Help for Sleep Panic Attacks

<h1>Help for Sleep Panic Attacks</h1>Author: <a title="Emma Hudson" href="http://www.articlesbase.com/authors/emma-hudson/271984.htm">Emma Hudson</a> If you suffer from daytime panic attacks, chances are you will also have experienced nocturnal episodes. Waking suddenly with a racing heart, shortness of breath, spasms and feeling sheer terror – sound familiar? While the attack may only last ten minutes or so, you are unable to sleep again until the early hours of the morning - maybe an hour or so before you have to get up and face another day. Nocturnal or sleep panic attacks should not be confused with having a nightmare. They are a continuation of what haunts you during the day – anxiety. The same triggers that cause the onset of a daytime panic attack work on your unconscious at night too. Experts are at a loss to say exactly what causes panic attacks but they have very strong theories which include lifestyle choices, chemical imbalances in the brain and learned behaviour. So, what can you do about them? The first step is to get a complete physical examination. The first thing doctors will want to rule out is that you are not suffering from sleep apnea which is when not enough air can get into your lungs while you are sleeping. This causes pauses in breathing which interrupts a sound sleep. This disorder can cause symptoms similar to nocturnal panic attacks but it is a different condition altogether. Once this, or any other physical cause has been ruled out, health care providers will look at your lifestyle choices.  Habits which encourage sleep will be introduced – no coffee or alcohol in the later part of the day, no TV in the bedroom, no vigorous exercise before bed (except for sex, which produces endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are happy chemicals, so this is good). Herbal teas can be effective relaxants so a cup before bedtime can be beneficial. From this point, the treatment follows the same plan as that for daytime panic attacks. If the attacks are frequent, a sedative may be prescribed as a stop gap measure.  While taking sedatives is not ideal as they can be addictive and the sleep they induce is not quality sleep, at the beginning some sleep is better than none. The effects of a constant lack of sleep on our physical and mental health can be devastating. A more favourable approach is that of cognitive behavioural therapy. This is where firstly thinking processes are modified which in turn leads to a change in behaviour. This approach is very successful but is not immediate – it can take weeks or months before there are results. The most successful treatment is that which follows a plan drawn up by your health care provider. The best results have been obtained by a combination of all of the points we have discussed so far. What is important to know is that no-one need suffer from panic attacks – daytime or nightime. They are curable.    About the Author: Emma Hudson is a panic attack expert. For more information on<a href="http://www.panicattackneedtoknow.com/sleep-panic-attacks/"> help for sleep panic attacks</a>, visit <a href="http://www.panicattackneedtoknow.com">
<a target="_blank" href="http://www.panicattackneedtoknow.com">http://www.panicattackneedtoknow.com</a></a>.Article Source: <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/">ArticlesBase.com</a> - <a href="http://www.articlesbase.com/sleep-articles/help-for-sleep-panic-attacks-1460767.html" title="Help for Sleep Panic Attacks">Help for Sleep Panic Attacks</a>

If you suffer from daytime panic attacks, chances are you will also have experienced nocturnal episodes. Waking suddenly with a racing heart, shortness of breath, spasms and feeling sheer terror – sound familiar? While the attack may only last ten minutes or so, you are unable to sleep again until the early hours of the morning - maybe an hour or so before you have to get up and face another day.

Nocturnal or sleep panic attacks should not be confused with having a nightmare. They are a continuation of what haunts you during the day – anxiety. The same triggers that cause the onset of a daytime panic attack work on your unconscious at night too. Experts are at a loss to say exactly what causes panic attacks but they have very strong theories which include lifestyle choices, chemical imbalances in the brain and learned behaviour.

So, what can you do about them? The first step is to get a complete physical examination. The first thing doctors will want to rule out is that you are not suffering from sleep apnea which is when not enough air can get into your lungs while you are sleeping. This causes pauses in breathing which interrupts a sound sleep. This disorder can cause symptoms similar to nocturnal panic attacks but it is a different condition altogether.

Once this, or any other physical cause has been ruled out, health care providers will look at your lifestyle choices. Habits which encourage sleep will be introduced – no coffee or alcohol in the later part of the day, no TV in the bedroom, no vigorous exercise before bed (except for sex, which produces endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are happy chemicals, so this is good). Herbal teas can be effective relaxants so a cup before bedtime can be beneficial.

From this point, the treatment follows the same plan as that for daytime panic attacks. If the attacks are frequent, a sedative may be prescribed as a stop gap measure. While taking sedatives is not ideal as they can be addictive and the sleep they induce is not quality sleep, at the beginning some sleep is better than none. The effects of a constant lack of sleep on our physical and mental health can be devastating.

A more favourable approach is that of cognitive behavioural therapy. This is where firstly thinking processes are modified which in turn leads to a change in behaviour. This approach is very successful but is not immediate – it can take weeks or months before there are results.

The most successful treatment is that which follows a plan drawn up by your health care provider. The best results have been obtained by a combination of all of the points we have discussed so far. What is important to know is that no-one need suffer from panic attacks – daytime or nightime. They are curable.

Emma Hudson is a panic attack expert. For more information on help for sleep panic attacks, visit http://www.panicattackneedtoknow.com.

