Awake most of the night

[sharon68]

For the past few nights I have only been able to sleep for a couple of hours then I get woke up with Palpitations and struggling to breath. I have had panic attacks off and on for 15 yrs but still can not get use to the racing heart. I have been awake since 4am and now I have the shakes the annoying thing is I have work at 6.30 am and I am finding myself sitting here thinking of reasons to phone in sick.

[PanchoGoz]

Are you worried the palpitations are bad for you? You may have underlying thoughts that it means you are dying, or you are having a heart attack or your heart is getting injured. It's important to remember that it will not harm your heart. The breathing issue is probably caused by overbreathing in panic. Slow and deepen your breathing. The panic will be making your chest feel tight too so focus on relaxing, especially if your shoulders are hunched.