Can You Wake Up In A Panic Attack

What Causes Anxiety Attacks Or Nocturnal Panic Attacks

According to Craig N. Sawchuck, Ph.D., and L.P from Mayoclinic.org, Nocturnal panic attacks usually last only a few minutes, but it may take a while to calm down and go back to sleep after you have one.

People who have nocturnal panic attacks also tend to have panic attacks during the day.

Moreover, Its not known what causes panic attacks.

Underlying factors may include genetics, stress, and certain changes in the way parts of your brain work. In some cases, an underlying condition, such as a sleep disorder or thyroid problem, can cause panic-like signs and symptoms.

Talk with your doctor about your symptoms and whether you need any tests for a possible underlying condition.

What If I Can’t Sleep

Sometimes people find themselves in a state of worry about sleep, constantly trying to fend off, or refute, a refrain of “what if…?” questions about sleep. In response, they imagine all kinds of dire circumstances – not sleeping for 7 days in a row, going crazy, being unable to maintain their job, and so on.

That’s what arguing with “what if…?” thoughts will do for you. It gets you more embroiled in arguing with yourself. This thought about sleep is just a variation of the usual panic thoughts: “what if I have a heart attack?”, “what if I faint?”, “what if I go crazy?”, and so on.

So the challenge here is to recognize “what if I can’t sleep?” as a symptom of nervousness, nothing more or less, and to treat it that way. It’s not an important message or warning. It’s just you being nervous.

“What if I don’t sleep?”. For the most part, the answer is that I’ll get sleepy. And when I get sleepy enough, I’ll sleep. This is a self correcting problem.

Keep Lavender On Hand

Lavender is known for being soothing and stress-relieving. It can help your body relax. If you know youre prone to panic attacks, keep some on hand and put some on your forearms when you experience a panic attack. Breathe in the scent.

You can also try drinking lavender or . Both are relaxing and soothing.

Lavender should not be combined with benzodiazepines. This combination can cause intense drowsiness.

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The Answer: Morning Anxiety

Wide awake, but feeling wired, anxious, AND tired,Negative thoughts,What will the day bring?

Sadly, morning anxiety seems to be a common experience, given personal stories from family and friends, descriptions from clients, and the plethora of articles with titles like, Early Morning Anxiety, and Morning Panic. There are many possible contributing factors. Listed below are some explanations and ideas that will help:

Waking Up With Anxiety Attack

If you have found yourself waking up with an anxiety attack or especially waking up with anxiety in the middle of the night then you may be experiencing a nightmare that caused a lot of distress or a nocturnal panic attack.

The symptoms you may get to experience are very similar to those of a panic attack which includes:

• Sweating
• Increased heart rate
• Shaking or trembling
• Feeling dizzy
• Chest pain or discomfort

If waking up with an anxiety attack in the middle of the night, you may be suffering from something called nocturnal panic attacks, but know that anxiety attacks and panic attacks differ in nature.

According to Dave Carbonell, Ph.D. A nocturnal panic attack is a panic attack which occurs in the midst of your sleep, waking you up for no apparent reason, which is more likely to be experienced by people with panic disorder.

However, this can make you feel disoriented upon waking or extremely frightened not knowing what is really going on.

This happens to many people with an anxiety disorder where they go to sleep and wake up feeling anxious and with stress. If you want to wake up and start your day calm, find out the best alarm clocks for anxiety.

They could think I hate waking up to this and even suffer from insomnia or fearing falling asleep, feeling they might get the same result the next morning.

Even though it is not ideal, try not to be discouraged by it since it is something quite common and with ways to minimize it.

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What Causes Sleeping Panic Attacks

Even though the panic attack is said to occur while you sleep, the idea that it’s a “sleeping panic attack” may be a little misleading. Its very difficult to sleep throughout the course of these panic attacks, and the actual attack usually wakes you up, causing significant fear and disorientation.

There are many possible causes of panic attacks, generally speaking. Often, panic attacks during the day are caused by an interaction between your bodily sensations and your thoughts. During the night, however, this might not necessarily be the trigger, given that youre somewhat disconnected from your bodily and mental processes. There are, however, additional issues that may affect those who suffer from nocturnal panic attacks. These issues include:

Who Might Experience Nocturnal Panic Attacks

While they can happen to anyone , some people are more predisposed to experiencing nocturnal panic attacks, including:

• Those who suffer from PTSD-related nightmares. “Individuals with PTSD may have nightmares about their trauma these nightmares essentially replay what they endured,” which may cause them to wake up “in a frightened state as they feel like they are reliving this trauma,” explains Dr. Magavi. The nightmares could “lead to panic attacks while they are sleeping.”
• People who have general anxiety and panic disorder. “About 18 percent of panic attacks will occur during the night,” adds Dr. Dimitriu, who says that nocturnal panic attacks are “common in people who also experience daytime panic attacks.”
• Those with sleep disorders. “Sleep apnea can result in sudden awakening due to inability to breathe, which could cause sweating, palpitations, and panic attacks,” says Dr. Magavi. “Sleep-initiation and sleep-maintenance can cause panic attacks as individuals begin to experience significant anxiety when they are unable to sleep.”

