Nighttime (nocturnal) panic attacks can occur with no obvious trigger and awaken you from sleep. As with a daytime panic attack, you may experience sweating, rapid heart rate, trembling, shortness of breath. You can also experience heavy breathing (hyperventilation), flushing or chills, and a sense of impending doom.
These symptoms can be so severe they sometimes make first time sufferers believe they’re experiencing a heart attack or a nervous breakdown. Over time, panic attacks can become more frequent. The fear of having a panic attack becomes embedded, resulting in a ‘vicious circle’. You might also experience what’s known as hypnic jerks. If you’re particuarly stressed or anxious, you might also experience what’s known as hypnic jerks. These involuntary muscle sensations, like jolts, occur when you are in your lightest stage of sleep.
“You learn more from failure than from success. Don’t let it stop you. Failure builds character.” — Unknown
Causes Of Nocturnal Panic Attacks
It’s not known what causes panic attacks. Underlying factors may include genetics, stress and certain changes in the way parts of your brain work. In some cases, an underlying condition, such as a sleep disorder or thyroid problem, can cause panic-like signs and symptoms. Experts understand panic attacks to be a mix of individual and situational factors. Genes, brain chemistry, childhood experiences, and personality traits such as high anxiety may make certain people more likely to have panic attacks. Stressful situations, such as the loss of a loved one, relationship problems, traumatic events, or anxieties related to work or school. These may then act as a trigger for panic attacks in these individuals.
“Success is not final; failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” — Winston S. Churchill
Nighttime Panic Attacks Symptoms
Nocturnal panic attacks resemble daytime panic attacks and can cause nausea, sweating, altered breathing, and a pounding heart beat. These sensations occur during an awakening from sleep. They are often accompanied by intense fear or a sense of losing control.
Experts have established 13 symptoms of a panic attack. To qualify as a panic attack, a person must experience at least four of these 13 symptoms:
- Fear of going insane or losing control
- Fear that death is imminent
- Feeling unreal or detached from the body
- Racing heart rate
- Trembling
- Sweating
- Feeling smothered or short of breath
- Nausea or upset stomach
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Sensations of choking
- Feeling very hot or cold
- Tingling or numbness
- Chest pain
Nocturnal episodes may be more likely to involve feelings of choking. These symptoms can be very intense in the heat of a panic attack. Try to remember that it will pass when the panic attack does.
Nocturnal Panic Attacks Treatment
Panic attacks at night tend to happen without warning, but there are several ways to ease symptoms when they occur.
Identify the panic attack: It is easy to become preoccupied by worries and negative thoughts during a panic attack. It may help to try to remember that a panic attack is not dangerous in and of itself.
Use breathing techniques: Breathing plays a key role in many panic attacks. Panicky breathing may worsen dizziness and other symptoms. Try using slow, deep breathing to get through an episode. Experts are also developing more precise techniques to help people understand their breathing patterns. Also, how they relate to panic attack symptoms.
Try other relaxation techniques: Learning to relax is a key step in coming down from a panic attack. One relaxation technique that might help is progressive muscle relaxation, which involves gradually engaging and disengaging muscle groups throughout the body.
And speaking of planning to sleep, it can be extremely beneficial to create a nighttime routine that will allow you to get a sound night of rest. Usually for adults is typically between seven and nine hours of sleep. That can include setting regular times to go to sleep and wake up every day that aligns with your body’s circadian rhythms. You’ll also want to avoid TV, smartphones, tablets and other devices that may make it difficult to rest. Finally, make your bedroom a place where you’ll easily drift off to dream—block light with curtains or drapes, set a cool room temperature. Perhaps even spritz some lavender-scented water on your pillow to help you fall asleep.
“Nature has given us all the pieces required to achieve exceptional wellness and health, but has left it to us to put these pieces together.”—Diane McLaren
Nocturnal Panic Attacks Medication
For nocturnal panic attacks. On a case-by-case basis, doctors may also consider other antidepressants or certain sedatives. There are several types of medications that can be effective for curbing panic attacks and their attendant symptoms. For instance, antidepressants such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) can be prescribed in cases of panic disorder. Some of the adverse effects include jitteriness or agitation, especially at the beginning of the treatment, nausea, restlessness, headache, fatigue, changed appetite or weight, tremor or sweating.
