Nighttime pannic

[Anxious256]

I feel really alone,. Have woken in a pannic.

I have that to

Don't despair, get up have a cup of decaf tea, put a lamp on downstairs and read or do a sudoku. Give yourself 45 mins then go back to bed. Normalise and recalibrate before you try to go back to sleep

I sometimes get this. I usually get up, walk around and get a drink then try to distract myself watching tv/online. Hope you're feeling better soon

Thanks it helps to no not alone! I have tried a drink playing card games podcasts and meditation but am still shaking.

I know its the wrong approach but i am really anxious about going to sleepbin case i have a pannic attack. Waking up shaking and unable to breath was really disorrientating. Anything i can do?

Hoping you have slept through. I went to the doctor when it got too bad. Had xanax for 6 days, which broke the cycle. I then moved onto Kalms from Boots.

Just the act of taking them helped, I think

Thanks
I dont feel particularly anxious the rest of the time but did have a pannic at 3 am. Fell back to sleep though. Fdo you think OTC sleep aids may help? Anything else i can do?

The Calm app helps. Try that and OTC remedies

Thanks will look into these. While i have woken up its not like the middle of a pannic attack.

Sorry you're going through this.

I've had bouts of this in the past and whilst it may work for some, getting up and reading or doing a puzzle is simply not an option at my particular level of panic.

My heart pounds out of my chest and I want to burst into tears and run away. I sweat and jitter and feel like I would if I was asked to jump out of a plane or give a speech in front of thousands of people.

The only thing that works for me is drugs - either Mirtazapine or in more drastic cases, Zimovane.

Thanks i have been awake since 1 and have only just calned down enough to post. Who should i speak to to get help?t

I hope you are feeling a bit better now anxious. I have been waking with bad anxiety for the past year, after taking SSRIs for a short period of time ( I am also menopausal though and nighttime anxiety seems pretty common at this stage in life). I am slowing recovering now and some things that have helped are: rhodiola rosea - 400 mg in the morning; herbal teas throughout the day such as cammomile, lemon balm, passion flower etc; L-Theanine and lemon balm capsules at night. Sometimes Holy Basil or Valerian when I wake up in the night. I have just started cbd oil 3 drops twice a day. Also just got some lavender essential oil and put a few drops on my pajama top to breathe in. Its all working but its not a quick fix. Spending time outdoors during the day particularly around nature and exercise help too. I am not taking any prescribed medications but the psychiatrist wants to start me on pregabalin but I am so so scared to try it after my experience with SSRIs. He says I can take it with all the other things I take (except cbd oil I haven't asked about that).
Your next port of call would be your doctor. They should have details of any local mental health helplines/services you can access out of hours should you need to.

There are some good tips about managing anxiety in "The Chemistry of Calm" by Henry Emmons, a recommendation I got from Mumsnet, like most of the other things I am trying!