How to Stop Panic Attack - 7 Easy Do-It-Yourself Panic Attack Treatment Tips

First of all, I'd like to state that it's not recommended to diagnose yourself with panic attack. This should be done by your physician. With that being said, if you know that you suffer from panic attacks, it's also not reasonable to wait until the "attack" has passed. It's easier if you done something about it. Here are 7 panic attack treatment tips so you can be well-equipped when the time comes:

Gain understanding. First of all, you should understand what anxiety disorder or panic attack is all about. Raising your awareness level is vital because you can easily grasp the situation that you're in and take proper actions to dispell it. Keep this in mind: panic attacks can happen to anyone, whether they're stressed out, depressed or even happy. Sometimes it happen with no warning and seemingly no reason.

Know your triggers. Usually there are some triggers that develop into a panic attack. For example, if you feel really scared and anxious this can trigger an attack. Low serotonin and progesterone can also trigger an attack. The key is, knowing what triggers it so you can avoid it.

Be aware of panic attack symptoms. Some said it's justifiable not to know whether they're having a panic attack or not because they have difficulties in employing logic and perceiving situations when the time comes. This is indeed what happens commonly but it's not necessarily be the end game for you. Remember these signs by heart: heartbeat or palpitation, chest pain, hyperventilation or shortness of breath, stomach churning, upset stomach, trembling and shaking, muscle tension, sweating, dizziness and light-headedness, hot or cold flashes, tingling sensation or numbness, fear of dying, going crazy or losing control and feeling detached from the surroundings. When more than one happens, be alert.

Do breathing exercises. When the symptoms appear, one way to deal with it is by breathing deeply. This will enable you to shift your attention elsewhere. A good way to do this is do a mental count while breathing deeply. 3 slow counts in, 3 slow counts hold your breath, and 3 slow counts exhale. Do this over and over again until you feel the attack subsided. One effective way is also to breath into a paper bag because inhaling carbon dioxide that we exhaled can help correct your blood acid levels.

Keep a positive mind. "I'm aware I'm panicking right now. I'm certain that the attack will pass. I'm not crazy or going to die." By repeating this positive sentence you can make recovery come more swiftly. With most of the attack durations 5-10 minutes, it's necessary to keep this positive outlook. Some attacks can last more than half an hour, be sure that you're not going crazy.

Avoid being stressful. Although it's hard to avoid stressful situations, it's more beneficial to avoid unnecessary stress. If you know a certain someone stressed you out from time to time, or perhaps a certain situation, and anything else that cause unnecessary stress, avoid them.

Learn to say no. Most stressful situations can be resolved by just refusing it in the first time. Learning to refuse working overtime, for instance, can go a long way.

Having Sleep Panic Attacks Can Do More Than Just Interrupt Your Night's Peace!

Panic attacks are a great nuisance when they occur during the day, but when their onset becomes the routine of every night, the problem escalates to a completely new level altogether. After all sleep is the time when your body and mind both get their much needed rest. Hence, suffering from sleep panic attacks is a matter which needs to be dealt with on an immediate basis since the damage they do to your health is considerable.

In very rudimentary terms, sleep panic attacks are the result of the same anxiety and stress which are a constant and perpetual part of your regular day. However, before you can start treatment for sleep panic attacks, it is important to be sure that your nocturnal episodes are not something other than a sleep panic attack. This is because the symptoms experienced during a sleep panic attack are very similar to another medical condition known as sleep apnea in which a person's lungs do not receive their required amount of air during sleep. Hence, if you do begin to experience symptoms of a panic attack during your sleep, make sure you do not write off your problem as 'simply a nightmare'. Instead make an appointment with your doctor or physician and let him/her get to the bottom of things.

If your physician declares your nocturnal episodes to be a case of sleep panic attacks, he/she should analyze your lifestyle and try and bring to light factors which could be increasing stress levels. Generally speaking, you would be asked to avoid the intake of alcohol, nicotine and caffeine in the latter part of the day as all three products augment stress and anxiety levels. In addition, you would also be discouraged from partaking in any hardcore exercise routine in the evenings. Contrarily you would be encouraged to have a cup of herbal tea before sleeping as studies show that herbal tea is a great relaxer. Similarly, you would also be recommended to have sex before you sleep as the endorphins produced in your mind during intercourse act as natural relaxers that promise a solid sleep.

In addition to these lifestyles changes, your fight against sleep panic attacks may take on the form of medications, behavioral therapy or a combination of the two. Remember that panic attack medication needs to be taken with great care and caution as these drugs are infamous for causing side effects and are addictive in nature. What's more is that these drugs only provide a solution whilst they are being used. Thus they can't be considered the most long term cure as medications are unable to make permanent improvements.

On the other hand, behavioral therapy has proven to be a great cure for sleep panic attacks as the changes in behavior induced by therapy have real positive implications on a person's life. Behavioral therapy is generally of two types; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Exposure Therapy. While CBT aims to modify a person's cognitions in an attempt to change behavior, Exposure Therapy hopes to alter a person's behavior by slowly and gradually exposing them to their fears in a safe and controlled setting.

