Nocturnal anxiety

[dragonstitcher]

My 12yo DD has started getting feelings of anxiety when she is in bed. She comes downstairs while H and I are watching a film and says that everything is going too fast.

I used to suffer from the same thing when I was younger than her. My Mum would tell me don't be silly, you just had a dream and send me back to bed. I suffered for years, not knowing what was the matter with me. Of course, I now know that it was anxiety attacks. I don't want my DD to go through the same.

I have told her that it is a panic attack. I advise her to concentrate on breathing slowly and to focus on each breath, and try to think of something nice until sleep comes back.

I'm worried that I'm not doing enough. It is difficult to help her because H is not sympathetic or tolerant and is impatient about have his movie interupted. He doesn't understand anxiety and panic attacks having never had one.

My daughter who is 11 now... suffered from these for about a year from about 9 to 10 years old..and it happened most nights...asking her was everything ok at school (never a problem), was she worried about anything etc, we reassured her every night and taught her breathing exercises, sat with her and almost nursed her to sleep..all to no avail ..we felt useless. I understood her totally as I suffer panic attacks sometimes and did not want my daughter to suffer. However how she overcome them was we realised that if she was more tired when she went to bed,( as we discoverd she never had them on late nights like weekends) then the better she slept and did not come down the stairs again panicing and stressed. So we pushed her bedtime back gradually making sure she still had enough sleep though, as she was more tired going to bed she usually went straight to sleep and i think maybe she had better sleep too. She had been going to bed at 8.30 and now she goes at 10.00 and all is well. I hope yur daughters problem is as easily solved by this wish someone had advised me as she suffered a whole year and they went away as quickly as they appeared. Hope this helps and good luck with her you and your family have my sympathies. Let us know how you get on.

Get her some rescue remedy to squirt on her tongue when she feels like this. It does help and also if she feels like there's a cure it can help stop the circle of anxiety iyswim.

i used to get hyper anxious at about that age (well maybe about 7/8).... at the time i was worrying about a nuclear war, think it was in the news alot around that time.
She is not watching the news and stressing about what she is seeing? I remember being to embarrassed to tell my parents why i was scared.

I did the same Fordfiesta but it wasn't nuclear war I'd lie there trying to imagine nothing, if there were no trees etc, etc and it's impossible to imagine and it used to freak me out!

I get this sometimes, deep breathing and distraction help. So in my case I get dh to talk to me about something, anything....

Maybe go and sing some sort of lullaby for her?