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[Irishangel]

Hi everyone.... I came to bed at 10.30, feeling tired but then lie there wide awake. Then I start feeling heaviness in my chest and feel like a creeping anxiety  come over me. Woke my partner as I started to panic. Then i started to feel light headed. So now its 1.15 and I'm sat up in bed with the light on trying to calm myself. Managed to get up and make a warm milky drink and a couple of biscuits. Hate feeling like this....wondering if its yet another menopause symptom! Anyone else had this? 

[Dee46]

Irishangel I get this most nights when I lay in bed trying to relax before dropping off, sometimes I wake with a panic & have to catch my breath but that is not very often, I get lightheaded most days with this anxiety, I find it hard to calm myself down at times I end up crying & that sorts it out! It is another menopause symptom & not a nice one at that, all this stuff is really scaring me & I hate feeling like this I wish it would all go away, how are you feeling now?

[Mumalmighty]

Hi Irishangel. Yes I have had this happen on a few occasions. Most recently it happened as I was dropping off to sleep but mine goes down my left arm aswell making me think I've got to be having a heart attack!! It's frightening to the point that I was semi asleep and just prayed I wud wake in the morning but cudnt jump out of it cos was kind of Asleep but aware that it was happening. The next day it's gone. It's a horrendous symptom and the most scariest I think and the worst thing is that there doesn't seem to be a reason for it unless I've been worrying subconsciously about something I just don't know. Hope ur ok it leaves u feeling shattered the next day 

[wombat62]

Been there and got the t-shirt! Suffered really badly last year which started a couple of months after my op, something else must have been out of kilter which caused it. I've always been a bit nervy on my own at night when OH is away but then it got a bit out of hand.

It all started with a turn of vertigo which I'd never had before, woke up one morning and the room was spinning and frightened the life out of me. Then I got really worried about turning in my sleep! Then one night I was just lying there reading and my heart went crazy, took ages to settle and ended up sleeping semi upright. Then of course you associate bedtime with all this and it's even harder to relax and sleep properly!

I know what you mean about the shallow breathing Sparkle, desperately trying to deep breathe to get calm and you feel like your lungs just won't inflate! And the dreams, jeez they ware you out sometimes!

In the end I found that playing some relaxing music on my iPod along with playing a word game distracted my brain enough to drop off. It's funny playing this game as you wouldn't think that would happen but it's better than reading a book! The other thing I found useful was a distracting mind game, bit like counting sheep but more complex so start with A and say a name, eating or doing something and in a place. A friend suffers with bad anxiety and she gave me the useful distracting tips.

I was usually okay once OH was around but even now I still get a bit of the old anxiety stuff at night. I think it's partly because during the day everyone is around, awake, help is near but night, people are asleep, nothing's open etc. The night I had the really bad palps I really didn't know what to do, should I call the emergency services but then thought it's not really an emergency but then by yourself at night then fuels a panic situation....it's horrible!

I was pleasantly surprised last time he went away as I was waiting for the anxiety to kick in and it never came but then I'm much better now and hormones have settled down again, so I do think it is hormone related.

Try a sleepy tea at night, night rescue remedy and spray lavender on your pillow, all good stuff for trying to keep you calm. Hope you get to drop off but try not to let it grow into a habit as its then hard to break. Take care ....

[Irishangel]

Hi Ladies, 
Thank you for all your encouraging replies! It is so good to know that I am not alone with this.  Finally fell asleep feeling calmer after my warm drink, also read for a little bit too.
I have downloaded some relaxation music and meditation sessions.  It so true, when this happens at night, you do feel like you are on your own, and that makes the anxiety worse.  I do have some things on my mind so I think this has got a wee bit to do with it too.  Once again thank you all so much for making me feel normal!    hope you all have a good day! x

[CLKD]

How is your diet over-all?  Sometimes having a light supper an hour B4 bed can help ease anxiety which can be caused by a drop of blood sugar or by a raise in Cortisol, the hormone that wakes us up.  I was advised to eat every 3 hours, 24/7 including in the night.  Puppy soon realised that there were biscuits by the bed ;-).

[Jollidays]

Hi everyone, I'm not getting night anxiety in the same way but I'm having really stressful vivid dreams. I never used to even remember my dreams but now wake up feeling really tense.  I've been doing the mindfulness ap Budify to get to sleep with, which is good for going off. Xx

[CLKD]

We have a dream thread here 

[jorainbow]

Another here wide awake yet exhausted. Came to bed slept from 9pm til now then wham anxiety woke me up. Aching arms tingling nausea racing thoughts heat...... I usually feel better post period which this time was very light but there has been a slight let up in low mood yet anxiety is unbearable. Trying to eat regularly but appetite is non existent so forcing it. Awful.

[Dee46]

jorainbow It is so exhausting I feel asleep around 11pm woke at 3am not sure why but the anxiety was in the background, not sure if I went back to sleep fully, then wake with the dreads at 6.15am, this is awful, do you get pins & needles when you sleep in your arms as I do & have done for a few years but never connected it was to do with peri, I also feel nauseous on & off, just like being pregnant again, yep the racing thoughts that go randomly from one thing to another, the eating was the issue with me just didnt fancy anything not even chocolate! If only people knew what was going on behind our closed doors 

[JaneinPen]

I too had this during my menopause and even had attacks during the daytime to the point I had to get off trains sometimes as I couldn't cope with the crowded environment. I thought I was going mad as nothing like this had happened to me before. It helped by getting a small light with a very low bulb and putting it on the floor on my side of the bed so that if I woke feeling panicky I could put it on and leave it on without disturbing my husband. If it was really bad I listened to some soothing music through earplugs to calm myself. These two things really did work. It was about a year but they did subside eventually.

[jorainbow]

 I'm not in work today so thought I'd have a snooze this morning but as I doze off back it comes in waves. I have my  wonderful nephew here to keep me company but its just awful. Going to look at photos ftom a mother daughter photoshoot this afternoon - how different did I feel that afternoon 🙁🙁