiety can cause real chest pain — through the fight-or-flight response, stress hormones, muscle tension, hyperventilation, and palpitations — but symptoms can mimic a heart attack.
- Always rule out cardiac causes first: persistent, exertion-worsened, radiating, or progressively worsening chest pain (or associated shortness of breath, fainting, cold sweat, nausea) requires immediate medical attention.
- Anxiety-related chest pain often improves with relaxation (deep/diaphragmatic breathing, grounding) and is usually shorter-lived than true cardiac events, though presentation varies by person.
- Severe or uncontrolled anxiety (extreme panic, suicidal thoughts, major functional decline, psychosis) warrants acute psychiatric care for medical stabilization, medication management, and evidence-based therapies.
- Aftercare matters: coordinated follow-up (mental health and medical providers), medication management if needed, coping skills, lifestyle changes, and family support reduce recurrence and improve recovery.
Understanding Anxiety and Chest Pain
What Is Anxiety?
Anxiety is the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorder.
It is defined as “apprehension, tension, or uneasiness that stems from the anticipation of danger, which may be internal or external.” Stress and anxiety affect stress hormones (cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. These stress hormones are linked to your freeze, fight-or-flight response.
Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?
Yes, anxiety can cause chest pains.
Anxiety-induced chest pain can occur during a panic attack or anxiety attack. The body’s stress response triggers the fight-or-flight response, which is activated by hormones such as adrenaline. These hormones increase muscle tension and can lead to an increased heart rate. This can be the cause of your chest pain. However, because anxiety-induced chest pain symptoms are similar to heart attack symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention and help from a healthcare provider.
If you don’t have a history of heart disease or heart problems, and you frequently have symptoms of anxiety, finding a mental health provider can help you learn how to cope with your symptoms.
How Common Is Chest Pain With Anxiety?
Experiencing chest pain when you have an anxiety disorder, such as generalized anxiety disorder, is common.
A panic disorder can trigger several bodily responses, such as hyperventilation, muscle tension, and fight-or-flight. The release of the hormones can lead to chest discomfort. An individual can also experience lightheadedness and heart palpitations.
Can Intense Psychotic Symptoms Related to Anxiety Cause Chest Pain?
No, the symptoms associated with intense psychotic episodes are not a direct cause of chest pain.
However, severe anxiety can develop physical symptoms such as chest pain because of your body’s response to stress. Additionally, if you experience psychosis-linked symptoms such as hallucinations or delusions, you need to find and enter an acute psychiatric inpatient health facility, like Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility.
At Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility, you will undergo a comprehensive psychiatric and health assessment. Once it is completed, our multidisciplinary team provides the care you require to stabilize your symptoms of anxiety. Our mental health and recreational therapists use evidence-based psychoeducational and recreation therapies to help you understand and learn healthy coping strategies.
Additionally, once you are under our medical team’s care, you will receive medication stabilization and monitoring. Throughout your stay with us, you will feel safe and cared for.
Recognizing Anxiety-Induced Chest Pain
What Does Anxiety-Related Chest Pain Feel Like?
The symptoms of anxiety-related chest pain can differ from one person to another.
Anxiety-related chest pains can develop slowly, feel like a dull ache, for some, while for others, the pain can be intense, sudden, and unexplained.
For many, the symptoms felt like one or more of the symptoms listed:
- Sharp, shooting pain
- Tension or tightness in the chest area
- Stabbing sensations
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid heartbeat
- Increased blood pressure
While these symptoms can be caused by anxiety, if you are experiencing any of these life-threatening symptoms, you should call 911. A healthcare provider can provide emergency services to stabilize your cardiac chest pain if it’s not anxiety-related. Furthermore, a medical professional can determine what treatment you may need to address your physical and mental health needs.
Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain That Lasts for Days?
No, while anxiety can last for several minutes or hours, it isn’t common for it to last for days.
Chest pain that lasts for days can be one of several warning signs that you may have a heart issue. If you have ongoing heart or chest pain, you must seek immediate medical advice from a healthcare professional.
Can Anxiety Cause Chest Pain and Jaw Pain?
Jaw and chest pain can be caused by anxiety.
The physical symptoms of anxiety and stress, including chest and jaw pain, occur because the body responds to anxiety with, among many reactions, muscle tension. This tension can trigger sharp, stabbing chest pain and discomfort, as well as jaw tension. Additionally, you may experience shortness of breath, heart palpitations, and dizziness.
Can Anxiety Cause Chest and Throat Pain?
Yes, anxious thoughts and behaviors linked to anxiety can lead to throat and chest pain.
