Panic whilst sleeping?

[Bunglefever]

 For about a year and a half now I get these (panic attacks?) when I'm sleeping. I guess thats what they are.

 I'll be in bed, either dozing off or asleep and suddenly I'll wake up with the rushing, horrible sense of "oh s**t!" and I'll pop up out of bed and my heart beats a mile a minute and my head is buzzing and spinning and my chest feels like its being crushed and my stomach gets all in knots like I have to make poops and vomit all at the same time. After 60 seconds or so it calms down, and usually this continues for several hours over and over each time im JUST about to fall asleep.

 Anybody have some insight to this?

[crazygirl1]

Yup this is how I 1st started having panic attacks, only mine included sever nausea.

[Viki]

For the past few weeks I have been like that.
I tried taking Nyquil last night to help me sleep (till I can get into my doctor) and it was the first 8 hour sleep I got in about a month.
What are you doing to try and stop the panic attacks while sleeping?

[Bost124]

i have this normally right before im about to fall asleep..then when it settles ill try to sleep again and still the same thing..iv figured out i have to be really tired to sleep...it seems i have a problem shutting my mind off do you guys worry about stuff right before your about to fall asleep cause thats where i think i go wrong but seems like i can not help it.. if anyone has any ideas or methods how to stop it please feel free to share 

[Viki]

Well I am a list person. So before bed I like to make a menu for the next day,have my cleaning list ready for the next day and my to do list for the next day. If I don't do this I panic about how my day isn't organized and there is no plan.
I find when I wake up gasping for air having some water beside me immdiatly helps calm me down too. Do you have something comforting that you could put on your night stand?
I also like to have a light right by my bed too just incase (I don't do well in a dark closed off room bymyself)
Lavander and chamomile are proven to help calm and sooth the body, maybe try picking up some tea and have tea before bed. (Don't cheap out on lavander tea, some companies put lavander extract which could be toxic)
Those are just some of the things that help me, I hope some helps for you.

[KayTechGirl]

Try breathing methods that help to relax you. Also, think about the good things that happened during the day. These days help to release feel good chemicals in your brain and will also help you to relax. Also, you can try making a list of all the things that you are worried about if you still can't sleep. Then for each of these things, write something that you can do to fix the issue, or write the things that you cannot control on a seperate piece of paper, and ball them up and tell yourself that you are brave enough to let a greater being handle this for you. Try and believe with all your might that things will fall into place regarding the items you cannot control. And then, breathe...and go to sleep. I also suggest exercising a little, something small you can do in the house, a couple hours before bed time to make you more tired when bed time comes. You can also take a hot bath, hot shower or drink a hot drink and/or read a book. All of these things will relax you and slow your body down.

[damonalisa]

I can relate, although my panic attacks happen smack in the middle of the night when I'm sound asleep and boom.. I wake up with a panic.  They don't happen often, however when they do it's usually when I'm hot, or when my nose is blocked and I can't breathe.
My family doctor told me that my sleep apnea triggers the panic attacks and so I'm trying to use my CPAP machine regularly. 
When I'm in the midst of a panic attack, usually opening all the lights and trying to get some fresh air helps me.  Sometimes even stepping outside (despite cold weather) will do the trick.  2 nights ago I had a big one, whereby I literally had to go outside in my car and drive a little. 

I'm currently 7 months pregnant and so I will discuss this with my OB-GYN and get a referral in psychiatry as they do have a post-partum department.  I'm a little concerned if the attacks continue after birth. 

[coeus]

I too used to have panic attacks immediately after I woke up. These weren't full-fledged panic attacks but rather heart palpitations that caused me to believe that something was wrong and was incredibly frightening every time I woke up. Similarly, it would only last for about a minute or so and I'd either get up or doze right back to sleep.

One of the key things that helped me alleviate these panic attacks was pinpointing what exactly triggered it. For me, one of the precipitating factors was that I would be usually waking up to head off to work of which I hated (the workplace, that is). To address it, I used mindfulness meditation before I went to sleep to observe any thoughts or thoughts of dread I'd have, particularly that about work and after a week or so, the panic attacks subsided completely.

The mind is extremely complex and at times, it can seem that your mind is the enemy when in fact, our minds are our friends. If we work hard enough to be open to our experiences and sensations, our mind will follow.

Hope this helps!

[Sarii83]

I definitely have had these and still get them on occasion. For me, since I'm a girl, I notice it happens around my period and/or when I'm severely stressed (which is most of the time). Haha. I've noticed it happens 45 min to an hour after drifting off. It can happen anywhere from 1-4 times before I finally fall asleep and stay asleep. A lot of times I shoot up in bed with the same feelings you have described, but I run into another room. I don't usually realize I ran into another room until I get there. That's how panicked I am. Out of ALL the panic attacks, I feel like these are the worst. I really hate them and I can empathize with you. Trying to lower your stress and cutting back on sugar has significantly helped me. No pop, candy, chocolate, sweets, etc. Especially before bed. That's the only thing I've found to help me

Lorazapam, obviously works, but is highly addictive and I've experienced worse anxiety coming off of it than if I hadn't have used it. I don't recommend it, but it does do the trick to knock you out.