Middle of the night panic attcks

[buffalo-marie]

Two weeks post ER visit I am still suffering. I thought I was having heart attack. My pulse 153 a minute! Doctors gave me a clean bill of health. She said my heart was perfect and I was just dehydrated and had a panic attack. Two weeks later I am still fighting off constant anxiety. I have been waking up in the middle of the night with a rapid heart beat. It wakes me up or it’s me checking and then getting a rapid heart rate. Whatever it is it’s so scary. I have been doing all the right thing. Eating right, resting, going to yoga, going to work, seeing friends, seeing a therapist, gave up coffee, drinking tons of water but still drinking alcohol, I read DARE but still the rapid heart persists which really keeps me in the anxiety loop. Anyone have this middle of the night panic attack? This is new for me and seemingly the worst I have ever been. Usually when the doctor tells me I am fine I click out of the loop. I am desperate for relief. Thank you.

[Hidden]

Hi.

Sorry to hear of your struggles. Anxiety is truly a horrible thing..I suffered a lot with panics and palpitations, eventually I was given some medication bisoprolol to calm the palpitations down...it sounds like you are doing well with the healthy lifestyle things...one thing you mention is alcohol, and I had to mostly stop drinking alcohol because palpitations would be bad when I had a drink...also anxiety much worse,,,alcohol can make us dehydrated too

See if not drinking alcohol helps..it did help me...

Don’t be afraid to go back to your dr if symptoms persist ..

Good wishes xx

[buffalo-marie in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Do you still take the bisoprolol?

[Hidden in reply to buffalo-marie]

I do yes..x

[Miniwheats]

Maybe you just need more time to work with your therapist and calm your nerves. Two weeks is really not alot of time to get over it despite the fact you seem to be doing everything right. You may have bounced back quicker from such issues in the past but I don't think you should compare yourself to that standard. Anxiety builds on itself after each event and it takes longer to recover each time, until you finally deal with the underlying cause. Your therapist will help you figure that one out, and it could very well be just the current heart symptom that is causing it and you just need to accept it for now and believe that it will come down on its own. The thing with heart rate is that it is directly related to the stress response...you are not dealing with some obscure symptom that "might" be related to anxiety - it IS 100% related to anxiety! ( Google "HPA axis" and " sympathetic nervous system" for an explanation). And yes you need to give alcohol the boot because it's a short term relaxant but long term stimulant which is the last thing you need right now... Try listening to Claire Weekes audiobook "Freedom from Nervous Suffering" where she explains why acceptance is the key to ending the viscous circle of anxiety. 🙂

[buffalo-marie in reply to Miniwheats]

Thank you so much! Alcohol is a struggle. It’s true I do need to give it up. It feels like such a big part of my social/family life. I am two days without and feeling a bit better. Last night I had a bit of a panic attack at my son’s basketball game but I was able to get myself under control with a little walking around and self talk. It’s is such a strong cycle to break.

[Hidden in reply to buffalo-marie]

I’m no medic but alcohol defo doesn’t help at all, and could cause night panics..it made me feel awful..

It’s not easy to give anything up far from it but it really improves things for me xx