Sleep Insomnia » Panic

What Causes Night Panic Attacks?

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 08:52:51 +0000

Picture this; you are deep in slumber, when suddenly you woke up. Your heart beat is racing fast and could not catch your breathes. It is not a good image to imagine, right? These incidents are just some of the signs of night panic attacks. If you suspect that you are a victim of middle of the night panic attacks, do not take it for granted. Panic attacks at night are a serious disorder wherein people were awakened from their sleep, and were filled with fear. As a result, sufferers also have insomnia.

So, what causes night panic attacks? Let us delve deeper into this condition and try to deal with them one by one.

One of the most causes of night panic attacks are stress and anxiety. During our sleep, we are in our unconscious state, to simply say, we are defenseless. Due to this, all our troubles and worries are manifested in our slumber. It could be work-related stress, a divorce or maybe death of a loved one. On the contrary, most people believe that night panic attacks have something to do with our dreams, like nightmares. The truth is that dreams have absolutely nothing to do with it. Dreams occur in the REM (Rapid Eye Movement) state, research shows that sufferers have not experience panic attack while dreaming.

Besides the psychological and emotional factors, medical conditions can also lead to middle of the night panic attacks. Hyperthyroidisms, Hypoglycemia, Mitral valve prolapse are triggering factors of panic attacks at night.

What is more, people who suffered from heart attacks and strokes are often suffers from night panic attacks as well. This is because, they frequently fear of dying whilst sleeping, which then lead to panic attacks.

To determine if what you have are symptoms of night panic attacks, here are some of the common signs and symptoms that are seen in panic attack sufferers.

- intense fear

- increase heart rate

- trembling

- sweating

- light- headedness or dizziness

- numbness

- tingling sensations

- shortness of breaths

- feelings of being choked

- distorted or disturbed thoughts

- tingling sensations

When you have some of these, it is best that you will deal with them the right way. You can start off by recognizing that panic attacks indeed happened. After that, accept the situation, then; observe how your whole body reacts. When in a panic state, our body, thoughts and feelings react simultaneously. To calm your nerves, take a slow deep breath, repeat this until you feel that you are in control of the situation.

Moreover, it would also help to avoid caffeine and alcohol several hours before hitting the sack.

What are Night Panic Attacks?

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 15:53:15 +0000

Night panic attacks have sent many people over the edge. They often find themselves awaken with an intense feeling of terror, profusely sweating, and heartbeat pounding off their chests that they can almost hear every beatings. This medical disorder is a severe form of anxiety and stress wherein nocturnal sufferers find it hard to get a good night’s sleep.

Contrary to the beliefs of many, panic attacks at night are not at all related to dreams. Dreams occur in REM (Rapid eye movement) stage and research shows that nighttime terrors often happen in the early phase of the sleep cycle. These terror attacks are linked to stress and anxieties from the day’s events that you brought with you on the bed. More often than not, the person expressed his worries and concerns through sleeping.

Although symptoms of nocturnal panic attacks differ from person to person, most sufferers commonly experience feelings of being choke, breathlessness, profuse sweating, rapid heartbeats, dizziness, and their thoughts are disturbed.

The factors that trigger intense anxiety attacks vary from individual to individual. Causative factors have been associated with extreme stress that occurred during the day, it could be stress at work, exams coming up, divorce, death of a loved one, major changes in life, etc.

Another reason for nighttime panic attacks is the fear of dying in sleep. According to research, people who suffered from stroke or heart attack suffer from nocturnal terror attacks.

Loss of sense of control is also a known triggering factor that may lead to severe anxiety attacks at night. Many sufferers have irrational beliefs that being asleep means they are defenseless and vulnerable. Though it sounds absurd, to them it is real.

The initial step in conquering this problem is the awareness that indeed you are experiencing panic attacks. When you woke up in intense terror, try to calm yourself down and take a few deep breaths. Avoid mulling over it, instead accept what had happened. By doing that, it will help subside the after effects of the panic attacks.

Psychotherapy and cognitive behavioral therapy are effective treatments that deal with anxiety attacks. It helps the sufferers to come to terms with their irrational thoughts and also teach them relaxation techniques.

When you are in your proper frame of mind, determine the root cause of your panic attacks, and then deal with it head-on. Aside from that, it would also help if you avoid caffeine and alcohol, which can also trigger some anxiety attacks.

It is important that you control your nighttime terror attacks, because if not, it will control you.

What is the Relation Between Anxiety and Insomnia?

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 18:41:23 +0000

It is in the hours when your body is set to sleep that the pressures of your world are supposed to be taken off, just as you take off your garments, and left for your waking hours. For some, this disrobing never happens. Night hours are a cruel blend of anxiety and insomnia, and those who suffer find their lives overtaken by stress and fatigue.

Anxiety disorder and insomnia are thought of in medical terms as cause and effect: one operates as a catalyst and the other affects overall health. Some people, however, have not been able to agree on which is the cause and which is the effect.

Anxiety is a nervous disorder in which a person can feel apprehensive, helpless, tense, uncertain and fearful. There is no one known cause for anxiety, and a person can legitimately be feeling tension about several things at once. Stressful home life, volatile relationships and demanding jobs are usually primary focuses during bouts of anxiety. The person experiencing anxiety and insomnia has an unhealthy preoccupation with the worst possible outcomes of a bad event, either in the past or in the future.

Concentrating so much on things that are not happening any longer or things that have not yet happened can cause many changes in the body. Some of the physical symptoms that accompany depression anxiety and insomnia include: headaches, a racing heart, sweating, twitches and tremors, diarrhea or urination, dizziness and shortness of breath.

Anxiety and insomnia treatment can start with some self-help strategies that are intended to bring more balance to your lifestyle. You can start addressing anxiety and insomnia by not taking on more than you can handle and asking for help when you need it. Although these things are the last things many people want to do, they are the things that can help save your life. You should also make sure that you take care of yourself physically and take time each day to perform a relaxation ritual.

Anxiety and insomnia do not have to rule your life or shut you down. If your self-help strategies do not work for you, then it may be necessary to find professional help – either a medical doctor who can help you find the physical causes or a therapist who can help you iron out the emotional causes.

Therapists use two methods of treatment to address the connections between anxiety and insomnia: cognitive-behavioral therapy, which helps you to confront negative thought patterns and exposure therapy, which helps you confront your fears.