topic nightmares and panic attacks in PTSD and trauma

nightmares and panic attacks

TJR — Thu, 26 Jul 2018 10:03:09 GMT

hey, i suffer from depression, anxiety and PTSD. last night I had a nightmare and while i was asleep i had a panic attack.

this nightmare felt so real, i had to force myself to wake up just because of the panic attack i was having while asleep, i am pretty sure i was also shaking a little but i can't quite remember? is this something i should bring up to my psychologist? i am pretty terrified to go back to sleep in case it happens again.

nightmares and panic attacks

PamelaR — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 12:32:01 GMT

Welcome to Beyond Blue TJR

Sorry it's taken us so long to respond to your post. Nothing about you, just means we're a little slower than usual.

Our community is caring, friendly, supportive and non judgmental.

The nightmare sounds awful, if it were me I'd really tell my psychologist at my next meeting.

Panic attacks are the pits at the best of times, but having one while your asleep is frightening isn't it. I do that quite frequently and then it takes time to settle my body down. Going through my usual routine of breathing, mindfulness, grounding.

Other than your nightmare, is there anything else happening in your life to cause anxiety for you that you want to talk about. There is no pressure for you to do so, only if you want to share.

Kind regards

PamelaR

nightmares and panic attacks

blondguy — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 14:23:32 GMT

Hello TJR

I feel your fear with that awful panic attack as I used to get them in my sleep and the nightmares...and the cold sweats.....ugh

Can I ask you how the panic attack felt (if thats okay) as in symptoms?

The forums are a safe and non judgemental place for you to post. I hope you can post back when its convenient for you TJR

you are not alone with what you have gone through

Paul

nightmares and panic attacks

TJR — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 08:01:42 GMT

so I do suffer with PTSD, as i have gone through very intense and extreme bullying over just a year ago, i mean i have been bullied since i was really little but it got extremely worse over a year ago and now i won't leave the house without someone with me. my nightmares are from the bullying and i hope to work more on that with my psychologist and usually i do have nightmares of the bullying i have gone through. but this nightmare included bullying but it wasn't something i had experienced and it wasn't really that bad so it was just weird for me to have a panic attack in my sleep

nightmares and panic attacks

TJR — Sun, 29 Jul 2018 08:04:43 GMT

So i had to force myself to wake up by telling myself to wake up multiple times. my panic attack involved me hyperventilating which meant i was having trouble breathing, I was sort of shaking and i had watery eyes and i only knew i had watery eyes because when i woke up from it i could feel it. it is my normal panic attack i usually have during the day time.

nightmares and panic attacks

PamelaR — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 05:23:57 GMT

Hi TJR

The affects of PTSD can be debilitating can’t it. It is manageable though. You can read through many of the posts here in the forums and you’ll see how people do heal and recover.
It takes a lot of hard work to get through. But once you do, you’ll wish you’d done it sooner.

I’m not a health professional, so I’m unable to give you the answers to why you are having nightmares along with panic attacks while sleeping. Talking with your psych and doctor may help to get some clarity of what’s happening.

For me, I would not see it as weird because, when I’ve had a nightmare that sets off my fright and flight response - this leads to a panic attack. So I have woken up with anxiety / panic. To me it’s normal.

PamelaR

nightmares and panic attacks

blondguy — Mon, 30 Jul 2018 09:16:53 GMT

Hello TJR

Thankyou for posting back. I understand you where hyperventilation is concerned. This is a common yet awful symptom of anxiety.

Can I ask you if you have a GP that you can talk too? This can be a huge way to find peace as well as seeing the specialists

You are not alone TJR

my kind thoughts for you

Paul

nightmares and panic attacks

TJR — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 05:49:24 GMT

i have a GP and a psychologist, i recently spoke to my psychologist and we are going to work on it.

nightmares and panic attacks

Zoe-PTSD_OCD_MDD_GAD — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 06:58:39 GMT

Hi TJR,

I spent some time in hospital for my PTSD and anxiety. While I was there I was nightmaring A LOT. Usually I nightmare multiple times a night. It must be SO exhausting for you to not get the sleep you require. Anyway, while in hospital the mental health nurse said to 'break the cycle' of nightmares it is good to get out of bed and do something gentle. They gave me a cuppa and i sat in low light drinking it, really FEELING the drink's warmth in my mouth and hands. Getting out of the bed will probably help cut the nightmaring off too. Be really gentle with yourself - what you're going through is SO SO SO hard, I know myself. So please take the days slowly and be kind to yourself.

Re: nightmares and panic attacks

gablex — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 02:12:03 GMT

I have been having horrific nightmares and panic attacks about when I was in a coma, I have been fine all year and they have only just started on the anniversary of my medical issues.

I have just started seeing a psychologist and I am hoping that will help.

I am really struggling to sleep, it doesn’t happen every night, but a few times a week and I am exhausted the next day

Hey gablex, Welcome to the forums, and thank you for sha...

Sophie_M — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 02:16:48 GMT

Hey gablex,

Welcome to the forums, and thank you for sharing here. We're sorry to hear about the nightmares and panic attacks. That sounds incredibly difficult and we can imagine you'd be exhausted afterwards, but we think sharing with others here is a really powerful action, and it's really good to find connections like this and share your experience. We hope the suggestions on this discussion are helpful.

Just a heads up, since this discussion hasn't been posted to in a while, it might be a bit tricky for the community to spot your post and get back to you here. To get the most out of the Forums, we’d suggest starting a thread of your own if you’d like to share more of your story and your perspectives.

Thanks again for being open and kind in sharing what's going on for you.

Kind regards,

Sophie M