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Questions & Answers:
MS and Panic Attacks in Your Sleep
Q. I'm
a 48 y.o. female just diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis eight months
ago. My diagnosis started with waking up in the middle of the night
with body tremors and a feeling like I was going to die. The doctor
thought I was having an anxiety attack except for the body tremors,
which therefore sent me to have a brain MRI. That is when the
beginning of the MS diagnosis started.
I'm dealing with the MS fine, but last
night the tremor came back, also a very rapid pulse of about 100 to
110. It was the exact feeling I had 8 months ago when this all
started. My question is, can a panic attack start in the middle of
the night and wake you up from a deep sleep or should I be looking
more to an MS problem.
A. Although we can't diagnose, yes, people can be woken
from sleep with a nocturnal panic attack. The research on the
nocturnal attacks show they happen during the change of
consciousness as we are going to sleep, or from REM to deep sleep,
or deep sleep back to REM, or as we wake up. The research also shows
they have nothing to do with dreams or nightmares, but is an effect
of the change of consciousness.
Increased heart rate, breathing difficulties, feelings of an
electric shock, or burning heat or an ice cold sensation, or
'surge,' or intense 'whoosh' can be part of the overall symptoms
presentation.
People can develop nocturnal attacks and/or uncued daytime
attacks as a result of illness. It can be difficult initially in
sorting out the symptoms of the illness vs the panic attacks and we
do advise people to work closely with their treating
doctor/specialist to isolate the symptoms of both.
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