Panic attacks are extremely distressing, but sleep panic attacks can be even more. Often, the person who experiences a panic attack while sleeping doesn’t know what has happened. He or she may wake up with a rapid heartbeat and a feeling of confusion or anxiety. A person may even wake up in the midst of a full-blown panic attack feeling fearful and afraid of dying or losing their sanity. Sleeping panic attacks can leave the individual feeling confused and distressed, and this may even develop into a fear of sleep.

Somewhere between 50% and 70% of people who have a panic disorder will also experience one or more sleep panic attacks. Episodes that occur during sleep are relatively rare, however, and account for only 10% of panic attacks. People who regularly experience these types of attacks are also more likely to experience other sleep disturbances, including insomnia and restless or broken sleep.

Sleep panic attacks can take more than one form, both of which can be very frightening. One of the ways that sleeping panic attacks can be experienced is that an individual will wake up feeling as though he or she about to have a panic attack. With a rapid heartbeat and racing pulse, the individual may feel confused, disoriented, anxious, and disconnected from reality.

An alternative form of sleep panic attacks is when the individual begins to consciously experience a panic attack while they are still asleep. This may take the form of a conventional panic attack, where the individual experiences a panic attack exactly as they would if awake. In other cases, the sleep panic attack might take a different form, with symptoms such as grinding the teeth, head pain and a feeling of pressure in the ears, which are not typically experienced during a waking panic attack. In both cases, the person experiencing panic attacks while sleeping may be aware of being asleep, and may feel that he or she is struggling to wake up.

The exact cause of panic attacks that occur during sleep isn’t well understood. One theory is that a panic response is triggered during sleep as a result of increased levels of carbon dioxide, which can occur in people who have a tendency to hyperventilate. Another possibility is that attacks are triggered during changes in the sleep cycle, such as when an individual moves into a deeper stage of sleep.

Treatment for sleep panic attacks can vary depending on other symptoms of the person having the attacks. For many people, a combination of medication and self-care can help reduce the frequency of the attacks, and make them easier to cope with when they do occur. Anti-anxiety medication, anti-depressants, or tranquilizers may be prescribed depending on the situation, as well as the severity and frequency of the episodes. Psychotherapy is sometimes beneficial, but some experts believe therapy alone cannot provide a cure for sleep panic attacks.