Panic attacks right when I wake up in the morning!!

[Dakota11]

I wake up around 7 and freak out for 2 hours. I cry at night because I am afraid of waking up in the morning!!! Does anybody get this and what do you do about it???! I need some words of advice. I hate this feeling!! It's crippling.

[celestw]

i’m sorry you are going through this, remember you are not a victim of your anxiety😔❤️to share similar experience, i feel the same way too, i also get panic attacks at night so it makes me scared to go to sleep, i wake up with anxiety i go to sleep with anxiety it’s a vicious cycle indeed, an app i found pretty helpful is called ‘Rootd’ it has breathing tools and even an anxiety attack button, it’s been helping me these past couple days so i’d recommend you try it out! i suggest using the app multiple times a day it’s really relaxing actually, i wish you the best and remember you aren’t alone!

[Dakota11 in reply to celestw]

Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely be downloading that app. Thank u!

[AnxM in reply to celestw]

Thank you. I have downloaded the app.

[AnxM]

Yes, I’m struggling with this too. I can’t stay asleep for more than 1-3 hours at a time. I wake up in the middle of the night or in the early hours with racing thoughts, heart beating fast, stomach knotted and so overwhelmed I can’t even cry.

A friend recommended something that I was skeptical of - 396hz frequency. I still don’t believe the sound brings healing but the 396hz music sounds soothing- like the music in yoga class. So the last few nights, when i wake up, I immediately grab my phone n play one of these tunes from YouTube. And i breathe slowly and deeply. The monotonous music lulls me back to sleep. I hope it helps you.

[PastelPink20]

That does sound awful. I am sorry you’re experiencing such turmoil and stresses.

My therapist has a story about a patient who experienced a similar thing! She woke up in the middle of panic attack. Like that’s how she woke up.

He recommended when you wake like in the panic attack if you can feel your sheets and remember buying them or focus on the texture and whether or not you like the color - basically a grounding technique, to bring you back from the distractions (anxiety).

Grounding techniques, meditation apps, or self-care for yourself.

*virtual hugs*

Anxiety can be so overpowering and have such an impact on our mind. I hope you find something that helps!!! You’re awesome for searching for help and reaching out.

[AnxM in reply to PastelPink20]

Thanks for sharing the grounding advice.

[Empath74]

Unfortunately yes, I’m very familiar with this. I experience it quite often. I’m unemployed & suffering the worst bout of depression ever. As difficult as it is to even get myself out of bed, the key to relieving these episodes is forcing yourself to stay busy:

-If you’re unemployed like me, find some podcasts that relate to what you’re experiencing & ways to cope. If you ARE employed, podcasts are still a good outlet. Also, focus on your work and when you get home, don’t crawl into bed or curl into a ball on the couch: find some uplifting music: whatever makes you going - pop, rock, techno, etc.

-Exercise: even if it’s only 15 minutes of Cardio. There are tons of great videos on YouTube. Get your body moving and your blood flowing. There is tons of evidence that exercise produces endorphins, making it one of the best antidepressants.

-if you’re not already familiar with it, Google “4-7-8 Breathing Technique.” Sometimes it’s more effective than others but you WILL find some relief, and some is always better than NONE.

-Lastly, go on Pinterest & search for Positive affirmations. There are tons of lists to address various types of challenges you may be experiencing. Not all of them will appeal to you but there are plenty to choose from. Save those. Print them if you can. Review them daily until these affirmations become a part of you & you no longer have to force yourself to believe them.

Don’t give up. I’ve been in the same dark hole for over a year and I’m finally starting to climb out. These techniques haven’t solved all my problems but they’ve given me hope when I didn’t have any. If you haven’t already, you need to identify what is causing these attacks and face them head on. You are NOT alone. Something I try to remind myself is there are others who’ve had it much worse and still found a way to overcome their challenges and find peace & happiness again. If they can do it, so can I - and SO CAN YOU!

[Dakota11 in reply to Empath74]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply. ❤️

[SimonUK]

Hi Dakota, this may sound strange, rude and dismissive but how is your physical health? What is your diet like? are you over weight? Have you had a sugar blood test? The only reason I say this is because when you wake up, your body has gone through a food fast which can drop sugar levels low which can cause the worst anxiety attacks, and continue even after you've eaten because the worry. Now I must stress you need not be overweight to have diabetes, pre-diabetes or low sugars Schedule a blood test with your doctor but with COVID19 you may be waiting for awhile. You can pickup a glucose blood testing kit on Amazon for under £20, if your sugars come back under 4.0 to 4.3 mmol that is enough to cause these attacks. If it is your sugars it's easy to resolve, of its not your sugars then it's panic attacks which is not so easy to resolve. Since your dreading the morning feeling of panic and anxiety, the correct term is your suffering froma agoraphobia which is very common, antidepressants may help as they can adjust the chemicals in the brains but they can only do so much and finding the right tablet and dosage is a long process. If it's not your sugars, then you should aim for some CBT, with Covid19 you will be waiting a long time, or least for a lot of people. I recommend you purchase a reputable CBT book from Amazon or something. It is most likely not your sugars, but if it easy, it's much easier to fix. I've suffered from low sugars and agoraphobia, it's hard to tell the different between a hypo and a panic attack without s trigger.

[AnxM in reply to SimonUK]

Good to know. I’m a healthy weight and hardly consume sugary foods but my family has a strong history of diabetes. Will get it checked out. Thanks for the helpful tip.

[SimonUK in reply to AnxM]

A good test is eating a big meal heavy in carbs, wait 2 hours and then do a prick test, if it's above 7.5 mmol then you need a more reliable test like the hc1b. Also you can do a tasting test, again if that comes back within a range then you know or not if it's the sugars, how are you doing?

[AnxM in reply to SimonUK]

Thanks for asking, Simon. I have a doctor's appointment in a couple of days and I'll ask her for a diabetes test.

Mentally, I'm still struggling everyday, but using mindfulness meditation and getting myself to snap out of my funk to focus on the present moment. It helps, but feels like a full-time maintenance job. I can be doing well the whole day, and then suddenly, everything will come back with a vengeance.

So right now, just putting one foot forward at a time.

How are you doing?

[marsdream]

I am sorry. If you are not seeing a mental health professional, it might help you to see one since you are going through this every morning. I have had one panic attack before and I don't want to go through that again. It was debilitating. I prayed during my panic attack and began to count backwards from 100. It grounded my mind and I felt peace as I prayed to God. I have not had another one since. Try that out and see if it helps you and find a mental health professional if the panic attacks continue.

[Who123]

I literally go through this same thing everyday and it is simply the worst thing ever. I feel for you ❤️