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Anxiety Attack: The Most Common Symptoms

• Insane, overwhelming strike of panic
• Hyperventilation
• Dizziness, feeling faint or light headed.
• Accelerated heartbeat or heart palpitations
• Numbness, particularly in your feet and hands.
• Feeling detached and unreal. Basically, you feel like you are going crazy.
• Fearing youre dying.

An anxiety attack can roll in with most of the above or just a few symptoms, coming one after another or all at once.

The symptoms can last from a few seconds to a terrible half an hour, though the average number is 10 minutes says, Doctor Merav Gur.

Stress Hormones And Generalized Anxiety

If you are dealing with excessive anxiety in the morning, theres a good chance you may also have generalized anxiety or something researchers call The Cortisol Awakening Response . The stress hormone, cortisol, is released by the adrenal glands in response to fear or stress. Researchers have found that cortisol is highest in the first hour of waking for people with an increased level of anxiety. This helps explain why you may experience an increase in anxiety in the morning.

When you wake up, the body is already in fight or flight at the memory and thought of another anxiety-filled day ahead. Now cue negative thinking before the day has even begun, creating a repeating cycle of early morning dread. Not to mention, the latter part of the night and early part of the morning generally sees a natural increase in both Cortisol and blood pressure as the body prepares to start another day.

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Types Of Anxiety Disorders:

Generalized Anxiety Disorder is characterized by chronic and exaggerated worry and tension, much more than the typical anxiety that most people experience in their daily lives. People may have trembling, twitching, muscle tension, nausea, irritability, poor concentration, depression, fatigue, headaches, light-headedness, breathlessness or hot flashes.

Panic Disorder: People with panic disorder have panic attacks with feelings of terror that strike suddenly and repeatedly with no warning. During the attacks, individuals may feel like they cant breathe, have lost control, are having a heart attack or even that they are dying. Physical symptoms may include chest pain, dizziness, nausea, sweating, tingling or numbness, and a racing heartbeat. Some people will have one isolated attack, while others will develop a long term panic disorder either way, there is often high anxiety between attacks because there is no way of knowing when the next one will occur. Panic disorders often begin early in adulthood. Many people with panic disorder also suffer from agoraphobia . See more on Panic Attacks.

Phobias are irrational fears. Individuals with phobias realize their fears are irrational, but thinking about or facing the feared object or situation can bring on a panic attck or severe anxiety.

Faq Regarding Medical Treatments

If you are debating whether you need to seek treatment or not, here are some of the questions you may be asking yourself and some possible answers.

Therapy can help you to identify triggers as well as helps you to manage your symptoms. Therapy may also help you to deal with issues from your past. Persons diagnosed with panic disorder or anxiety disorder may find cognitive behavioral therapy to be the most effective type of treatment.

Medication is helpful for reducing symptoms for those who have recurrent panic or anxiety attacks or severe attacks. Medication is often used in conjunction with therapy for those with panic or anxiety issues. Some of the medications that can be prescribed include:

• Antidepressants

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Can Sleep Apnea Cause Panic Attacks

Sleep apnea is a sleep disorder which is characterized by hypopnea. This is a decrease in breathing during sleep or apnea which is a pause in breathing during ones sleep. This is a very serious condition and it can lead to a lot of different health complications including death.

Some patients with sleep apnea may have mental health disorders like depression, bipolar disorder, and anxiety or panic disorders. During sleep apnea, the brain receives a panic signal which jerks the body awake and helps you resume breathing. This leads to broken sleep.

Panic Disorder And Agoraphobia

The essential features of panic disorder are recurrent. attacks of severe anxiety , which are not, restricted to any particular situation or set of circumstances and are therefore unpredictable. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria of panic disorder, unexpected panic attacks have to be followed by at. least 1 month of persistent concern about, having another panic attack. The dominant, symptoms of a panic attack vary from individual to individual. Typically, it includes autonomic symptoms with marked psychic anxiety. The most, prominent autonomic symptoms are palpitations, sweating, trembling, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest, pain, nausea, and paresthesias. There is almost always a secondary fear of dying, losing control, or going mad. Most individual attacks last only for a. few minutes, but. a. common complication is the development, of anticipator}’ fear of helplessness or loss of control during a panic attack, so that, the individual may progressively develop avoidant, behavior leading to agoraphobia or specific phobias. In this respect, most, if not all, patients with agoraphobia also have a current diagnosis of panic disorder. Accordingly, sleep disturbances of panic disorder and agoraphobia are discussed in the same section.

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How Common Are Nighttime Panic Attacks

Theyre pretty common and the majority of people who have been diagnosed with panic disorder have probably experienced nocturnal panic attacks, says Dr. Bea. While anxiety is thought to be a component of sleep panic attacks, other stressors can trigger them.

The absolute cause of panic attacks is pretty unknown at this point, but people who experience them may have histories of panic disorder, other anxiety disorders or behavioral health concerns that might be causing stress in general.

