Can Panic Attacks Make You Faint?

Part of the reason I was diagnosed with agoraphobia was my overwhelming fear of fainting during a panic attack. Even though I had never actually fainted before (except for one time when I admitted myself to a psychiatric ward and had a bad experience—but that's a story for another day), I was convinced it was inevitable.

Panic always made me feel faint. My vision would go fuzzy, my legs would feel weak, and I’d get that awful lightheaded, floating sensation that made me certain I was about to hit the floor. Because of this, I got into the habit of staying close to the ground or sitting down just in case. It felt like the only way to prevent what seemed like an unavoidable collapse.

Crouching and leaning on a wall during a panic attack in Germany for my series An Agoraphobic Abroad

But during therapy, my therapist told me something that changed everything:

“During a panic attack, you’re actually less likely to faint.”

That didn’t make sense to me at the time. How could that be true when I felt like I was about to pass out every single time? But then she explained:

Fainting happens when blood pressure suddenly drops—like when someone stands up too fast or experiences a strong emotional reaction (like with vasovagal syncope). But during a panic attack, the opposite happens: your blood pressure increases due to the fight-or-flight response. So instead of being at risk of fainting, your body is actually primed to keep you alert and responsive.

Now, I know some of you reading this might immediately think: "Wait… but doesn't that mean panic increases the risk of something worse, like a heart attack or a stroke?"

I hear you. I used to have that fear, too. And I’ll be writing a whole other article on that, so make sure to subscribe to this Substack if you want me to break that down. But for now, let’s focus on fainting.

Why Do Panic Attacks Feel Like You’re About to Pass Out?

Even though you’re unlikely to faint during panic, the sensations can be terrifyingly similar. Here’s why:

Hyperventilation: Breathing too fast lowers carbon dioxide levels in your blood, which can make you feel dizzy, lightheaded, and tingly—especially in your hands, feet, and face.
Adrenaline Rush: Your body is pumping blood faster, which can make your head feel “off” or disconnected.
Tunnel Vision: When panicking, blood is directed away from non-essential functions (like digestion) and toward your muscles for survival. This can make your vision feel strange or blurry, mimicking pre-fainting sensations.

The key thing to remember is that these sensations do not mean you’re actually going to faint. They are the result of your body reacting to panic, not a sign of impending collapse. If you’re worried, ask yourself; “Have I ever actually fainted from panic alone?” If the answer is no, which it most likely is, then there is no evidence or reason to believe that you will faint from panic.

But What About People Who Do Faint?

There are cases where people faint during or around panic attacks, but there’s usually an underlying reason:

Low Blood Sugar (Hypoglycemia): Anxiety can suppress appetite, and not eating enough can cause actual fainting due to low blood sugar.
Dehydration: Not drinking enough water can make dizziness worse and increase fainting risk.
Vasovagal Syncope: Some people faint at the sight of blood, needles, or intense emotions. This is a different mechanism than panic-related dizziness and happens due to a sudden blood pressure drop from a specific stimulus. You would know if you deal with this and there would be no doubt about it like there is during panic “Am I about to faint?”.
Hormonal changes: Hormonal changes can affect blood pressure and blood sugar levels, making fainting more likely in some cases. Menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause can cause changes that lead to drops in blood pressure.

Fainting is not a symptom of panic attacks themselves. If someone faints, something else is going on—whether that’s low blood sugar, dehydration, or a medical condition that predisposes them to fainting.

As a reminder, here are the main symptoms of panic attacks, if you have 4 or more of these at one time, it’s likely a panic attack:

a racing heartbeat
feeling faint
sweating
nausea
chest pain
shortness of breath
trembling
hot flushes
chills
shaky limbs
a choking sensation
dizziness
numbness or pins and needles
dry mouth
a feeling of dread or a fear of dying
a churning stomach
a tingling in your fingers
feeling like you're not connected to your body

Source: NHS

Notice the ‘fainting’ is not on the list, whilst ‘feeling faint’ is.

The Takeaway

I know how real the fear feels. I spent years convinced I would collapse every time I had a panic attack. But learning that panic actually makes fainting less likely made a huge difference for me.

Next time you feel that wave of dizziness hit, remind yourself:

1. I have felt this before, and I did not faint.

2. This feeling is coming from hyperventilation and adrenaline, not from my body shutting down.

3. I am safe. This will pass.

If you want more deep dives into anxiety, panic disorder, and how I learned to stop fearing my own body, make sure to subscribe. And if you’ve ever had this fear, let me know in the comments—I’d love to hear your experiences.

References

National Health Service (NHS), 2024. Panic disorder. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/conditions/panic-disorder/ [Accessed 3 Feb. 2025].

Hewitt, O.M., Tomlin, A. and Waite, P., 2021. The experience of panic attacks in adolescents: an interpretative phenomenological analysis study. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 24(4), pp.240-253. Available at: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13632752.2021.1948742 [Accessed 3 Feb. 2025].

Malmberg, L.P., Tamminen, K. and Sovijärvi, A.R., 2000. Orthostatic increase of respiratory gas exchange in hyperventilation syndrome. Thorax, 55(4), pp.295-301. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax.55.4.295 [Accessed 3 Feb. 2025].