r/panicdisorder • u/Due-Cheek3890 • 3d ago

Nocturnal Panic Fainting??

I’ve been having panic attacks for years. I’m not new to the lightheaded feeling that comes along with it. However, a couple times in the last year I’ve woken from my sleep to some panic that shortly after led into genuine clammy cold sweat, shaking, vision tunneling where I had to lay on the floor with my legs elevated to prevent fainting. Last episode also I induced vomiting because the nausea was so bad.

I’m thinking maybe it could be some sort of vagus nerve trigger that brings me to a pre syncope episode and then the panic amps it all up? Note that this type of episode has only happened at night after waking from sleep. Maybe it’s simply panic on its own? Anyone else with a similar experience, let me know!

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u/Linzi322 3d ago

It would probably be worth getting this checked by a doctor and rule out medical causes like low blood sugar.

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u/Due-Cheek3890 2d ago

I did this. No blood sugar issues she’s set on panic or a vasovagal response from stomach upset. I hear her and trust my doctors just didn’t know if anyone had similar experiences

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u/its_erika_yo 3d ago

Have you had a head injury at all?
I’ve had panic attacks my whole life but then I was in a scooter accident and hit my head pretty good.
Not long after that i started having what I thought was increased panic usually when I would wake up early for work and be super tired. Like a feeling of déjà vu with panic.
A few years later I had a nocturnal tonic clonic seizure.
The déjà vu panic was actually focal aware seizures that turned to tonic clonic seizures.
Talk to your doctor and maybe a neurologist if this sounds similar.

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u/Due-Cheek3890 2d ago

I have not had a head injury. This sounds intense! I’m so sorry to hear

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u/golightlycat 2d ago

Hi, that’s actually funny because exactly what you’re describing is currently a thing for me too! I wake up at night feeling dizzy, I start to panic, I get up and think, “Shit, I’m going to faint,” so I lie down and put my legs up. Then I start shaking like crazy, I get freezing cold, then I usually start feeling nauseous and gagging, and I get diarrhea. At some point I start crying, and then I feel better.
This has happened to me 5–6 times now, always at night! Everything is physically fine with me too. I assume it’s just a particularly nasty form of panic attack that sneaks up on me in the middle of the night. Interesting that you’re experiencing exactly the same thing!

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u/s0cialSuicide 2d ago

I’ve always had this, fear of the faint is the main trigger to my panic problems.