What Are Sleep Panic Attacks?
Panic attacks are not limited to the daytime. Many people also suffer from sleep panic attacks. A sudden awakening in the dark- unable to catch a breath, muscle spasms, and a heart racing so you feel as if you are suffering from a heart attack. While it may feel as if it lasts for hours, sleep panic attacks usually last about ten minutes. The terror and helplessness you felt, however, stay with you until the early morning hours.
Nocturnal or Sleep Panic attacks
Nocturnal or sleep panic attacks should not be confused with having a nightmare. Studies have shown that nocturnal panic attacks occur during non-REM sleep while dreaming occurs during the REM stage of sleep. The same triggers that cause the onset of a daytime panic attack work on your subconscious at night too. Experts are at a loss to say exactly what causes panic attacks but they have very strong theories which include lifestyle choices, chemical imbalances in the brain, and learned behavior.
So, what can you do about them? Firstly, a complete physical examination should be carried out to rule out any other conditions that may cause similar reactions to panic attacks. The most common condition that is confused with nocturnal panic attacks is sleep apnea. This is the lack of air reaching your lungs because soft muscle tissue is blocking the airway while you are asleep. This causes pauses in breathing which interrupts a sound sleep. This disorder can cause symptoms similar to nocturnal panic attacks but it is a different condition altogether.
Managing Sleep and Panic Attacks
Once this, or any other physical cause has been ruled out, healthcare providers will look at your lifestyle choices. Habits that encourage sleep will be introduced – no coffee or alcohol in the later part of the day, no TV in the bedroom, and vigorous exercise before bed (except for sex, which produces endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are happy chemicals, so this is good). Herbal teas can be effective relaxants so a cup before bedtime can be beneficial. After this stage, treatment strategies are the same as those for day panic attacks. If the attacks are frequent, a sedative may be prescribed as a stop-gap measure. While taking sedatives is not ideal as they can be addictive and the sleep they induce is not quality sleep, at the beginning some sleep is better than none. The effects of a constant lack of sleep on our physical and mental health can be devastating.
Effective Treatments for Panic Attacks
A more favorable approach is that of cognitive behavioral therapy. This is where firstly thinking processes are modified which in turn leads to a change in behaviour. This approach is very successful but is not immediate – it can take weeks or months before there are results. The most successful treatment is that which follows a plan drawn up by your health care provider. The best results have been obtained by a combination of all of the points we have discussed so far. What is important to know is that no one suffers from panic attacks – daytime or nighttime. They are curable.