Panic attacks during sleep

[GirlfriendofSomi]

Has anyone experienced panic attacks during sleep?
How long did they last?
How did you stop them?
What were they like for you?

I've never had a panic attack while I'm awake.
But I've started getting them during sleep once or twice a month.

I would just like to find out other people's experiences.
No-one I've asked IRL has ever experienced them.

Thank you!

What do you experience when you have them? I ask because I started waking up gasping for breath with my heart racing and have been diagnosed with sleep apnea, where for one reason or another you stop breathing while you're asleep and your body reacts accordingly by waking you up

It always starts with a kind of plummeting feeling in my stomach which spreads to my whole body, like when you're given awful news or something terrible happens. I can only describe it as "blood running cold".

I wake up not able to breathe, heart racing, covered in sweat, with a feeling of absolute terror - not terror like when you've had a nightmare but terror like finding out someone's broken into your house, drained your life savings, killed your dog, and shit in the kettle on the way out. Like all-encompassing, multi-level horror.

Please may I ask - how did you get sleep apenea diagnosed? Did you have to attend a sleep clinic?

Of course! I started wearing a Fitbit and when I woke up after an episode I would check the sleep oxygen graph the next day, which would show a correlation between my episodes and big fluctuations in oxygen levels. If you have Fitbit or apple watch it might be worth checking this out

I went to my NHS GP who dismissed me without referring me for testing 😡 they can refer you to a sleep study to check what's going on but you might have to push for it/ wait a long time. I eventually went private via my work health insurance and saw an Ear/ Nose/ Throat doctor who figured out that my massive tonsils are blocking off my airway at night and causing me to wake up gasping.

Your experience doesn't sound totally dissimilar to mine; sometimes when I fall asleep there is a small animal part my brain that goes "shit shit shit you're dying" which sounds a bit like your plummeting/ terror sensation. I would go to your GP and hopefully they can help you get to the bottom of it. I may not be apnea at all

Thank you, that's really helpful to know. I'm pleased you've managed to get to the bottom of the problem. Do you do anything to address it? I mean, do you wear a mask to help with breathing at night?
I've always been reluctant to get a Fitbit but perhaps I could use one for a few months to try and get some insights.

I will probably need to get my tonsils removed to fix it unfortunately. I'd go see your GP first, and if you struggle to get anywhere with them then using a Fitbit or similar will at least help understand if it is panic attacks or sleep apnea

Did something traumatic happen recently? Bereavement?

Any new medication?

I had similar a few years ago, essentially waking in the early hours in a state of panic.

I (reluctantly) went to a hypnotherapist, who somehow managed to talk to what I can only describe and my subconscious-self, it seemed like a load of expensive BS at the time, but it worked almost instantly never to return.

You might want to consider it.

I had them just after my father passed away, it was horrible, actually felt like I was wakening up having a heart attack. For me the only thing that helped was Escitalopram and bereavement counselling. Thankfully haven't had one in 3 years and am now off the Escitalopram. I would be very prone (if that's the word) to panic attacks when I let my anxiety spiral so I am always very aware of keeping up my mindfulness practices that keep them at bay because when im in an attack all the things they recommend you do (5 things you see/touch etc) just dont work for me. Is there anything going on that you need to get advice for?

How old are you? I got these during menopause. They often, but not always, were a precursor to a hot flush. During the day I had an intense feeling anxiety before a hot flush, but at night I would wake with exactly that lurch you describe.

Thanks for all your replies. I'm turning 40 in a couple of months. There's no new medication recently. Nothing traumatic - like a bereavement - has happened recently. Work's pretty full-on though.

I'm sorry for everyone also experiencing/experienced this, its so horrible