Sleep Panic Attacks
A colleague of mine who used to suffer dreadful night time panic attacks, said that not only was she often too afraid to go to sleep, but too frightened to go upstairs to bed at all. This poor girl had to literally force herself to get into bed. A male client had to watch the television or listen to the radio until he fell asleep, because he constantly felt as though he would not wake up from his slumber and die in his sleep.
Although only half of all panic attacks occur whilst the sufferer is asleep, over fifty percent of people who experience daytime panic attacks will also suffer nightime attacks. Panic attacks during sleep hours are especially unpleasant because the sufferer often feels more vulnerable than in daylight hours and may even feel as though they are overwhelmed and powerless to react when the attacks strike. They also have an irrational fear of suffering a heart attack, stroke or some other cause of death. Fortunately, this is not likely to happen, although that does not make the fear for the victim any less frightening.
As is the case with daytime attacks, night attacks happen out of the blue and without warning, although they do usually follow a trigger. This trigger could be verbal, visual, or simply just a reaction to a chain of events, either way a panic attack is our bodys way of protecting us from perceived danger. The mind will react to the threat as though it were real and prepare our body to either flee from the danger or stand its ground and fight. Unfortunately, this is no consolation for the individual who is experiencing the shortness of breath and the increased heart rate that accompany a panic attack.
If the body did not exhibit these symptoms, there would be no release from the pressure of the situation and the result would probably be even more stressful than the panic attack itself.
Many people believe that panic attacks during sleep are a form of nightmare, but this is not the case. Most attacks occur during the early phase of the sleep pattern, whereas dreams occur during the latter part, which is why we are so often able to remember the events or our dreams or nightmares.
Of course, if we do not sleep restfully, we will be unable to perform any of our usual daytime activities to our fullest capabilities. Our concentration as well as our energy levels will be significantly reduced and over time the lack of sleep will quickly escalate into a potentially serious situation. If the situation is not resolved fairly quickly, co-ordination, balance and general well being will also feel the negative impact associated with sleep deprivation.
Medication is available that can control panic attacks at night, however, some people prefer to use medication as a last resort. Relaxing the mind during the day and practising relaxation techniques, will help to center and focus the mind and the attacks will become less frequent as the stress levels come down.
