Anxiety attack directly out of sleep??

[Wintear]

I woke up 45 minutes ago from a foggy dream in which my heart was beating so hard and frantically. I woke up swinging my arms up into the air for some reason. When I jolted awake, my heart was beating even faster and harder and there was this terribly uncomfortable tightness in my chest accompanying it. I felt like I couldn't breathe properly (like I was being choked by some invisible force) so I started hyperventilating. This caused my whole body to tense up and shake violently/uncontrollably. I thought my heart was going to come right out of my chest or stop beating altogether. I got really cold and clammy with sweaty palms, yet my legs were under the covers still and they both felt like they were on fire...
I resorted to deep breathing exercises almost immediately but that was a rather difficult thing to do considering the state my body was in. It took a half hour or so for my heart rate to stabilize after several attempts to calm myself down. Then another 40 minutes or so to stop the shaking/hot flashes/racing thoughts.
I'm left feeling very drained of energy and "numb" to reality. I'm still anxious. I refer to this as the aftershock. That was one of the worst episodes I've ever had in my entire 12+ years of suffering from panic attacks/generalized anxiety. I've NEVER been that scared for my life - ever. The last attack that overwhelmed me that much took place a little over a year ago.
This one hit me abruptly, out of a dead sleep. I'm guessing that's what made it even worse and more grueling?
(I've been under heaps of stress lately regarding my physical health and emotional/psychological wellbeing. My uncle whom I looked up to as a father figure and was VERY close with passed away this past March and it's been hell ever since..)
Additional details :
I'm 20 years old
Male
Smoked marijuana for a year and a half, then off/on, now no more at all.
Rarely have I ever drank
Have never done any kind of drug
My current sleep pattern is messed up (sleep all day until 7-9pm and stay up all night)
Not eating much as some foods make me anxious
I have untreated acid reflux

Any similar stories/experiences? Advice/suggestions? Anything would be greatly appreciated.... I'm still so scared >.< I probably won't be going back to sleep.

[Mrs Panda]

Hi. Yes these used to happen to me quite frequently. I think they are called nocturnal panic attacks where they wake you from sleep. I used to dread falling asleep incase I woke up with one during the night....and they always seemed to happen about an hour or so after falling asleep. I don't get them anymore (touch wood)....since I have been medication free. I now wonder if perhaps the antidepressants caused them. But yeah I would often wake up with my heart racing, drenched in sweat or just feeling like my body was burning up, I would feel nauseous and then start shaking all over. Truly a horrible experience that I would not wish on anyone!! I feel bad that you are going through this because I know how terrifying they can be.

One thing I did notice was the reflux thing too...as you mentioned. I wonder if perhaps it may have been the reflux that caused my sleeptime panic attacks. I often wouldn't sleep though the night and then sometimes would have a nap in the afternoon and would wake up with an attack. One day I noticed that I had that acidic burning in my throat when it happened and I wonder if perhaps even though I was asleep my brain was still on alert for any unusual bodily sensations?? Does that make sense? So I started to raise my pillow a little higher when going to sleep and I would make sure not to eat/drink for at least an hour before going to bed. Doing this seemed to calm the attacks. I also think that the meds were giving me reflux which contributed to the situation. Anyway that was just my observation. Perhaps something you could look into and see if it helps you? :) Good luck!

[Junot]

I've experienced a similar episode a year and half ago. I woke up from a seemingly normal sleep feeling anxious. In a couple of minutes my stomach started to bloat, I rushed to the toilet with diarrhea, my heart started pounding apparently irregularly, the left half of my chest was very tight and I had difficulty to breathe normally. I rushed into the hospital and they made me an ECG and blood tests (to exclude arrhythmias and heart attack). I've been about two hours feeling these symptoms. In the end the diagnostic was anxiety/panic.

It was the first time I've had this during sleep and that made feel even more anxious. I thought this is it, these are my final moments. I don't know what to make out of this, but I surely think doctors are taking these symptoms too lightly and have a tendency to simplify and ascribe them to anxiety or panic, especially when you're young and apparently healthy. To calm you down, I think you should do at least the four "basic" heart tests to see if everything's fine: ECG, cardiac stress test, holter and echocardiogram.

[Wintear]

Thank you, guys. I appreciate the responses. I am crossing my fingers that this does not occur again tonight. I don't think I have it in me to ward off another sneak-attack burst of anxiety...especially out of a dead sleep.
It comforts me to know that others have experienced the same or similar circumstances. Today was rough to get through, but I managed. So be it.
I'm exhausted right now. I've been wide awake since 3:45AM. It's now 7:50PM. I'm done for the day...hopefully?
I'll check back in if anything crops up......'till then, everyone. Be well!!