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In major panic- can't make any sense of this.


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OK so its 2am, im absolute shattered as i have not been sleeping well lately and my body decides its the right time to have a panic attack for no reason that i can think of. I've tried telling myself I've nothing to worry about but now im panicking about what it is i could be worrying about and because i can't think of anything it's just making me worse (making me think i should be worrying/panicking about something). I cannot make sense of this so i don't expect anyone else to understand what I'm saying, sorry ?. 

Edited by Haayleey96
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Yes, it's an idiomatic phrase. It caught my interest so I checked out the origin on the Internet, apparently it comes from mining, but no-one's sure why.

Anyway, Haayleey96, panic attacks can happen due to stress in your life somewhere that you don't recognise, but they can also just happen. One of the worst things you can do is to try to find out what's wrong, because that just sets you up worrying more, then you can't find the answer so this scares you more, so the panic attack gains more strength. The thing to do with a panic attack is counter intuitive, but it is to just sit with it, notice what it is, and let it be there until it's not. Also what I find helps is remembering that it's not going to kill me, the anxiety will reach a peak, it will stay like that for a while, then eventually go of it's own accord. The more you just let it be (note I don't say ignore it, I know it's very hard to ignore a panic attack when you're in the middle of it) and accept it for what it is, the quicker it will go away.

Also things that I find help are to distract myself. I tend to have preplanned distractions which are complex enough to distract me but simple enough to do when I'm panicking, and also which I can do anywhere. For example, counting backwards from 100 in 3's is a good one. Just enough to focus your mind elsewhere. Another great technique, backed up by science, is breathing technique and relaxation. If you slow your breathing and relax your body, you trick your central nervous system in to feeling relaxed. If you breathe out for longer than you breathe in, you increase the amount of carbon dioxide in your blood, which combats the panic response which is caused by over breathing (taking in too much oxygen) and start to calm down. You need to do this for at least three minutes. Breathe from your belly too, not your chest. I achieve this in two ways. I breathe in for a count of 3, hold for a count of 3, release for a count of 3, hold for a count of 3, then repeat. This has the effect of taking in overall less oxygen. For emergency situations though I use a slightly different technique, I simply breathe out and hold my breath for as long as I can, then when I breathe back in I force myself to take a normal breath, maybe a few, then repeat the process. It's important not to take in too much oxygen in the normal breath or you defeat the purpose, make sure you still breathe out more than you breathe in. This feels very uncomfortable, and is difficult, but it works quite quickly. I'd advise you to do this while sitting or lying down, and not whilst operating a car or similar, as sometimes this process can make you feel light headed and dizzy, and technically could make you pass out (although it would take a lot to do that, and you'd naturally breathe back in again to compensate). The breathing also works as a distraction technique because you are focusing on your breath. Try it next time, see how you get on with that.

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Have you been to the doctor about this? I had a similar problem and got prescribed zopiclone which is a fantastic sleeping pill. It takes an hour to take effect (in me) then I just feel so damn tired, and if I sit or lie still for a moment I fall asleep. It's purpose is to help you initially get to sleep. It'll wear off after a few hours, but by then hopefully you'll stay asleep or at least have had enough sleep. You can't use these pills long term as they're addictive and you become tolerant to them, but they're great for a while just to get back in to a cycle.

You could also ask about diazepam which they may or may not give you, they can be funny about that, but that relaxes you and takes away some anxiety, which might help you sleep. Although these too are addictive and you become tolerant to them.

If you want to go down the natural route, you could try valerian herbal tea, which I find fantastic, and naturally sedates you and makes you sleepy. Also try meditating while actually in bed, you may find that as you're distracted by that and your other thoughts don't whirl through your mind, you fall asleep. Is there anything you do near bed time that may cause you to not sleep well? Using electronic screens can give off light which stimulates you in to awakeness, also food, caffeine and exercise too near bedtime can interfere with your sleep. Find something relaxing to do as well, I think that if your system is less stressed when you go to sleep, you're less likely to have a panic attack although I'm not sure of that.

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If you're having panic attacks though, the main thing you should do is get some treatment for that. There's either a reason behind it which needs psychological work to fix, or they occur for no reason because you have a condition, but you could still learn some techniques to lessen their impact. I am suggesting pills just now to get over the initial problem before you go further fixing that.

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