Waking up in sweats, short of breath, anxiety ridden

[QuietTimePlease]

Lately, I've been waking up in full blown panic attack mode. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this problem? When I feel a panic attack coming on while I'm awake, I can plan, do some relaxation/breathing exercises, and get to a safe place to reduce the effects. But when I'm sleeping, I can't prepare, I can't stop it, I wake up sweating, shaking, feeling nauseous, feeling dizzy, and all other nasty panic attack symptoms. I wonder if I might have some other sort of disorder, like sleep apnea or something?  Does anyone else out there with anxiety disorder wake up in full blown panic attack?

[Cuchculan]

We have read many similar posts over the years. So you are far from alone on this one. Case of what to do once you do wake up like this. If it was me. I would get out of bed. Hold my breath. Walk across to the other side of the bedroom. Let the breath back out. Take another breath. Hold it. Walk back across the room. This at least will slow the breathing down. Small exercise you can try. You may be there alone in your room. So you have no fears of anybody wondering ' what on earth are they up to '. Just all about trying to calm back down. And that is just one method I used to use a lot. Playing football. When you would be run into the ground. And you need to calm back down. It never let me down at all. Nothing to lose by trying it out.

[cala lily]

Hi there,

You are definitely not alone.  I have woken up several times in a panic, sweating and everything.  I dont have it every morning but when I do it is panic for sure.   When I do get it instead of trying to go back to sleep I just get up and walk around and sometimes getting a drink of water helps me to calm down.  Someone has told me that the reason why we panic in the mornings or our anxiety is heightened is because the rise of cortisol levels in your body.   The higher the cortisol levels the more our anxiety increases.  I don't know the full meaning behind it but that is what I heard.  Also, just remember it just panic and nothin else like sleep apnea or something as it only happens in the morning for you.  I hope that they subside for you and you will get better. 

Take Care
Cala Lily

[Mas3rati89]

Lately, I've been waking up in full blown panic attack mode. Is this normal? Does anyone else have this problem? When I feel a panic attack coming on while I'm awake, I can plan, do some relaxation/breathing exercises, and get to a safe place to reduce the effects. But when I'm sleeping, I can't prepare, I can't stop it, I wake up sweating, shaking, feeling nauseous, feeling dizzy, and all other nasty panic attack symptoms. I wonder if I might have some other sort of disorder, like sleep apnea or something?  Does anyone else out there with anxiety disorder wake up in full blown panic attack?

Hi i just found this forum from googling, and just wanna input my thoughts due to my recent experience. I have developed very bad anxiety this past year and a half and finally went to the doctor for help and was prescribed 25 mg of sertraline. I had just started taking sertraline 2 days ago, but just as of now have woken up with the same symptoms as you, bursted in full body sweat, shaking, nauseous, dizzy, hungry, and panicky. Did a quick google search and found out that sertraline induces hypoglycemia which are the symptoms i have incurred, basically it is low sugar content in your blood. Im not too sure how relevant this is to you and i could be wrong, but this is just my experience i wanted to share.

[angielee]

I have anxiety and sometimes panic in the mornings. My personal explanation is that in the mornings I would tend to have a lot of negative thoughts like well I'm here with nothing to do all day, I'm going to be so bored, then it turns to I don't have any friends, then I don't have really much family, and worse....you get the point. And over a period of time these thoughts started to turn into morning anxiety to the point I started waking up with these feelings.  Hope that makes since. So I have made it a point to wake up and talk positive to myself even if I don't feel it. It seems to be working some. I have doing better in the mornings lately.