Panic Attacks That Strike While You Sleep
Panic attacks don’t just happen during the day. Panic attacks can occur while you sleep, and they can wake you up with a racing heart and fearful mind.
Panic attacks while sleeping are some of the scariest and most feared of all panic disorder problems. That’s especially true because those attacks come without warning and eventually can affect your health.
It’s true that panic attacks aren’t really a condition. Panic attacks are actually symptoms of other stress and anxiety that has built up over time and not been dealt with. When you go through major life changes, stress and anxiety can build up. You might not have even had a panic attack during the day, and you might not even be aware of what’s causing the stress.
That built up stress can really start to effect you when you go to sleep though. A panic attack feels like you’re having problems with your heart or breathing, but it’s really like a release valve for stress. Even more disconcerting is when that wakes you up from a full sleep.
Panic attacks don’t represent physical problems at first, but they can cause physical problems when not addressed. When panic attacks start waking you up in the middle of the night, you can become fearful of the next one occurring. You can start to think you have a serious medical condition.
All that worry and fear can turn into insomnia. That insomnia can lead to real health problems, like weight gain, sore muscles, headaches, and an inability to be productive during the day.
It is unknown what actual physical mechanism leads to panic attacks during sleep. What is known is that you have to relieve the stress or learn to control the panic attacks to ultimately find relief from them.
Techniques, treatments and help is available to help you rid yourself of panic attacks, both from medical professionals and at-home study. Some of those resources and techniques can also help cure sleep panic attacks as well. The most severe of cases can also be helped by medical attention or even medication. Just keep in mind that medication should be used temporarily until you can find the actual source of stress in your life.
Remember that no matter how you find relief, stress is the real cause. To completely free yourself from panic attacks for good, you will have to fix that source of stress in your life. After you do that, you’ll finally sleep soundly without being afraid of another episode.