I have been waking up with panic attacks and a strong claustrophobic feeling for a few months now - on random nights. I immediately need to open the door or turn on a fan. i feel either that i'm suffocating or closed in. it usually happens when I'm sleeping in the same room as my significant other. i'm a newlywed. I had a dream a few months ago of brick walls closing in on me and i stood up in bed and woke up midair. It is continuing and getting worse and I am curious if anyone else has had this happen to them too. Is there anything I can do to alleviate it besides for opening the door and keeping a fan nearby. help..
Responses (32)
I am so glad I found this. I too have this. I wake up in a dark room either small space or just somewhere completely black. I don't know where I am or how to get out. I cry out for help then have a sever panic attack. I feel like I'm going to die and there is no way out. I climb around until I find a light. And find myself in my room. I'm usually covered in sweat my face is pure white and my heart races. It scares me so bad I talk to people that are important to me about it.As it freaks me out for days. In my case my marriage is in shambles. I have been with my partner whom I love very much, for 20 years. Since I was 16 years old. He has become a drunk/drug addict/cheater who has put me through hell. And yet I still love him. I'm so scared whats next for me and my two beautiful daughters. My mom says in the darkness you will find light, don't be afraid. I feel like this is my best answer as I am so uncertain and terrified of whats next. Any suggestions
I have an answer for what helps me through it. Background is I had an insane vertigo attack that landed me in A&E it was so severe. After
18 hours of spinning and puking it all calmed down but the knock on effect was anxiety and mild depression. I couldn't believe that something so severe has no cure and it freaked me out. This was a couple of months ago and since then I've had a couple of claustrophobic anxiety attacks at night. The first one was when i went camping, the darkness and small living space hit me for six. The second one was last night, I've got an annoying cough and it woke me up a couple of times, the second one was as I was about to be sick. This kicked off another episode. I just wanted to run and I was starting to freak out. My solution, and I recommend everyone does this as it's really helped through all of these episodes is to practice the audio book 'mindfulness' an 8 week programme by dr Mark Williams. It's £7/8 via audible and I've found it the most incredible friend in dark times. Last night as I felt the world caving in I did one of the breathing exercises (8 mins) and was able to go back to bed and wake up 6 hours
Later. Bingo. To add I normally hate 'breathing stuff' and claimed it's not for me but it's incredible, it's made a real difference. It takes time. I'm on week 5 and the difference in my concentration on it from wk1 to now is huge.
Might be related to short of breath (I can be a little sob:) maybe breathe right or anything to improve breathing, google deep breathing for that, or check for apnea.
For me it's exacerbated by pitch black room or tent, some kind of conditioned response. Getting up, walking around, then reading a book (backlight kindle if others nearby) helps.
Sites say people overreact, fear heart attack or going crazy, (you're not, go for a walk,) but that's rare, mostly it's panic without fear of anything specific, an adrenaline rush that will subside. Xanax could stop it if it's getting to be a conditioned response on going to bed (SSRIs take too long, would reinforce response.)
I have a very odd one here, I experience it just earlier today, what it felt was i'm being suffocated and on a panic. I have to think of positive thoughts or any thoughts at all just to get it out of my mind. The first minute everything was fresh, i know for myself that the dream itself is not that scary but i am really agitated/paranoid earlier. I've had this attack before and to calm myself i had to drink vinegar or anything that will make my mind think differently than when i am attacked. Earlier i was calmed down by taking a pee and turning off the fan, removing anything that might suffocate me. The attack felt more like 3 lines being connected and i don't know why but i felt that if the third one connects to the first line (making a triangle) something really bad will happen. I think this is because i lack oxygen since i'm a smoker. Looking forward to stop now.
I'm having the same problem... Once I get out of bed, no matter what I do I cannot get rid of the horrible sensation of feeling trapped. I feel so claustrophobic that I force myself to go outside, but it still doesn't help entirely. I end up pacing around waiting for it to go away, and if I try my best to ignore it and just watch TV or go back to bed, the feelings just get worse.
I suffer from this as well, and I'm currently having one. Or at least the reason I'm awake at 3 am and on this thread is because of one. I find that they happen at random, I can be alone or sharing a room/bed with someone. Either I won't be able to sleep for to the overwhelming feeling of being crowded or closed in, or I wake up due to that feeling. This is usually followed by a need to move or run around. Personally, the one thing that helps me through this is if I go stand in the backyard or from yard. I've been suffering with this for as long as I can remember now, ever since I was little. I have no idea what causes/caused it but it strikes at often random and very unwanted times.
I know that your question was posted some time ago, however I understand what you're going through and the only thing I can suggest is to maybe go stand in a larger room alone for a while, or is you have a garden to try and stand out in it with a hot or cold drink. It's honestly the only thing that helps me to relax.
I thought I was going crazy! Same symptoms as most. Feeling very Claustrophobic and anxiety at night when I lay down to sleep at night. Wanting to run outside, (which i did 3 times last night ) I'm going to try cannibas tonight before bed. Also getting back to exercising. I blamed this on a head cold I have but I can see that is probably not the case. Sleeping on the recliner is my only relief. I need to sleep!
