Nocturnal Panic Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Night panic does not happen as often as during daytime, even though you can have a panic attack any time. Many people who have a panic disorder report having at least one panic attack during sleep.

It may be a good idea for your to have a sleep assessment, where your sleep is analyzed for you. If there are any other problems you are having during sleep, they can be revealed during the sleep study.

Nocturnal Panic Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Suddenly waking up in a panic, for no obvious reason.
If you wake up with some or all of the same symptoms you have during a daytime attack, including:
flushing,
butterflies in your stomach,
rapid heartbeat,
shortness of breath.
You may think you are having a heart attack.

Nocturnal Panic Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Some research has shown that if you have a history of panic attacks (and chronic tension) you are easily awakened. You are experiencing (though you many not be aware of it) many times during the night actually coming out of non-REM sleep. These sleep interruptions are characterized by increase in pulse, clenching your teeth, and flushing. These partial awakenings may happen several times per minute!

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Though behaviors during these sleep interruptions may be similar to REM sleep behavior disorders, they are actually occurring during non-REM sleep. ("REM" sleep is the deepest sleep, and is necessary for healthy body function.) There are reports of night panic episodes where the person wakes up screaming, and behaving frantically, and not even waking up during the episode.

Nocturnal Panic Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

What can cause these nocturnal panic attacks? These are a few of the common ones:

Caffeine;
Sweets;
Stress and Anxiety;
Some types of sleep apnea, or Upper Airway Resistance syndrome

The simplest, short term solution is medication. Many sufferers are already taking something. However, there are other, long term changes that can be made to cure sleep panic.

If you suffer from repeated panic attacks during the night, think about having a sleep study done, to determine exactly what is going on during your sleep. Other problems you may find are REM Sleep Behavior disorders, sleep terrors, or even seizures.

Do you drink caffeine? You may want to cut back, eliminate, or perhaps just not have it later in the day.

Sweets later in the day may also be a problem. Try cutting back on your sugar intake. This is good basic advice for good sleep anyway!

If you have found other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, they should be treated. Upper airway resistance syndrome often is not detected when traditional sleep study techniques are used – speak to your doctor about this and ensure that it is included in any evaluations made.

There are natural techniques that can be used to help you control panic during sleep. Any method that cuts down on stress is a candidate for your further investigation. These could be exercise (even regular walking), self-hypnosis, breathwork, and meditation. Some have found that journaling helps.

You owe it to yourself to investigate the causes of your panic attacks, whether they are during the day, or while you sleep. I've outlined several possibilities for the causes, and the remedies. It's up to you to take action. Talk with your doctor. Make a plan. And take that first step!

This article, and this website, are not meant to replace consultation with your medical care provider.

 

 

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