i am freaking out..

so before i went to sleep i was thinking about heart attacks and for some reason jad the idea that maybe i was having one.. anyways i kept waking up during my first hour of sleep worried about a heart attack, as i was heading back to sleep or was asleep? my heart started to slowly race and pound but i was unable to move, yet i was able to think.. my ears were ringing and my body became very tense.. i kept trying to move but i wasn't able to, my heart started to race even faster and faster.. but since i wasnt able to move, i told me self, "you'll be ok", i was so scared i was actually going to die since i have never experienced a panic attaxk like this, well so i think it's a panic attack?
as my heart started to slow back down, i completely woke up and was able to mpve and i started freakimg out.. i don't know if that was really a panic attack or something else, maybe my hearts electrical system/pace maker went whack.. i'm afraid that i'll have sudden death now, i'm afraid to go back to sleep.. i literally don't know what to do..
maybe i had a panic attack during sleep paralysis which could explain my inability to move? is that even possible to have them both happen together? i swear my heart rate was way over my max, way over 200bpm.. i am literally freaking out. i didn't have the typical panic attack symptoms as i usually would, all i had was the increased heart rate and i guess a bit of tremor and shock about 10 mins after i was able to move since i was worried it was something else oher than a panic attack.
i was also deprived of sleep too, i don't know if it's a contributing factor along with having 'heart attacks' on my mind while asleep..
please someone help me, i'm so scared to the point that i think i should go to hospital, but, i know all they will do is check my obs (resporation rate etc) and then possibly make me wait a few hours before i see a doctor..
has anyone else experienced a panic attack like the one i had?

Ng.,

I immediately thought sleep paralysis when I read what you described happened to you tonight.

I have only had this happen to me once, but I will never forget it! It was the freakiest thing ever!

I can imagine that panic and sleep paralysis could go together, as night time or nocturnal attacks certainly happen.

Have you given any of the coping skills in our Resources a look over or a try?

I highly recommend these before turning in at the end of the day. They will help you to decompress before sleep...allowing your mind and body to relax.

Self Help sites with breathing/relaxation exercises instructions

Panic attack relief exercises:

 

http://www.healthcentral.com/anxiety/c/73076/34334/breathing-lessons/

http://www.healthyplace.com/

http://www.stress-relief-exercises.com/

http://www.ehow.com/video_4405003_breathing-exercises-panic-attacks.html

http://www.psybersquare.com/anxiety/panic_relax_I

Try them and see how you feel. Sorry you had such a rough experience tonight. I wish you peace!

S.C.

I don't know if this would be what your going through or you can relate but let me tell you about when i first started getting my anxiety. I was 15 and started getting anxiety and panic attacks. I always thought i was gonna die of a heart attack. Of course I was in school but id stay up late playing video games and then wake up around 6:30 in the morning. So i'd wake up tired and lay on the couch until it was time to go but id fall asleep but it felt so real as if i was dreaming staring down at my body. (everything was the same in the room) I couldn't move, talk, or anything. My heart would start beating and id start panicking trying to move and yell for help. I tried my hardest then id wake up to my arm flinging or my leg moving from me trying to move. I would go through maybe 2-3 of these every morning. Scary but they after a while they went away. I'm not sure if it was the same as what you felt but dont worry about it they will pass in time. Hope you get well soon!

I'm so worried at the moment!!!
I keep thinking I'm going to have or am having a heart attack.. I know it sounds so stupid considering I'm only 19 years old, but I get pains in my body all the time that mimics that of a heart attack. I have a bit of pain in my tummy right now, not at my upper abdomen though.. but yet I'm still scared..
I've see the doctors, been to the ER before and currently seeing a cardiologist
would they have told me if I was even at risk of having a heart attack?? I've only done an echo at the cardiologists so far.
I know I'm still so young and the risk of having a heart attack is minimal and no one in my family has had a heart attack (so I think), but I have taken drugs in the past and arghhh it's so hard right now.. this no doubt will be dwelling in my mind for hours on end :\
I really need reassurance, I'm so tempted to go rushing to the hospital again, but I know it'll just be the same thing over again and I'm over seeing people about it and even getting blood tests and lying there in the hospital bed all over again..
and now I'm also getting this discomfort above my chest, at my traps! this sucks..

Ngy.,

Yes, I have had this. It would come and go. I think that we hold a lot of tension in our bodies when we are anxious, and this could be the result.

Did you get a chance to look at/try any of the above posted self-help coping skills?

They really are effective if practiced daily.;)

S.C.

I know how you feel when you say as soon as you are done with a coping skill...you go right back to that place of worry again. This is okay, and part of the process.

You will get more and more relief with longer periods of relief as you progress.

I am glad that you are under a P-docs care...that is great news, and I am sure that with this step, you are going to start to gain much recovery.

Here is another link from our Resources explaining de-realization and personalization. This sounds like what you described, and maybe this will bring you some relief along with understanding.

Depersonalization-derealization symptoms:

 

http://psychcentral.com/disorders/depersonalization-derealization-disorder-symptoms/

Keep up the good work, and keep posting!

S.C.