CURE ANXIETY AND PANIC DISORD

Nocturnal Panic Attacks

Not being able to sleep can actually be quite a traumatic. As a doctor will tell you there are two things that keep us from falling asleep — a worry and or physical discomfort. In your case it is the worry that is keeping you up. Possibly the worry of an anxiety attack as you sleep‚ and the worry of not being able to sleep and how that will affect your performance the following day. It’s a viscous cycle.

The exact causes for nocturnal panic attacks are not known. So what we need to help you do is reduce the frequency of them and if they do happen‚ to come out of them quickly.

We know that most nocturnal panic attacks are not caused by dreams. Records of sleep polysomnographia show a maximum of panic attacks during early sleep phase (phase II)‚ not during the REM–phases associated with dreams. This is a major difference to nightmares. Nightmares happen during the second half of the night‚ so we are often able to remember the content of these dreams.

When awoken with a nocturnal panic attack‚ use my One Move technique and that will drop your anxiety significantly. You will then probably find it takes you some time to get back to sleep as your mind is racing with all the things that could go wrong during the night. Should you find your mind racing and you cannot get back to sleep. Have a journal beside your bed and start to write down all of the symptoms you are feeling.

“I was feeling xxx now I feel yyy” and continue to write until this actually becomes quite a boring exercise and your body and mind will want to return to sleep.

Writing down what you are feeling e.g. “now I feel less tired and eyelids heavy” is a simple tool for preparing your mind in a linear way to wind down and return to sleep. (An advanced form of counting sheep) Don’t be afraid of writing pages and pages of nothing in particular‚ what you are doing is helping the conscious mind release whatever is keeping it wake so it can relax and return to sleep.

It is also important when preparing for bed not to go to bed fearing you might awake with a nocturnal panic attack. Go to bed confident that if one should arise you will deal with it successfully. That way you do not put yourself under pressure to “not to have an anxiety attack”.

If you are overly anxious about not getting a good night sleep then adopt the following attitude:

Each night as you retire say to yourself…

“I am preparing for bed but I will not try and force sleep — if it comes it comes — if not I will not beat myself up over it.”

Every person goes through periods of sleeplessness from time to time it is very natural‚ you may not be aware of why you are experiencing what you do but at the very least you can accept it.

When you wake in the night don’t leave your bed try and stay there‚ getting up and watching television etc takes you further out of the sleep pattern and it is best you stay in bed — reading/writing is fine but always do so lying down as that sends a message to the brain that it really is bed time.

Naturally the best way to get a good nights sleep is a good physical workout each evening. This is very effective as the mind may try and keep you awake but the sheer physical exhaustion will bring sleep on quicker.

The frustration at not being able to sleep is important to surrender. Surrender to what ever may or may not happen during the course of a night and you will sleep naturally. It is the anger and frustration that most often keeps you awake.

More panic attack symptoms‚

Losing Control

During a panic attack‚ because of the symptoms the people are feeling‚ they are prone to believe they are going to “lose control”. This loss of control can be bodily‚ i.e.‚ that all your vital organs will completely lose the run of themselves and descend into chaos‚ or that the individual will mentally lose a grip on reality. Often‚ it is those who hate being socially embarrassed suffer from this fear the most.

Losing control could range from steering your car into an innocent passerby‚ or picking up a knife and killing the nearest and dearest person to you (not that we all don’t think of this from time to time!).

Put your mind at rest! As scary as those thoughts may be‚ you are not going to commit any of these acts. Relax. The reason you are experiencing them is because your body feels out of control with the panic attack symptoms. Your mind feels that if your body is out of control‚ it is next on the list.

You are not going to lose it. In fact‚ I am sure that with all the panic attacks you may have experienced in public places‚ nobody even noticed you looked uncomfortable. We are‚ by nature‚ social animals and dread to be seen in some kind of an embarrassing situation. Jumping up from your chair in a business meeting and screaming for an ambulance may go through your mind‚ but it is unlikely to happen. In the end‚ even if we do embarrass ourselves socially‚ does it really matter? We have to learn to be kind to ourselves. So what if we were to cause a scene and great embarrassment? Life is too short to keep up with appearances all the time. In fact‚ the more honest you are with your fears‚ the less pressure you are subjecting yourself under‚ and the more your panic attack symptoms will dissipate.

Panic Attack Symptoms

Passing Out in Public

Panic attack symptoms often include light–headiness‚ which induces fears of passing out or fainting in public. The core fear of passing out in public is that we suddenly become so vulnerable‚ especially if we are alone. Who will look after us as we lie strewn across the sidewalk? We also dread the thought of passing out for fear that we may never wake but fall into a coma. Passing out is caused by a lack of blood to the brain. When we faint‚ the body falls to the ground and allows blood to be easily supplied to the brain — which is‚ again‚ another of the clever safety mechanisms of the body. Quite simply‚ fainting during a panic attack is highly uncommon due to the amount of blood that is being circulated. Your heart is usually beating fast and there is little worry that the brain would be short of fresh supply. The symptoms of dizziness often felt during a panic attack is caused by increased respiration‚ and while it may be confusing for the individual‚ it is harmless and does not lead to fainting.

Heart Attacks

This fear really is a minefield and almost anyone who has suffered from panic attack symptoms at some point will fear for the health of their heart. Let us look at the facts of heart disease and see how this differs from panic attacks.

The major symptoms of heart disease are breathlessness and chest pain‚ as well as occasional palpitations and fainting. Such symptoms are generally related to the amount of physical effort exerted. That is‚ the harder you exercise‚ the worse the symptoms‚ and the less you exercise‚ the better.

