Sleep apnea/panic attack question… PLEASE HELP ME!?
I wake up and my heart is beating soooo fast, i start sweating and i feel like i’m going to faint. I feel that if the situation got any worse i would literally die, is this sleep apnea or a panic attack? I only awake from sleep with these symptoms, i never have them when i’m awake through out the day.
Tagged with: heart • panic attack • sleep • sleep apnea
Filed under: Sleep Apnea Symptoms
My personal opinion, from my experience, is that sleep apnea can’t be discovered by the patient. He stops breathing in sleep, then he wakes up just to breathe again. After that, he will sleep again, in seconds, without knowing what is happening to him.
However, you realized your problem, consciously.
And another thing…If you have sleep apnea you should always be tired during the day…very, very tired. You will want to sleep all the day, no matter where you are.
So, if you are not very tired during the day, you don’t have sleep apnea.
I hope it helps!
def. minor panic attacks go tell your doctor.
sleep apnea is what my dad has
he stops breathing for a little bit scares the living hell out of me
That does sound like sleep apnea. You need to go to the doctor—sleep apnea damages the heart.
Panic attack maybe. I had them all the time as a child (and a handful of times as an adult). It’s entirely treatable. See your doctor for a better definite diagnosis.
i have a friend who has a sister who has the same problem. i would go see a doctor about it. Remember the power of the mind can rule you if you let it. are you releasing everything like grudges or problems from your mind?
see a doctor
Go tell your doctor. I used to be like that too, not every night but in a panic, sweating, heart beating out of my chest. It could be sleep apnea, I have sleep apnea but I don’t use a c-pap machine. I use nothing at all and I’ve had sleep apnea for over 10 years. I don’t use a c-pap because I’m claustrophobic. Tell your doctor immediately.
Night terrors maybe. Sleep apnea doesn’t cause a panic, and panic attacks don’t usually happen right after waking up.
Sleep apnea seems to be an unlikely culprit for what you are experiencing, mostly because sleep apnea is noticed by relatives or others living in the same home because of the snoring, or stopping of breathing, that occurs during sleep. Generally the first symptom a person with sleep apnea notices is that they are extremely tired during the day.
I know that during a true panic attack a person does feel as though if the "situation got any worse (they) would literally die." However, the fact that this only occurs during the night, does suggest, strongly, that this is some type of sleep disorder.
One sleep disorder that can cause a rapid increase in heart rate and sweating, and tremendous fear is night terrors. It is thought, by many, to only occur in children, but it can occur in people of all ages. I found this about night terrors on my Apple computer’s dictionary, and I believe this exact quote is from Wikipedia:
"A typical night terror episode usually occurs in the first hour of sleep. The child sits up in bed and screams, appearing awake but is confused, disoriented, and unresponsive to stimuli. Although the child seems to be awake, the child does not seem to be aware of the parents’ presence and usually does not talk. The child may thrash around in bed and does not respond to comforting by the parents. The child’s heart rate can escalate during the terror, along with sweating and harsh breathing.
Most episodes last only a few minutes, but they may last up to 3 hours before the child relaxes and returns to normal sleep.
In some cases the night terror could be recalled by the person, depending on age and the nature of the episode."
Night terrors are a type of sleep disorder, they fall under the umbrella, basically, of parasomnia disorders. I would look that up. I would look up all types of sleep disorders, especially on things like http://www.webmd.com and see if anything sticks out to you. Obviously, seeing a doctor as soon as possible is a good idea.
Specifically, in adults, my "apple dictionary" (from Wikipedia) says this about night terrors:
"Though the symptoms of night terrors in adolescents and adults are similar, the etiology, prognosis and treatment are qualitatively different. These night terrors can occur each night if the sufferer does not eat a proper diet, get the appropriate amount of sleep, is enduring stressful events in their life or if they remain untreated. Adult night terrors are much less common, often trauma-based rather than genetic, chronic, and often respond to treatment in the form of psychotherapy and antidepressant medication. There is some evidence of a link between adult night terrors and hypoglycemia (not enough glucose in the bloodstream).
In addition to night terrors, some adult night terror sufferers have many of the characteristics of abused and depressed individuals including inhibition of aggression, self-directed anger, passivity, anxiety, impaired memory, and the ability to ignore pain."
The dictionary I’m using also recommends looking up sleep paralysis.
I would seriously look into this. Sleep is such an important part of your health and happiness. Any feeling of being close to death, increased heart rate, etc. is terrifying and no one should have to suffer from that. Good luck with your search.
Hey, I truly understand how you feel…
The uncomfortable symptoms like sweaty palms, "jelly" legs, extreme alertness, "impending doom" feeling and the fight-or-flight response.
I’ve been there. I’m an ex-victim. Sometimes the deep breathing or distraction techniques doesn’t work – a full-blown panic or anxiety attack happens later.
Sometimes you experience panic attack out of the blue and such.
Do NOT buy Panic Away, Linden Method, EasyCalm or the Panic Puzzle. They do NOT work – I’ve tried them and their solutions are similar – it DOESN’T WORK.
Medications do NOT work – I was under many antidepressants (Prozac, Lexapro, Paxil and Zoloft) and anti-anxiety medications (Ativan, Klonopin, and Xanax) but my condition was the same – no improvement at all.
The only program that really work is The Panic Attack Solution. It’s found by an ex-victim. You can check out his old blog in his official website to read up some useful tips.
But the package is the best – it teaches 17 powerful techniques and the real solution to panic attacks. I’ve bought it and it really helped me – it’s the BEST anti-anxiety package or book I’ve read.
His theory really makes sense and it works effectively!
Check out his official website:
http://www.ThePanicAttackSolution.com