Waking Up With A Panic Attack In The Night

[Eloise]

Hi

I’m new here but have suffered with panic attacks on and off for many years.

I’ve had three in the last few weeks, and can relate to several recent stressful situations that could have triggered them.

My question is this:

I find I always wake up with them in the night (after going to bed feeling fine), with my left arm uncomfortable and aching and also with chest pains. I often find that I cannot then lay down comfortably and inevitably end up having to sit in a chair to sleep. Sometimes the pains have been so severe that I have ended up on anti-inflammatories and even once rang the RADOC doctor in the middle of the night.

Does anyone else get the same or a similar thing? And does anyone know why some people have them happen like this at night-time?

[seh1980]

hi Eloise,

Welcome to the forum!!

I personally don't wake up during the night with panic attacks but I know that some people here do. I'm sure they'll be along soon to help you.

Hope we can offer you some good support here.

Sarah

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[henri]

Hi Eloise,
I used to wake up in a panic in the middle of the night. At first i would get up and spend hours on this website and be too scared to go back to sleep. Then I tried completely ignoring it and just going back to sleep (telling myself 'i don't care if the tightness in my throat is getting worse, i won't die'). When that got too hard, i would make myself a cup of herbal tea and watch a bit of tv to try and distract myself from my panic symptoms (tight chest, tightness in throat, tingling in arm).
I don't know why it sometimes happens at night. I think it's maybe when we're so wound up, even though we are sleeping there's still a bit of anxiety there just waiting to kick in.
Henri x

[Quirky]

Hi Eloise,
Welcome to the site.
I have had panic in the night before after going to bed feeling fine and quite relaxed. It's very scary when you wake up suddenly to it isn't it and things often seem worse in the middle of the night. I now just lay there, try to accept it and just let it happen and more often than not it doesn't last long now and I'm back asleep.
Take care,
LJ

[clickaway]

Hi Eloise,

I have had instances of waking up in the middle of the night with some awful symptom - yuk!

With me it would be a numbing in my leg, weird lights in my mind or something like pins and needles.

I would get up a make a cuppa, and perhaps some toast, and yes watch some TV. Sometimes, I would feel really scared, especially if it was a new symptom, in that case I would ring NHS Direct 08457 46 47. If I just felt scared but it was a repeat symptom, I sometimes called the Samaritans - all these lines of contact calm you down eventually.

I feel these sensations are linked to our sub-concious thoughts being "exposed" in the absence of any other distraction in our waking hours. Surely, there has to be a link to these night-time sensations and why so many of us are so bad when we wake up in the mornings. I get pins and needles caused by tightness of muscles most mornings.

In time, something in your life will happen to break the cycle - that's how it is with me.

Take Care,



Ray

And when you get the choice to sit it out or dance, I hope you dance.
~Mark Sanders and Tia Sillers

[kairen]

Hi Eloise

My worst panic attacks were between 3 and 4am everynight, i'm never quite sure why i woke up but it was always with my heart racing and my mind going 20 to the dozen just in a total blinding panic, i think they were worse at that time of night as you are in total darkness and silence so have nothing else to try and distract yourself with, i spent many nights on the settee cos was to scared to go to bed as i knew i would wake up in a panic so maybe i planted the thought in my own head before i even went to sleep,

I did managed in the end to lie just telling myself over and over "your alright calm down" and trying to relax my body with breathing, it is so scarey when this happens in the middle of the night, but you have to try and be as calm as possible i know it will stop and nothing bad will happen its just not a nice feeling at the time,

take care

kairen x

[in1peace]

Hi Eloise!
I had the same problem and this is why I am taking medication. I would wake up from nightmares, not remembering what they were about and be in a full-blown panic. This happened over and over until I could not get more than an hour (if I was lucky) of sleep every night. I felt like it was going to make me go mad. I value my sleep, and never had any problems before, but then the panic showed up and turned me upside down. I couldn't lie down either. I had to sleep sitting up. I tried all different kinds of rituals to try to calm me before the medicine kicked in. None of them seemed to work. I tried relaxation music, I tried reading, I tried a deep relaxation cd, I tried drinking milk.. I couldn't figure out anything. If anyone else finds an answer for this dilemma, I would sure love to hear about it because it is one of my biggest fears when I try to get off the meds. I can keep a panic from happening during waking hours, but there's nothing you can do when you are sleeping.. is there??
Hang in there, Eloise! I feel for ya!! I wanna cry when I think about it!!
((((((((hugs)))))))))))
Andrea

"Honey, if ya ain't feelin' the bumps in the road, ya ain't goin' nowhere!" (A wise Georgia Granny's take on living life to the fullest! LOL!)

[Elaine1]

RE: Panic Attacks at Night

Eloise

What can I say?

I can truely emphasis with you.

I had my first panic attack about 6 weeks ago. The worst are always at night in the early hours. For me, I thought I was having a heart attack.

I rushed around the bedroom uncontrollably. then off downstairs unlocking the back and front door, rushing outside to breath more clearly. By this time my husband was up, very concerned, never seen me like this. I really, really scared myself and my hubby! He says my eyes looked like a frightened rabbit!

I said that I couldn't breath, swallowing was getting worse, involuntary shaking, the list goes on. Still not able to calm down, I said that's it call an ambulance etc.... This went on and on. Eventually and very slowly I began to breath more controlled and started to calm down. Several cups of tea, deep breathing later, I returned to bed, but would not let go of hubby's hand. I was up and down all night and probably managed 2 hours sleep in the early hours of the morning. The next day, I could not manage anything. Kids were on holiday, so rang a friend and went round there at 8am. I have never been like that. I had to rely on firends helping out for all of that week!

It has been a difficult road since then. Following on from iniital attack, I suffered for many nights to come. GP put me on medication, which has since been changed. Still all kicking in.

Having had two bad nights recently, managed a better night last night so feel more positive today!

Hope this helps knowing that you are not alone

Lots of love and support to you.


Elaine

[Meg]

Nothing like a panic attack at 3:30 am
Sudden nighttime attacks


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[Eloise]

Thanks everyone for your replies, i do appreciate them and all your advice and understanding. It's good to know that I what I experienced was a normal panic attack reaction.

What I would like to now ask is this.. I had a bad panic attack on Wednesday night. I felt by Thursday afternoon that it had gone but by the time bedtime came around, the same muscle pains were kicking in again. The same happened again yesterday in that I was ok in the day time and then in the evening it started to come back.. and it's happening again now. Am I relating night-time to panic time?? Or could the panic attack still be in my system and likely to recur for a while yet?