They say about 50% of people have panic attacks during sleep at some point or other (that is, those who have panic disorder).
However, these nocturnal attacks may only represent about 10% of all your attacks.
However, you may well be severely concerned about these nighttime attacks, much more so than daytime attacks.
This makes the problem worse because you may then begin to fear going to sleep - which will obviously have a knock-on effect to the rest of your life as you will be getting less sleep, rest and be more stressed.
Are Panic Attacks During Sleep Related To Dreams? Most of these attacks during the night are NOT caused by dreams.
This has been clearly established.
They mostly occur during the early stages of the sleep pattern, and not at the later stage where you dream.
The exact causes of panic attacks during sleep is not known.
However, it is likely that they are influenced by daytime events, and consumption of alcohol and drugs can worsen it.
Although the precise reason for these nighttime attacks is not known, there is one theory that it may be because of a build up of carbon dioxide in the body, which is referred to as false suffocation alarm which causes your body to respond with strenuous breathing along with a rapid heart rate.
Perhaps the biggest problem with sleep panic attacks is that the disruption to your sleep pattern can cause insomnia, which in turn increases the chances of having the attack during sleep.
This is in effect, one very awful vicious cycle.
However, these nocturnal attacks may only represent about 10% of all your attacks.
However, you may well be severely concerned about these nighttime attacks, much more so than daytime attacks.
This makes the problem worse because you may then begin to fear going to sleep - which will obviously have a knock-on effect to the rest of your life as you will be getting less sleep, rest and be more stressed.
Are Panic Attacks During Sleep Related To Dreams? Most of these attacks during the night are NOT caused by dreams.
This has been clearly established.
They mostly occur during the early stages of the sleep pattern, and not at the later stage where you dream.
The exact causes of panic attacks during sleep is not known.
However, it is likely that they are influenced by daytime events, and consumption of alcohol and drugs can worsen it.
Although the precise reason for these nighttime attacks is not known, there is one theory that it may be because of a build up of carbon dioxide in the body, which is referred to as false suffocation alarm which causes your body to respond with strenuous breathing along with a rapid heart rate.
Perhaps the biggest problem with sleep panic attacks is that the disruption to your sleep pattern can cause insomnia, which in turn increases the chances of having the attack during sleep.
This is in effect, one very awful vicious cycle.