Panic attacks in the night, please help

[Katty1303]

Hi, I just wanted to no if anyone else has this and how do you cope? I often wake up feeling like I'm dying just as I've drifted of to sleep, my whole body tingles, I shake, sweat and just literally feel like I'm about to die. I often wake my husband telling him to call an ambulance, he just cuddles me and I generally calm down but am left feeling weak and like it's about to happen again. Does this sound like panic attacks and does anyone have this?

[Tanner40]

Kathy, my insomnia does similar things. I slept for four hours and woke up sweating and with really achy arms and couldn't go back to sleep. If I get up, the sweating stops. Good old anxiety symptoms.

[HoneyLove]

Katty I often wonder about people who wake up in the middle of a panic attack because considering you're asleep you're not in the usual frame of mind for a panic!

This used to happen to me, I would wake up with a racing heart, but eventually I discovered that I had an acid reflux problem that got worse with lying down and set off the heart palpitations that woke me up.

I also sometimes wake up quite panicked gasping for breath and am pretty sure that I have some form of sleep apnea - this is where you may stop breathing in your sleep and your brain reacts by releasing adrenalin to wake you up. Still have to talk to the doc about that one!

So I would ask you if you ever notice either a reflux problem or waking up with a gasp ever, and if either of these issues could be affecting your sleep quality and making you panic in the middle of the night?

[Katty1303]

I'm not sure to be honest I'm normally so gripped by the fear I'm about to die I don't remember what symptom woke me up originally!