Panic attack?

[Dede23]

Sorry for the long post!!!
I'm not usually one to post about this kind of thing but I feel I need to.
The other night I felt like I was having what felt like anxiety/panic attack?
I was led in bed and suddenly woke up with the urge to go to the toilet, my heart started racing and I started shaking and I couldn't stop myself, I felt sick and my racing heart beat was honestly scaring me :-( the next day my chest felt super achy and I don't know if it was down to my heart racing and the right feeling I had or if the shaking had anything to do with it as I was tensing up a fair bit.
I just want to know if this was actually a panic attack and if there is anything I can do to help myself through them if it happens again?

Sounds like you gave yourself a fright? Could you have been having a really bad nightmare and that’s what’s triggered it?

Needing to do the toilet urgently, adrenaline surging, heart pumping, shaking, feeling queasy. All sounds like fight or flight. The body getting a scare and preparing to run or defend itself because it’s under attack. Then follows shock. Where you can get a bit shivery and feel sick.

I think I had one once and the uncontrollable shaking us what I most remember. But it happened when I hadn't eaten that day and was freezing cold so I wonder if it could have been low blood sugar. Panic attack seems most likely though.

I don't remember having a nightmare, I just remember waking up with my heart racing and I wasn't sure why!
I can't really remember what I ate/drank that day. I did the worse thing possible and googled my symptoms but they all said possible panic attack.
What a horrible feeling it is!

You can have nocturnal panic attacks - uncued and you just wake up with it. certainly sounds like one - feeling of dread li ked to physical sensations

I have come through a few horrendous panic attacks, my worst ones have involved cramp across my chest/neck and silent migraine symptoms, feeling sick etc. I find the best thing for the worst ones is just to lie down calmly and focus on my breath- breathing in/out from belly, until the discomfort/panic goes. I think, for me, its a build up of tension, when I am under stress and don't move enough. It sounds like adrenaline was involved, drinking a glass of water helps dilute adrenaline, also a walk helps lower cortisol.