Various studies show that both CBT and Exposure Therapy have very high success ratios. Therefore if you are a victim of sleep panic attacks, you must give behavioral therapy a try. Although therapy might take numerous sessions which are spread out over several weeks, the results are well worth the wait. During this time you might want to tell your friends and family about what you're going through because their support and comfort will make the whole process seem easier and more worthwhile. Above all though remain patient and steadfast to your treatment plan, and with time, you'll soon be having sweet slumber every night.

Help For Sleep Panic Attacks

By Emma Hudson

If you suffer from daytime panic attacks, chances are you will also have experienced nocturnal episodes. Waking suddenly with a racing heart, shortness of breath, spasms and feeling sheer terror - sound familiar? While the attack may only last ten minutes or so, you are unable to sleep again until the early hours of the morning - maybe an hour or so before you have to get up and face another day.

Nocturnal or sleep panic attacks should not be confused with having a nightmare. They are a continuation of what haunts you during the day - anxiety. The same triggers that cause the onset of a daytime panic attack work on your unconscious at night too. Experts are at a loss to say exactly what causes panic attacks but they have very strong theories which include lifestyle choices, chemical imbalances in the brain and learned behaviour.

So, what can you do about them? The first step is to get a complete physical examination. The first thing doctors will want to rule out is that you are not suffering from sleep apnea which is when not enough air can get into your lungs while you are sleeping. This causes pauses in breathing which interrupts a sound sleep. This disorder can cause symptoms similar to nocturnal panic attacks but it is a different condition altogether.

Once this, or any other physical cause has been ruled out, health care providers will look at your lifestyle choices. Habits which encourage sleep will be introduced - no coffee or alcohol in the later part of the day, no TV in the bedroom, no vigorous exercise before bed (except for sex, which produces endorphins in the brain. Endorphins are happy chemicals, so this is good). Herbal teas can be effective relaxants so a cup before bedtime can be beneficial.

From this point, the treatment follows the same plan as that for daytime panic attacks. If the attacks are frequent, a sedative may be prescribed as a stop gap measure. While taking sedatives is not ideal as they can be addictive and the sleep they induce is not quality sleep, at the beginning some sleep is better than none. The effects of a constant lack of sleep on our physical and mental health can be devastating.

A more favourable approach is that of cognitive behavioural therapy. This is where firstly thinking processes are modified which in turn leads to a change in behaviour. This approach is very successful but is not immediate - it can take weeks or months before there are results.

The most successful treatment is that which follows a plan drawn up by your health care provider. The best results have been obtained by a combination of all of the points we have discussed so far. What is important to know is that no-one need suffer from panic attacks - daytime or nighttime. They are curable.

Value of Sleep in Achieving Goals

Understand and believe the value of sleep. It is only at this time that we can truly take a break from the nonstop talk going on in our head. Sleep well in anticipation of the greatness that you will begin to know and trust is coming your way.

Does Stress Causes Panic Anxiety?

When you're stressed and depressed, will your chances of getting panic attacks increased? The answer is yes. Most people who experience stress are more prone to getting anxiety disorders. Though these terms are often confused with each other, let me give you a much more simple explanation of both so you won't have a hard time distinguishing one from the other. When a person is overwhelmed with his daily activities, reacts to saddening events in his life, then he normally feels depression. However, a person who experience panic attack or anxiety disorder fears in situations that others may not normally feel excessive fear.

With that information, you should be able to distinguish whether the feeling that you have now is merely a normal depression or a series of anxiety disorder. Once you're done identifying what you really feel, don't take it for granted as it may worsen. Consult a doctor as to what steps to take in order to prevent yourself from suffering additional panic attacks.

Sleep Panic Attacks Are Really Disturbing!

Are you starting to be afraid of sleeping time? While most people are excited to get some rest, almost 10% of Americans known to have sleep anxiety disorder or sleep panic attacks dreads the sleeping time with the fear of not waking up in the morning. Others are also experiencing "false suffocation alarms" wherein that they feel that they couldn't breathe. Contrary to popular belief, sleep panic attacks are not caused by dreams. Medical studies show that occur during the early stages of sleep and not during the REM when dreams occur.

What causes sleep panic attacks? Though there's not a definite answer to this question, the most common possible causes are daytime activities, alcoholism, drug abuse, excessive depression and stress. People who can't tend to worry too much are prone to sleep panic attacks than those who know how to manage their problems.

You might be wondering now what would be the best sleep anxiety treatment is advised? Consult your doctor as each cases varies and knowing your individual need and situation would give your doctor a much better feel of how to help you. The most common remedy that most people do is to bring a water on their bedside table so that when the attacks occur, they could grab and get something to drink and would help them calm down.

If your partner is experiencing sleep panic attacks, make sure not to take it for granted as this could be the reason that one night he/she won't be able to wake up on one of the attacks.