Panic attacks can be a difficult problem to deal with. These episode often occur out of the blue and can drastically impact a person’s day. Furthermore, people who suffer a panic attack are often prone to suffer them again in the future. This can produce a cyclical spiral of panic attack, fear of panic attack and then an attack resulting from that fear. However, these panic attacks can occur at night, interrupting sleep and preventing the affected person from going back to bed. Often these sleep panic attacks, referred to as night terrors occasionally, can be more violent and more intense than daytime panic attacks due to their suddenness and how they interrupt sleep. Here are six facts to keep in mind about sleep panic attacks.

1. Rarity of Episode

Luckily, sleep panic attacks are far rarer than normal waking panic attacks. About one in every panic attacks are a nocturnal panic attack. This means the likelihood of being plagued by one of these occurrences is remote. However, the possibilities still does exist.

2. Time of Occurrence

Sleep panic attacks are not the result of dreaming. The stage of sleep that a nocturnal panic occurs in is the very early stages of sleep. A common misperception is that nighttime panic episodes result from a bad dream. This isn’t the case due to the deep sleep that dreaming comes from.

3. People Affected

Despite the rarity of sleep panic attacks, over fifty percent of people who regularly experience panic attacks will suffer from one at some point in their life. If you suffer from normal panic or anxiety attacks, be aware that you run an elevated risk of having a nighttime panic attack at some point in time.

4. Cause

Medical professionals are not exactly sure what causes panic attacks. The underlying reasons for these episodes are not fully understood but it has been theorized that sleep panic attacks are a result of having carbon monoxide trapped in the body due to poor circulation or breathing. The panic attack is a result of the body’s natural suffocation alarm that kicks in to alert the brain that air is not properly entering the lungs or that a harmful substance is blocking normal breathing. Physiological factors are also a consideration such as brain chemistry and nerve damage.

5. People Susceptible

Those who are at the greatest risk for having a nighttime panic attack are those who already have an existing sleep disorder. Insomnia, sleep apnea and other conditions that hamper a full night’s rest can also play a part in inducing night terrors.

6. Treatment

A mild sedative is the most common type of treatment given to people with night terrors. Dietary alterations, such as ingesting less caffeine and nicotine and having a more healthy diet, are also advised. Psychological counseling is also a possibility due to possible nervous conditions that govern sleep panic attacks. Meditation is also look upon as a potential treatment option.

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