These are horrible episodes I have personally experienced especially while staying in hotels and also on cruse ships. Even the thought of going on a trip can trigger the claustrophobic feeling. I have found that waking during the night sometimes can be related to hypoglycemia which is when your blood sugar drops during sleep and if you eat a piece of fruit such as grapes or berries...your blood sugar rises and the attack decreases. Also drinking 8 oz of water during the attack can help reset your parasympathetic nervous system. Obviously I'm not sure if everyone's episodes are related to this but I'm a naturopathic practitioner and I spend my days trying to solve health concerns and this has actually worked well for me so just wanted to share. My next step is to do neurotransmitter / adrenal testing on myself I will keep you all posted. Have a blessed week!
I take paxil. It's all that works. it takes about a week to start working. I can still get this horrible experience once in awhile. I turn on all lights , TV's , I can't lay down. So tired yet scared to try to sleep . I go outside if it's warm. Winter is rough . I started getting this after my first kid. It is the worst ! No one understands. Doctor thinks it's just panic. Not. I feel underwater .trapped. this can happen anytime of day but the worst is at night when ur so tired.
A year on for me and I ended up going to a Cognitive behavioural therapist for a few sessions. The guy was a magician and helps unravel and retrain your brain. Touch wood but it's been over a year and I haven't had an anxiety attack in that time. That's not to say I haven't been anxious but the cbt work has helped me deal with it and not fuel it.
Wow....so it not just me. This is an incredibly frightening experience that gets out of control quickly with just the thought of being in a situation. With me personally, two things trigger this phobia, one is over eating and feeling heavy at night before going to bed. This usually won’t happen during the day as my mind is busy doing the day to day living but at night when I start to think about things I get the sensation of being closed up and this just explodes out of control. I have to get up and start to do things like fix the sheets on the bed, organize my draws, basically anything to just stop thinking of it.
The second trigger is seeing an accident or just putting myself in a situation that lacks air, oxygen or feeling compressed. I was watching the news a while back where there was a 2 or 3 year old that fell into a well (Hole that was only about 15" wide) and had to be rescued. Just the thought of being in that situation drives me crazy. It takes me a while to calm myself down like counting backwards from 100 or trying to multiply crazy numbers just to break the anxiety.
I did suffer panic attacks as a kid (13 year old) I was able to overcome them with mind over matter with time. I still have it to a lesser degree especially around people or when I am driving with people other than my family. I can’t explain this feeling. But the phobia I am currently experiencing is way worse. I think I will try the cognitive behavioural therapy someone suggested. Thanks for this post.
Hi everyone
I'm having similar problem(4-6 times a week)..during sleep the air becomes heavier and i wake up in panic..so i've tried to sleep with a window slightly open (10-15% angle and summer full open) and it works..kinda........(i've reduced my panics to 1-3 per month)
Let me know if someone finds a more convenient way
Wow reading all these comments is unreal most of them discribe what I have been going through for over thirty years.. mine comes and goes it’s crazy.. only at night when I’m sleeping I’m julted out of my slept in total panic claustrophobic mode it’s the most horrible feeling. I’m not one for prescription meds so I take the Calm power calcium magnesium to help it does I find. I wish I knew what causes it. I think it mostly subconscious, stress, hormonal or maybe our diets.. I pray and that helps. Ok trying to go to sleep now because it’s been kicking in lately... wish me luck.
I have had 3 similar night time attacks over 15 years. In my experience it feels like a mild seizure or churning brain activity that I can't escape. Claustrophobia is also one of the symptoms, causing me to also leave the bedroom, turn lights on and the feeling of wanting to go outside for fresh air. I felt awful all over, but it let up fairly quickly this time. During the event it felt like an emergency. I don't suffer from anxiety or panic attacks, so I feel like it is more likely related to sleep cycles or partially waking up causing abnormal brain activity. I have no idea but it's awful.
The first time I had this was after my grandma died. It happened when I was visiting my in-laws in my wife's room. I had to go into the back yard and stare up at the stars (this actually helped quite a bit, but obviously isn't a solution). The thoughts that accompany this feeling have to do with mortality, for me. The feeling that life is rushing by and that it amounts to nothing. Being trapped inside myself and kind of rushing down a river. It's odd that it manifests as claustrophobia.
There are often recollections of the emptiness, sadness, and overall lack of support from my childhood. My grandma provided the kind of love I needed as a child and I think that's why this started with her passing. Sadly, I think for me this is a physical manifestation of having not received love from my parent(s) growing up.
If you think about it, the feeling of smallness and of being trapped could relate to being a small child who is powerless. Perhaps that part of the psyche is feeling like it needs to 'escape.' It would be interesting to note if your coping mechanisms relate to childhood trauma coping mechanisms.
I'll update as this occurs again and if I've found any legitimate solutions.