Sleep-onset Panic and What to Do About It

Sleep-onset panic can be extremely disruptive and feel impossible to deal with because it is a panic attack that occurs shortly after falling asleep or when relaxing for sleep. For most, it manifests as a sharp fear, terror, or feeling of impending doom. This feeling of fear, terror, or impending doom disrupts the ability to sleep and often creates fear of the process of falling asleep that can bleed into the rest of your day, making life feel impossible and unsafe. It might help to know that there are ways to reduce sleep-onset panic, but it is a process and one that begins with reflection on your life and your history. Knowing where you are in your life and what may be causing your body to fight the relaxation process and sound the alarm can help reduce the adrenaline boost responsible for the feeling of fear, terror, or impending doom. There is something in your life or history that has convinced your nervous system that relaxation and sleep are unsafe. This adrenaline boost is meant to protect you and allow you to do one last survey of things before sleeping or prevent sleeping all together. This is a protective response.

Research informs us that sleep-onset panic occurs most often in people who have experienced a sudden change in safety or trauma. It is also common in people who have acid reflux, sleep apnea, thyroid imbalance, or sudden drops in blood sugar, so it is worth speaking to a medical doctor to rule out a physical explanation. If it is not physical, then discovering what you are being protected from is essential. Taking note of what the first thought and feeling is will help narrow down what is the driver of sleep disturbances. It may be a blend of things that are making you feel unsafe, and knowing what they are allows us to begin the process of unpacking and addressing each fear. For everything we fear, there is a path to safety; we just need the time and space to find that path. It’s important to note that, sometimes it’s not fear, but rather hurt or anguish that is driving the adrenaline boost, so taking the time to really check in and be completely honest with yourself about how you are feeling and what is driving those feelings is key to finding the right solution for you. There is nothing to be ashamed of no matter why you are feeling the way you are.

We cannot help the way we feel about the events in our life, past, or present, but we can shape how we react to those feelings. This type of emotional balance begins with letting go of any feelings of shame and giving yourself the space to feel your feelings. When we are totally honest about how we feel, we regain our ability to process and restore balance. Panic is an indicator that our emotional center is overwhelmed, and, when the panic happens at night, it reflects that we have unresolved issues either from our day or our past that are now demanding our time and attention. Taking the time to unpack what you are feeling throughout the day or examine what feelings from past events may be lingering gives you a starting point for processing and reducing panic. This processing will help restore your safety and allow you to sleep more peacefully at night. It will also give the ability to find a solution to the problem that your nervous system is waking you up to deal with or protect you from. When you have the solution, you can calm yourself by repeating the solution to yourself when the panic hits. Over time, you will learn that you can trust yourself and you are safe.