Hi treeloft.
I suffer anxiety/panic attacks so maybe I could lend a little help with your questions..
Firstly its really hard to say how long they will last as it differs with every person and differs depending on the situation that has caused them to arise.. Sometimes they can last a short few minutes and sometimes they can last longer.... I find just sitting down away from anyone and taking deep breaths to try and relax the body helps to ease out of an attack or sometimes i play my favourite song on my phone and let the music sort of calm my body.
Nighttime I find is the worst because I believe that the body is at a heightened sense point so your so much more I guess sensitive to things around you, does i t affect you getting to sleep because you constantly toss and turn and have mini freak outs because you think you see see things moving in the darkness? I find that happens quite a bit but put it down to an over active imagination at night time. I used to when I started having mini freak outs at night put earphones in and listen to music to drift off to sleep.
Hope this helps you a little bit.