Throat pain symptoms can feel like your throat is tight or there is a lump in your throat. These feelings, along with chest pain, are caused by the body’s physical and chemical response to anxiety.
Distinguishing Anxiety From Cardiac Causes
How Does Anxiety Chest Pain Differ From a Heart Attack?
While heart attack symptoms and anxiety chest pain symptoms are similar, the length and increase in intensity of the symptoms are what set them apart from each other.
Anxiety-related chest pains can last from several minutes to hours and can be decreased or stopped with the use of relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or mindfulness. Heart attack symptoms often last longer and can worsen over time; these symptoms are signs you should call 911 and seek immediate medical care.
Examples of symptoms that occur during a heart attack are:
- Chest pain that increases with exertion
- Nausea and chest pain
- Feeling like there’s something heavy on your chest
- Pain that radiates from your chest to other parts of your body (down the arm, the jaw)
- Squeezing of the heart
- Shortness of breath
- Rapid heart rate (palpitations)
Some people report they didn’t have chest pains during their heart attack. Instead, they said they reported the following symptoms:
- Back pain
- Fatigue
What Role Do Risk Factors Play in Evaluation?
Recognizing risk factors is vital in assessing and determining the cause of chest pain because they can be a determining factor in the chances of a heart attack.
The more risk factors you have, the more likely it is that your symptoms are related to a heart attack instead of anxiety-related.
A few examples of these risk factors are:
- History of heart disease
- Age
- Lifestyle behaviors and routines
What Tests Help Rule Out a Heart Attack?
A medical professional who suspects an individual has had a heart attack will use blood tests and an electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) to determine if one occurred.
These tests can determine if an individual has had a heart attack or is having one. For example, blood tests can detect if specific proteins released into the blood during a heart attack have increased.
What Symptoms Require Emergency Room Care?
The warning symptoms of a heart attack include:
- Chest discomfort or pain
- Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath)
- Pain that radiates to the jaw, shoulders, neck, back, or arms
- Cold sweat
- Nausea or vomiting
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
Additional symptoms are:
- Heartburn or indigestion
- Anxiety
- Fatigue (common in women)
- Feeling weak or faint
If you or a loved one experiences crushing chest pain, sudden shortness of breath, fainting, or severe bleeding, call 911. Treating a heart attack quickly can increase the chances of survival while also reducing heart damage.
When to Seek Acute Psychiatric Care
What Symptoms Suggest the Need for Acute Psychiatric Care?
Severe and life-threatening symptoms caused by anxiety require acute psychiatric care. A few of these symptoms include:
- Significant interference with daily functioning
- Suicidal thoughts or behaviors
- Extreme panic attacks
You or a loved one may need acute mental health care if the symptoms of anxiety create these issues:
- Severe depression
- Substance abuse
- A co-occurring mental health condition
You will qualify for inpatient acute psychiatric care if you are a threat to yourself or others, are contemplating or attempting suicide, or have unmanageable anxiety attacks. Ocean View Psychiatric Health Facility’s inpatient psychiatric care includes medical stabilization, 24/7 monitoring, and psychoeducational sessions that focus on symptom stabilization.
How Does Acute Psychiatric Care Stabilize Anxiety Symptoms?
Acute crisis stabilization is an intensive, short-term treatment that focuses on immediate interventions that include support and safety.
Individuals will receive treatment once they have undergone a comprehensive assessment, medication stabilization and management, and evidence-based therapies such as recreational therapy. At Ocean View, we understand the need to take safety precautions that give you a safe place to focus on your mental health needs. That’s why we offer continuous medical monitoring during your acute psychiatric treatment.
Ocean View’s multidisciplinary team provides safe, empathetic care to guide you or a loved one during inpatient treatment. Once you or a loved one has achieved symptom stabilization, the next step is to ensure a smooth transition to the next appropriate level of care.
What Medications Are Used for Short-Term Symptom Control?
A doctor may prescribe a benzodiazepine to help with short-term anxiety symptoms.
Benzodiazepines often provide relief from the symptoms of anxiety or panic disorder. Some examples are Xanax or Valium. At Ocean View, our doctor may prescribe one of these medications to help you or a loved one stabilize and manage the symptoms of an acute anxiety episode.
How Can Acute Psychiatric Care Help Reduce Chest Pain Symptoms Related to Anxiety?
Acute psychiatric care helps calm the autonomic response by using medication stabilization to relieve symptoms. This reduces panic intensity and helps break the panic cycle.
It also links patients to follow-up treatments and, if needed, cardiology to reduce recurrence.
Aftercare & Stabilization
What Are Common Goals at Discharge From Acute Care?