The symptoms will usually go away quickly if the individual rests. This is very different to panic attack symptoms. Certainly‚ panic symptoms can occur during exercise‚ but they are different to the symptoms of a heart attack as they occur frequently at rest. Of most importance‚ heart disease will almost always produce major electrical changes in the heart‚ which are picked up very obviously by an EKG. In panic attacks‚ the only change that shows up on the EKG is a slight increase in heartbeat rate.

Sometimes‚ individuals go through a similar worry about their heart as they do with their breathing. People convince themselves that if they worry enough about their heart‚ or concentrate too much upon its actions‚ that it may somehow get confused and forget how to beat correctly. It is quite common for people who suffer from panic attacks to regularly check in on their heart at intervals‚ to make sure it is still beating away.

It is true that‚ mentally‚ we can all affect the pattern of our heartbeats. When you concentrate hard you may notice an irregular beat or two. This is nothing to get upset about. Remember that our bodies have an incredible internal intelligence and simply telling your heart out of panic that it might stop does not mean that it takes any heed of our fears. Learn to become more comfortable with your heart‚ let it do its job. Listen to it when relaxed and also when exercising. The more comfortable you are with the diversity and range of your heartbeats‚ the more confidence you will have in it when it is exerting itself.

If you are worried about heart problems‚ treat yourself to an EKG‚ and put your mind to rest. If you have had an EKG and the doctor has cleared you‚ you can safely assume you do not have heart problems. Also‚ if your symptoms occur at any time and not solely upon exertion‚ this is additional evidence against a heart disorder.

Unreality/Disconnectedness

Of all the panic attack symptoms‚ this is perhaps the least mentioned one in the literature (induced by excessive anxiety). It is the sensation of unreality. Many people become distressed by this sensation and feel they may be losing their mind.

People who experience panic attack symptoms report feeling disconnected from their world‚ or having a sensation of unreality. The sensation is described as if the world has become nothing more than a projection of a film. This sensation is quite distressing as it often leads to the individual believing that some permanent damage has been done to their brain‚ causing these sensations. A typical manifestation of this is when the individual may be having a conversation with someone and suddenly feels alarmingly isolated and removed from the situation. Once the sensation arises it can make such an impact that it takes days to leave the eerie feeling behind and stop thinking about it.

I mention this because the condition is not often spoken about‚ and to reassure those of you who may have experienced this sensation‚ that it is only a side–effect of excessive anxiety and will pass as soon as the body learns to relax. Once the body returns to normal and has the opportunity to dispel some excess chemicals produced by the adrenal glands‚ then this unusual sensation will dissipate. Give it time‚ and these feelings will subside as you move from a life of anxiety to a more tranquil one.

Joe Barry is an international panic disorder coach. His informative site on all issues related to panic and anxiety attacks can be found here: Panic Away

The "Panic Away" Program:
Proof at Last That Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Can be Eliminated for Good

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Do You Suffer from Depersonalization

Depersonalization
Unreality / Depersonalization‚ Derealization

There is a symptom not often mentioned in panic attack literature that I would like to discuss. It is the sensation of unreality‚ this sensation is called depersonalization by psychologists. Many people who experience panic attacks and anxiety attacks become distressed by this sensation and feel they may be losing their mind.

People who experience panic attacks report feeling disconnected from their world‚ or having a sensation of unreality. The sensation is described as if the world has become nothing more than a projection of a film. This sensation is quite distressing as it often leads to the individual believing that some permanent damage has been done to their brain‚ causing these sensations.

A typical manifestation of this depersonalization is when the individual may be having a conversation with someone and suddenly feels alarmingly isolated and removed from the situation. Once the sensation arises it can make such an impact that it takes days to leave the eerie feeling behind and stop thinking about it.

The sensation is caused by delayed perception. While under constant stress or anxiety there is a build up of stress chemicals in your system that causes a delayed response in the transmission of information between neurotransmitter sites in your body. This slight delay between experience and thought can create a momentary sensation of unreality. The same effects are experienced under the influence of marijuana but people do not react with fear in this situation because they are aware it is the drug causing the sensation; it is when the sensation arrives while you are doing your tax returns that things feel a little scary!

I mention depersonalization because the condition is not often spoken about‚ and to reassure those of you who may have experienced this sensation‚ that it is only a side–effect of excessive anxiety and will pass as soon as the body learns to relax. Once the body returns to a normal level of relaxation it then has the opportunity to dispel some excess chemicals.

It is very easy to start imagining all the terrible mental illnesses that this could be but don't worry you haven't caused any damage to yourself you will return to the person you were before depersonalization crept in. You will have to trust me on that.

The quickest way out of this disconnected feeling is to really accept it for the time being and have faith that it will pass shortly. Shrug your shoulders and relax into it. You can take this relaxed attitude to it because you know that you will return to normal when you move out of this period of anxiety. It is a phase you are moving through so be patient with yourself while you are in it.

What really moves people out of this sensation quickest is adopting an attitude that all is well. And it is. These unusual sensations of depersonalization are just a nuisance‚ but it will pass. Not feeling connected to yourself in this manner is solely due to the anxiety in your system and it is then reinforced by your constant checking to see how you are feeling. It is like you are over analyzing yourself all the time and that can make you feel even more strange. I appreciate how uncomfortable it can feel but don't worry about it‚ it will leave.

Don’t let the thoughts sucker you into thinking you are alone and stuck with this feeling of depersonalization all your life. Those thoughts are not valid. The more you can flow along with it and not react the more quickly you will return to feeling more yourself. It takes a little practice but that change in attitude will make a big difference for you.

You will look back in the very near future and wonder what all the fuss was about and that anxious person will seem like the stranger.

The "Panic Away" Program:
Proof at Last That Panic Attacks and Anxiety
Can be Eliminated for Good

Visit Panic Away

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