Dr. Bea adds that when people feel panicked, its very common that they might be experiencing situations in their life where they feel relatively trapped.

It could be occupationally, it could be in a relationship or in some other role that theyre playing. Its not uncommon to see correlates of that sort of tension in people who are having nighttime panic attacks. However, these types of panic attacks arent limited to people with a history of anxiety. They also arent rare. About 18% of panic attacks that people experience seem to occur at night.

Consider Your Sleep Habits

Getting proper shuteye is extremely important for your mental and physical health. In fact, sleep problems like difficulties falling asleep and/or staying asleep are known to cause a variety of psychological and physical complaints. These include headaches, decreased energy, poor concentration, short-term memory problems, irritability, and anxiety.

Some healthy sleep habits to consider adopting include:

• Avoid stimulating activities two to three hours before bedtime .
• Engage in a relaxing activity before bedtime like curling up with a good book or getting a back rub from your partner.
• Go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
• Keep your bedroom cold and dark .
• Use your bed only for sleep and sex.
• Consider journaling or doing a “brain dump” before bed to get any thoughts or worries onto paper so they don’t interfere with falling or staying asleep.

If you find you’re unable to sleep well despite practicing good sleep hygiene, talk with your healthcare provider.

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Nightmares Night Terrors And Night Anxiety

Finally, anything that can cause you anxiety while you sleep can also conceivably cause panic attacks. Once again, it’s a problem with hyperventilation. While having a nightmare, for example, you may be reacting to your dream by breathing quickly as though scared or running. This can cause you to hyperventilate in your sleep, which may cause a nocturnal panic attack.

How To Tell If Youre Having A Panic Attack Versus An Anxiety Attack

The terms panic attack and anxiety attack are often used interchangeably, but they are not the same thing. Both have several symptoms in common but there are key characteristics that help to distinguish them both. The different attacks have a different duration and have different intensities as well.

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Causes Of Panic Attacks

Anxiety disorder is the principal cause of all panic attacks. According to the National Institute of Mental Health , approximately 40 million adults in the U.S. between the ages of 18 and 51 are diagnosed as being affected by anxiety disorders. However, the total number of people who are affected by anxiety disorders â and who are therefore predisposed to experience a panic attack â is thought to be far greater.

Panic is the most acute form of anxiety. As such, a panic attack is caused by heightened anxiety, whereby the body undergoes physiological changes due to oneâs thoughts, entering into a state called fight or flight mode. A person may not be consciously aware of the thoughts that induce this state, as it can be caused by the brainâs background activity.

Fight or flight mode is an automatic response to danger, rapidly preparing the body for physical activity, such as running away from or fighting off a predator. In a panic attack, however, there is usually no immediate physical threat to escape from.

Physiological changes associated with fight or flight mode, that may contribute to a panic attack, include:

• Increased metabolic rate
• Loss of hearing and dilation of pupils
• Relaxation of the bladder and sphincters

When To Seek Medical Attention

The first time one experiences a panic attack, one should seek medical attention promptly in order to check oneâs overall physical and mental health and discuss the possibility and prevention of future panic attacks.

It is not uncommon for an individual, who has experienced a panic attack, to feel embarrassment in telling their family or doctor. Many people are unaware of how common it is to experience a panic attack and/or that it could relate to panic disorder or another form of anxiety â conditions, which are highly treatable with appropriate psychotherapy and/or medication.

Even if one is not diagnosed with a mental health condition, oneâs doctor will be able to advise on management techniques in the event that a future panic attack occurs and will be able to perform check-ups to rule out other conditions or health concerns. For example, one may be screened to rule out the risk of a heart attack, particularly if one believed that one was experiencing a heart attack during the episode.

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Types Of Anxiety Disorder

There are several different classified anxiety disorders. Each one features different types of symptoms that can, in some cases, be triggered by specific situations.

Panic disorder : This involves at least two panic attacks accompanied by the constant fear of future attacks. People with panic disorder may lose a job, refuse to travel or leave their home, or completely avoid anything they believe will trigger an attack of anxiety.

Generalized anxiety disorder : This is a constant state of worry about a number of events or activities in the persons life.

Phobic disorder: This features an incapacitating and irrational fear of an object or situation, for example, a fear of spiders or open spaces . Most adults with phobic disorder are aware that their fear is irrational.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder : This condition is marked by unwanted repeated thoughts and behaviors .

Anxiety And Sleep Research

There is, however, plenty of research on how anxiety can affect sleep and vice versa.

According to the ADAA, research shows that sleep disorders occur in almost all psychiatric disorders.

In a small 2015 study , researchers examined the relationship between cognitive behavioral therapy and sleep quality in people with anxiety. Researchers found that both sleep quality and sleep latency improved in participants who responded to CBT.

The researchers believe that targeting sleep problems during anxiety treatment might be beneficial for those who have trouble sleeping.

Its important to remember that it can take time to find the right treatment approach for your anxiety. Because of this, you and your doctor may choose to use a variety of different treatment options.

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