Inpatient, acute care has several goals once an individual is ready to be discharged, including:
- Continuity of care
- Reduction in symptoms
- Safety
During treatment, a plan is developed that identifies and works towards specific goals such as symptom reduction, communication, and symptom maintenance.
Some effective ways to continue with care outside of inpatient treatment include:
- Follow-up appointments
- Support systems or groups
- Medication plan
- Coping strategies
Additionally, key elements to discharge include creating a safety plan, disposition planning, and establishing coping skills to deter suicidal thoughts or attempts. While all of this can seem overwhelming, you will review work with your mental health care team to build a partnership with outside mental health providers, and with your loved ones to reduce or anticipate post-treatment risks.
How Should an Individual Follow Up With Healthcare Professionals?
Your treatment plan and mental health care team will develop a plan for you to follow up with a healthcare professional once you complete short-term acute psychiatric care.
Often, during your stay, you will work with your mental health provider to create a plan that will ensure a smooth transition from acute psychiatric care to life outside of inpatient care. A part of the plan will include community referrals and a transition-of-care plan between Ocean View’s mental health team and your psychiatric care provider.
A strong, supportive transition plan can reduce anxious thought patterns and foster a sense of confidence and stability as you approach the completion of inpatient care.
Will Medication Be Necessary Following Stabilization?
For some, medication may be needed once their acute psychiatric symptoms are stabilized.
Medication can help you manage ongoing symptoms and support your clinical improvement. During the medicine and psychiatric stabilization process, continued medication management can ensure symptom stabilization and support psychoeducational and other therapies.
How Can Family Members Support Recovery?
Supporting your loved one once that transition from acute psychiatric treatment can be challenging and rewarding, and some of the more effective ways to provide support are:
- Creating a safe and supportive home environment, such as providing a safe space
- Allow your loved one to do things for themself
- Focus on supporting, but not forcing, healthy habits
- Keep conversations nonjudgmental and open
- Respect their personal choices and their autonomy
- Encourage continued mental health treatment
Another helpful way to support your loved one once they complete acute care is to understand the options available if they need more intensive care than they are receiving in their current care.
FAQs
What breathing techniques help relieve chest tightness?
Slow, deep breathing techniques can help relieve chest tightness.
Breathing exercises such as pursed-lip breathing (inhale through the nose while counting to 2, exhale through pursed lips to a count of 4, repeat), diaphragmatic breathing (place hands on abdomen or one hand on your stomach and one over your heart, breathe through the nose and exhale slowly through the mouth), focused breathing, and finding a comfortable position can improve airflow, increase oxygen intake, and decrease discomfort.
Are there grounding methods to reduce acute anxiety symptoms?
Yes, several grounding techniques can reduce your anxiety symptoms.
Grounding methods can help you focus on the present, shifting your attention from distressing thoughts to thoughts that bring you a sense of calm. Another way to ground yourself is to use the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This method includes naming 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.
When you use the 5-4-3-2-1 method, you engage your senses, which then focuses you on the present. Once you are focused on the present, you can feel a sense of calm amidst the upheaval or chaos you’re experiencing. Other grounding methods include:
- Physical grounding: deep breathing, muscle relaxation techniques (releasing the muscles of your body)
- Cognitive grounding: Shifting attention away from the situation by engaging your mind
- Environmental grounding: Create a safe, calm space that can regulate your emotions
Another way to guide your focus to the present moment is meditation (known to calm your nervous system).
What lifestyle changes reduce severe anxiety episodes?
Lifestyle changes that include regular physical activity (regular exercise), a healthy diet, good sleep, and activities you enjoy can help reduce the frequency of severe anxiety episodes.
Additionally, including mindfulness techniques such as meditation, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, and identifying triggers can reduce symptoms. Healthy lifestyle changes not only promote mental health but can also improve physical health. Good mental health can help prevent diseases like heart disease and chronic illnesses.
How does caffeine affect anxiety and chest pain?
Caffeine increases your alertness, and while this may be your goal when you drink a caffeinated drink, the caffeine can intensify anxiety symptoms.
Too much caffeine can also disrupt your sleep patterns and increase the risk of experiencing panic attacks. The symptoms of anxiety and the side effects of caffeine affect the sympathetic nervous system, which is in control of the fight-or-flight response. When this response is triggered, it increases the risk of an anxiety attack. Once an anxiety attack is triggered, it is possible to have anxiety-related chest pain.
Anxiety-related chest pain can occur during an anxiety episode when the symptoms become severe and cause significant disruption to your daily life to the point that acute psychiatric care is necessary. Ocean View is here to help you stabilize and manage your anxiety symptoms. Contact us at (844) 562-1212 or outreach@ovphf.com.