Rate this Article:

0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s)

Re-Publish

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sleep-articles/help-for-sleep-panic-attacks-1460767.html

Article Tags: Panic Attacks, Sleep Panic Attacks

Related Videos
Related Articles
Ask / Related Q&A

Play

The Effect of Panic Attacks on the Body

Play

Rock Band 2: Panic Attack

Play

Rock Band - Panic Attack by Dream Theater

Play

Rock Band - Panic Attack by Dream Theater

Play

Rock Band 2 - Panic Attack Guitar & Drums Gold-Stars

Latest Sleep Articles
More from Emma Hudson

Overweight People Suffer More Severe Sleep Apnea

By: Aviisha Staff | 05/12/2009
People who are overweight suffer more serious health issues than those who are of a normal body weight according to their height. However, recent studies show that obese people may suffer from Obstructive Sleep Apnea more severely than those who are not experiencing weight issues.

Understanding diabetes dianosis tests

By: anthony turner | 04/12/2009
Understanding diabetes dianosis tests: One would think that the prevalence of diabetes today would make it easy to recognise those who suffer from it.

What Causes Snoring and How to Stop It? – Snore Treatments

By: Glenn Kneeland | 04/12/2009
So what causes snoring and how to stop it with snore treatments? Many people are desperate to stop their sleeping snoring condition but just do not have the right knowledge to do it correctly. If you are interested to treat it properly, you will want to understand exactly what causes it in the first place and why it happens on certain nights and not others for yourself. I used to think that I have no control of my snoring condition until I decided to do further online research and eventually...

Cure For Bruxism - Charles Harrison Cure For Bruxism Review

By: Dave Moore | 04/12/2009
Teeth grinding or clinically known as bruxism affects a lot of people. This condition can be very damaging to your teeth, mouth and jaw; it can also trigger problems associated with an individual’s mood. Cure For Bruxism, which is written by Charles Harrison, will enable an individual who suffers from this disorder to get rid of bruxism by using natural treatments and techniques plus exercises that will retrain your mind and body in order to stop a person from teeth grinding at night.

Cure For Bruxism - How To Stop Grinding Your Teeth

By: Dave Moore | 04/12/2009
Studies have shown that twenty percent of adults grind their teeth during the night. The grinding of the teeth is also referred to as bruxism which can be caused by stress. The habit of teeth grinding is believed to be hereditary and it is also related to gender. It was discovered that there are three times as many women as men grind their teeth.

Cure For Bruxism - Sleep Bruxism Treatment

By: Dave Moore | 04/12/2009
Teeth grinding that is usually accompanied by the clenching of the jaw is clinically referred to as bruxism. In simple terms, it is the act of knowing or unknowingly gritting your teeth either during the day or while you sleep. Due to the fact that this condition affects both the teeth and all of the structure close to it, including the head, bruxism is considered to be a medical and a dental problem as well. This article intends to discuss about the symptoms and sleep bruxism treatment.

Cure To Stop Snoring Permanently

By: Pete Mare | 03/12/2009
About 35% of adults suffer from habitual snoring and reasearch found an increased susceptibility to snoring as age increases. Snoring is known to cause sleep deprevation and it can cause significant psychological and social damage to sufferers. Earplugs may have been the only non-pharmacological treatment until now.

Know your salmon

By: Evely Waugh | 03/12/2009
Today salmon is the name of many species of fish belonging to the family Salmonidae. Consumers should know that other fish of this family are known as trout. Consumers will find the difference in the lives of salmon and trout as salmon carries a migratory life than the residential behaviour of trout. Consumers should know that salmon lives in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, and Great Lakes. Salmon are anadromous as born in fresh water, migrating to the ocean and later returns to the fresh

Diagnosing Generalized Anxiety Disorder

By: Emma Hudson | 03/12/2009 | Mental Health
Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) is the most common of the six different types of anxiety disorder. It is estimated to affect about 5% of Americans at some point in their life. In any given year, nearly seven million American adults have GAD.

Sleep Panic Attacks and Alcohol

By: Emma Hudson | 03/12/2009 | Sleep
You’ve had a hard day at work and look forward to getting home, putting your feet up and opening a bottle of wine or having a scotch on the rocks or two. Well, you have just made your first mistake. If you are prone to panic attacks and anxiety, then unfortunately, drinking alcohol is the worst thing you can do

Home Remedies for Panic Attacks – As Simple as a Cup of Tea?

By: Emma Hudson | 28/11/2009 | Alternative Medicine
Can a cup of tea cure panic attacks? No, definitely not. But a cup of the right tea can help both in the prevention of a panic attack as well as getting over the stress of having had one. Herbal teas can soothe the nervous system.

Anxiety Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents

By: Emma Hudson | 26/11/2009 | Teenagers
Because adolescence is a time of mood swings and angry outbursts followed by tearful withdrawals, it is very difficult to tell if your teenager is just being a typical adolescent or if their behavior is indicative of a bigger problem. Quite often, anxiety disorders in children and teenagers are overlooked.

Panic Attack Therapy – To Medicate or Not to Medicate

By: Emma Hudson | 26/11/2009 | Mental Health
Whether medication is necessary in the treatment of panic attacks is still up for debate. While some believe very strongly that no drugs are needed, others maintain that the use of them has its place. A new study by the National Institute of Mental Health in Maryland, however, seems to support the latter view.

Teens and Anxiety Disorder

By: Emma Hudson | 24/11/2009 | Teenagers
Some teenagers make it through adolescence with only an odd crisis here and there. Others, however, find the going a lot tougher and are at higher risk of developing an anxiety disorder.

Panic Attack Symptom - It's a Matter of the Heart

By: Emma Hudson | 20/11/2009 | Diseases & Conditions
While different people may have different symptoms when experiencing a panic attack, there is one they all share – that of the racing heart. It’s the first thing you notice as you become aware of the others.