Waking up at night feeling scared/panicked
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For the past couple of years i have experienced waking up at night and feeling panicked, i wake up and without realising im jumping out of bed and by my light switch turning the lights on and im so confused by whats happened. my heart will be beating fast and i usually stand there for a few minutes waiting for it to calm before going back to sleep.
i never remember having a bad dream so not sure if its due to a nightmare. it can happen a couple of nights a week or once every few months.
anyone else experience this or know what it is?
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lily65668 georgia33174
Posted
Yes to both your questions: I've experienced it, and I know what it is. It's called night terrors.
This shouldn't be confused with sleep paralysis, which arises from the dreaming phase of sleep. Night terrors arise from non-dreaming sleep. (I actually have both!)
Night terrors fall into the same category as sleepwalking. People who experience night terrors will often have sleepwalked as children, but this isn't automatic.
I've always found that things get worse if I'm stressed or anxious. The worst of all was around the menopause. Not that I felt anxious about that, but the temporary hormonal upset just seemed to make everything worse.
I never sought medical treatment for my night terrors. They're actually quite difficult to treat anyway, not least because they seldom manifest in the sleep lab. I suspect this is due to the sense of security generated by being in the sleep lab. The only way to treat night terrors is by taking one of the benzodiazepine group of drugs for life. (But please - no self-medication from on-line pharmacies. These drugs are highly addictive and should only be taken under medical supervision.) However, I prefer just to monitor my stress levels. The most important thing is to try not to get too anxious over the episodes themselves. I know how annoying this thing can be, but it doesn't sound as if you're coming to any harm as a result of it.