Strange happening at one in the morning

[Betty Rubble]

Every night on or around 1am whether I am wide awake and pottering around, or fast asleep and awaking to it - I experience a feeling of extreme shock, heart fluttering and shortness of breath. To calm myself down I have to do deep breathing. I never realised it was always at the same time, until I began to look at the clock - and there it was, 1 or 1.30am. Naturally I have asked my doctor and naturally he doesn't have a clue. What do you think it might be?

[Wahad]

Hello Please check the Internet about Sleep Apnea. Also check with your doctor. I do not know why it happens at 1:00AM, and I am not sure if you get it while awake. Best of Luck Wahad Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that is far more common than generally understood. First described in 1965, sleep apnea is a breathing disorder characterized by brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. It owes its name to a Greek word, apnea, meaning �want of breath.� There are two types of sleep apnea: central and obstructive. Central sleep apnea, which is less common, occurs when the brain fails to send the appropriate signals to the breathing muscles to initiate respirations. Obstructive sleep apnea is far more common and occurs when air cannot flow into or out of the person�s nose or mouth although efforts to breathe continue. http://www.sleepfoundation.org/publications/sleepap.cfm#1

[scuzzball]

Its not going to be sleep apnea if she is awake is it?

[beale]

Maybe you should have a word with Barney

[Mynx]

This sounds like an anxiety or panic attack. It probably will not be a sleep problem because it still happens even when you are awake. Can I ask whether you were awake or asleep the first time it happened. Also did it feel frightening or upsetting to quite a degree? The fact that you say you have to calm yourself down by breathing is another indication of panic. Panic attacks happen for many reasons and sometimes those reasons are very flimsy. If you had a sudden shock of panic, didn't like it because you were frightened by it, noticed the time (whether consciously or subconsciously) and then thought about the event for a while because you were trying to figure out what exactly happened etc this could bring it on again. And once it has happened twice, three times you get stuck in your own worry about it, therefore bringing it on again. It doesn't matter if you are asleep or not, your mind always knows what time it is (that's the reason why people wake up just before there alarm among other things) and it will know when to panic. The best thing you can do is try to relax. Do this any way you feel. Take a bath before bed, put some lavender oil on a tissue in your pillowcase. Also ask yourself why you are concerned. Challenge your subconscious. Ask what is the worst that could happen if you did it again. Ask if that would really be THAT bad. Don't get disheartened if it doesn't go straight away and likewise if it goes and returns again. It will diminish the less you let it play on your mind. Let us know how you get on. Good luck and don't worry.

[Betty Rubble]

Thank you for your helpful replies. I had been careful not to focus on it and therefore make it worse. Also, I feel like when I drop off I am very relaxed, I don't think there's much else I could do to be more relaxed. But yes, it is frightening, as because there seems to be no source, you dom't know when it will end or where it will lead. I guess it does sound like a description of a panic attack, so maybe that is what it is.