Any ideas please....night time panic attacks.

[kafebrown]

I have had two panic attacks in the last 4 months, the only two! Both have woken me from my sleep and both had me calling 999 cos I thought I was dying!! I do believe Ive got anxitey, brought on by the first panic attack......if that makes sense! I now find I cant sleep very well cos im afraid it will happen again. I can get to sleep ok when i go to bed but if i wake up needing the loo during the night the first thing I think is that Ive woken cos Im gonna have another panic attack then I cant get back to sleep and lie there worrying. My poor husband has been sleeping in the kids room cos I find it so hard to get back to sleep and put the tv on or the radio. Im taking propranolol 30mg/day and am going for a 24hour heart monitor just to confirm my racing heart was deffo panic attacks. Any ideas? Angela xx

[miss_moose]

Hello, i'm so sorry you are having such awful panic attacks, i go through exactly the same thing, if i can aniticipate an attack though, i set up what i call a Comfort Room.

Buy some puzzle books, and keep them by your bed with a couple of pens. Puzzles keep the mind occupied and help to distract us from the panic. Also have a torch handy too.

Keep a bottle of water or anyother drink by your bed, so you can help to aleviate those sickly feelings panic brings.

I also have a big fan on next to me all night to stop me getting too hot which makes me panic, it also helps during an attack.

Try rescue remedy or something to that effect, next to my bed i have rescue remedy droppers and pastilles, lavender roll on and some smelling salts for soothing.

I also sleep with the tv on, it annoys my partner too but we have a compromise. I have the tv on mute and I also darken the screen untill he falls asleep. There's an option on the tv remote to darken the contrast and light, so you could make the room nearly black but still have it just about visable for comfort.
It's a tv/video combi so i play Friends on a video all night so when i wake up something comforting is already on the screen, maybe you could try it with a dvd.

Basicly just keep a bag or a drawer next to your bed with all your comfort things in and things that might help you during a panic attack.

Hope this helps xxx

[Panickypants]

I too like to have the tv on and i play a game on my phone i find i can't really concentrate on anything else..My hubby hates it when he wakes up and i still have the tv on i had it on most of the night lastnight...when he is on nights i never turn it off until about an hour before he comes home x

[shorty1969]

I was like that when i first took a panic attack , Scared to fall asleep for fear of waking up and having an attack ! Viscious circle . It happens the odd time now and then , sometimes i can just ignore it and fall asleep again , If its beggining to get a grip of me i just get up and put the tv on and slowly drink a pint of water . Got to distract yourself from it , It will get easier to deal with . I think sipping the water helps regulate your breathing . probably one of the biggest causes of panic , not breathing properly ! .