Most people know that panic attacks generally occur during the daytime hours. Yet, you can still suffer from panic attacks while you sleep. There is hope through treatments geared toward panic attacks in the overnight hours. How does one suffer from a panic attack while they sleep?

The person will wake up with symptoms of a panic attack either during the overnight hours or first thing when they wake up in the morning. There is no rhyme or reason why; he or she will just wake up… panicking. They may have chest pains, feel dizzy or be lightheaded. Their heart may be racing and breathing becomes a problem. A person may feel like they need to escape from the setting or they may feel like they are losing control of themselves; perhaps even dying. When a person wakes up to symptoms such as these, it can be a terrifying experience.

What Causes Nighttime Panic Attacks

So what is the treatment for panic attacks when sleeping? Actually, it isn’t that much different than treating them when a person is awake and having panic attacks. The problem with overnight panic attacks is that a person cannot easily identify the stressor that is causing the problem as they can during the daytime hours. Many times nighttime attacks are the result of stress from work or a traumatic situation such as a death in the family, car accident, child-related accident, etc. The thing to remember with any panic attack, day or night, is to stay calm in both mind and body.

How To Prevent Nighttime Panic Attacks – Three Treatments for Panic Attacks When Sleeping

Treatment 1 – Self Massages

Believe it or not, having a self-massage before a person goes to bed is an excellent treatment for panic attacks when sleeping. They should also have a massage first thing in the morning as well. When a person has a massage, their body becomes further relaxed, which allows them to handle stress that creeps up into their sleep whether it’s through dreams or their subconscious.

Treatment 2 – Relaxation Techniques

Another wonderful treatment for panic attacks when sleeping is to perform relaxation techniques that involve breathing deeply. When a person learns how to breathe the correct way, they’ll learn to use the diaphragm rather than their chest. Air should be sucked in slow and deep and expelled in the same way. When a person is able to do this, they’ll focus on their breathing instead of the things that are stresses them out. This treatment for panic attacks when sleeping, when done right before bedtime, allows them to stay relaxed throughout the nighttime hours.

Treatment 3 – Meditation and/or Prayer

A third treatment for panic attacks when sleeping is to meditate or pray before going to bed. Why does this help? This treatment for panic attacks when sleeping helps because the person is much relaxed and in a positive mind frame as they are falling asleep.