As most people know the day is when most people have panic attacks. Yet, you can still suffer from panic attacks while you sleep. There are ways to deal with nighttime panic attacks. What is the deal with panic attacks while you are sleeping?
People can wake up in the middle of the night or in the morning with panic attack symptoms. There is no specific reason why, but sufferers will often wake up in a panic. People wake up feeling dizzy, lightheaded or even having chest pains. Their heart may be racing and breathing becomes a problem. A person may feel like they need to escape from the setting or they may feel like they are losing control of themselves; perhaps even dying. This is perhaps one of the most terrifying experiences a panic attack sufferer can undergo.
What Causes Nighttime Panic Attacks
So what is the treatment for panic attacks when sleeping? The treatment actually isn’t much different then dealing with daytime panic attacks. The difference between night time attacks and daytime attacks is that it can be very difficult to find out what stressor is causing a night time attack. Many times nighttime attacks are the result of stress from work or a traumatic situation such as a death in the family, car accident, child-related accident, etc. The thing to remember with any panic attack, day or night, is to stay calm in both mind and body.
How To Prevent Nighttime Panic Attacks – Three Treatments for Panic Attacks When Sleeping
Treatment 1 – Self Massages
Giving yourself a massage is actually a great treatment for night time panic attacks. It is also a good idea to have a massage first thing in the morning. When a person has a massage, their body becomes further relaxed, which allows them to handle stress that creeps up into their sleep whether it’s through dreams or their subconscious.
Treatment 2 – Relaxation Tips
Learning relaxation techniques that involve breathing deeply can also help people suffering from night time panic attacks. Breathing correctly involves using your diaphragm rather than one’s chest, and relaxation techniques teach you how to do this. Air is breathed in deeply and breathed out the same when breathing properly. By doing this correctly you focus more on your breathing then on your rising panic and it helps you calm down. The treatment, when done right and before you go to bed, helps you stay calm during the night.
Treatment 3 – Meditation and/or Prayer
The third way to treat panic attacks at night is to meditate before going to sleep. Why does this help? This makes you more relaxed and also puts you in a positive frame of mind before getting into the bed.
For more information on panic asleep, Anxiety, Panic Attacks and related mood disorder issues visit Anxiety Panic Resources – get our free Downloadable 40-Part Video and MP3 Audio Mini Course.