Benzodiazepines have a sedating effect that can calm you down quickly during a panic attack. They should be prescribed and taken with extreme caution as there is a risk of developing a tolerance to them, which could lead to misuse of the drugs. Beta-blockers are another class of panic disorder medications. They can be useful in combating certain physical symptoms related to panic attacks, such as cardiac conditions.
The 5 Must-Have Ingredients for a Good Stress Relief Supplement:
5-HTP
5-HTP naturally occurs in the body as a precursor to the calming neurotransmitter serotonin. This plays a key role in regulating the speed of communication in the brain. As a supplement, this compound rapidly crosses the blood-brain barrier and helps promote the synthesis of serotonin. This can help quiet anxious thoughts and promote a relaxed mental state.
L-Theanine
L-theanine is the amino acid in green tea responsible for its ability to relieve stress and promote relaxation without causing drowsiness. Research has shown the natural compound promotes increased production of serotonin. This activates the brain’s calming pathways and helps keep you calm and composed when confronted with a stressful situation.
Ashwagandha
Used for thousands of years in traditional Ayurvedic medicine for its adaptogenic properties, ashwagandha has been shown by modern science to be an effective anxiety remedy. Through its ability to increase the activity of GABA receptors in the brain, ashwagandha helps enhance the stress-relieving effects of the calming neurotransmitters already produced by your body.
Passion Flower
Grown throughout the southeastern United States, passion flower contains a number of organic compounds. They help you feel more relaxed by increasing the body’s natural production of GABA. When taken as part of your daily regimen, passion flower can help promote a calm inner state and provide effective mood support.
Lemon Balm
Used since the Middle Ages as a natural anxiety remedy, lemon balm contains natural compounds. They help quiet your mind by inhibiting an enzyme that normally breaks down and recycles GABA. In this way, this member of the mint family helps maintain higher levels of GABA for longer, allowing your mind to remain peaceful and relaxed even when faced with a stressful day.
“When you change your thoughts, remember to also change your world.”—Norman Vincent Peale
Nocturnal Panic Attack Reddit
On Reddit, nocturnal panic attacks are often discussed on mental health and anxiety-related subreddits. Members may share their experiences with nocturnal panic attacks, describe their symptoms, and offer advice or support to others who are struggling with this condition.
Reddit is a social news and discussion website where users can post and share content, vote on content, and comment on posts and discussions. It is divided into communities called “subreddits,” each of which is centered around a particular topic or interest.
Reddit users (also known as “redditors”) can contribute to the site by submitting text posts, links, images, and videos to be shared among the community. Other users can upvote or downvote these contributions, influencing their position and visibility on the website. Reddit also allows for in-depth discussion through comment threads, which can range from a few users chiming in on a post to large-scale conversations with thousands of participants.
Reddit covers a wide range of topics, from news and current events to hobbies and interests. Some of the most popular subreddits include r/world news, r/gaming, and r/funny, among others. Redditors can also create their own subreddits to discuss niche interests or topics that aren’t covered by existing communities.
Conclusion
“Stay away from those people who try to disparage your ambitions. Small minds will always do that, but great minds will give you a feeling that you can become great too.” — Mark Twain
If you have a nocturnal panic attack just once, it can be traumatic, and you may be so anxious about having another one that it can keep you from getting a good night’s sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep over a long period of time, it can have a wide-ranging negative impact, including increased risk of obesity and disease, lack of ability to focus and concentrate during the day, mood swings and a dysfunctional immune system, among other problems.
Treatment — cognitive behavioral therapy or medications or both — can help prevent panic attacks and reduce their intensity when they do occur. It’s not known what causes panic attacks. Underlying factors may include genetics, stress and certain changes in the way parts of your brain work. In some cases, an underlying condition, such as a sleep disorder or thyroid problem, can cause panic-like signs and symptoms. Talk with your doctor about your symptoms and whether you need any tests for a possible underlying condition.
Articles
-Nocturnal Panic Attacks: What Causes Them?
-Nocturnal Panic Attacks
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22776-nocturnal-panic-attacks
-3 Ways to Calm Down After a Nocturnal Panic Attack
https://rightasrain.uwmedicine.org/mind/mental-health/nocturnal-panic-attack
Have a Good One,
Cindee Murphy, One Voice – Unstoppable
“When you have a dream, you’ve got to grab it and never let go.”
— Carol Burnett
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