Treatment vs. Panic attacks

[Dan on CPAP]

I’m on day 15 and I'm getting used to my treatment. I still unconsciously take off my mask with or without tape, but I put it back on when I eventually wake up from the noise or snoring - whichever comes first (I'm currently averaging over 7 hrs of sleep, so it's not for too long). I was having anxieties/panic attacks leading to my sleep study and which increased after waiting for weeks to get my equipment. I never experienced these issues before my Doctor diagnosed my sleep issues and ordered a sleep study, the trigger was when he told me that I could die, if I didn't go through the study and get treatment. (I might add he ordered the same study five years ago that I blew off). My new sleep Doctor tells me that my anxieties and panic attacks should go away with quality sleep that will restore me back to my normal happy self. But, I still have unexpected attacks for no reason (seconds to minutes, not as bad before treatment). I'm currently taking over the counter stuff (Valerian Root, Kava Tea) to calm my nerves and take Melatonin 3mg slow release to go to sleep, sometimes I take Tylenol PM or Simply Sleep to knock out. My prediction and hope is that I'll stop the sedation, as I get more comfortable with my treatment and the panic attacks go away. Additionally, A good friend gave me a book by Max Lucado, "FEARLESS". The book was a good read and has helped me with the depression side of my anxieties, giving me strength and help to overcome the fear when it appears. God, Family, Friends, Prayer and this Help Group are awesome tools that WILL get me back to normal. I didn't get like this overnight, so I'm comfortable knowing that I'll get better with time and faith - - Peace be with you
Thanks for letting me share, I believe it helps me and I enjoy the encourging replies and tips . . . .

[meusion]

I suffer from panic attacks too. They tend to increase when I am feeling very stressed or when I am in a room with lots and lots of people and little space. I too am hoping that CPAP will lessen my anxiety and panic attacks and provide the restorative sleep my body needs. I also notice that during the winter months, especially January and February, my anxiety really increases. I take citalopram (generic for Celexa) and that has been very helpful. Anyway, just wanted to share. Thanks,
Heather

[Dan on CPAP]

Heather, thanks for letting me know that I'm not the only one with this issue. I'm sorry that you have the same issue. But, I believe treatment will fix us and this forum is a great place for advice and sharing to get us back to normal.

Dan

[KatieW]

Dan and Heather, I have never experienced panic attacks. Thank you for sharing your stories. Your courage and perseverance are an inspiration. Good sleep is so healing, I hope you both start to see improvement soon.

[DreamOn]

Hi Dan! You're on the right track. I'm really glad you started this thread because there is a relationship between anxiety, panic attacks, depression and sleep apnea. Sleep and oxygen deprivation do weird things. I hope that you'll get some feedback here that will help you.

Since you said that this problem didn't start until your doctor informed you of your diagnosis, it's likely that that was the stress trigger. I think that learning about any major illness can be a shock, especially when you're told you could die. It sounds like you've been in denial about this for a long time. There are stages we go through in accepting our condition -- almost like a grieving process. Grief sometimes does bring on panic attacks and anxiety.

Let's hope that your new sleep doctor is correct, that the anxiety will leave once your sleep quality improves. I suspect that he's right. And if it carries on beyond a certain point you can talk with him about it more in depth and explore ways to get some relief.

Put into perspective, you've only been using CPAP for 2 weeks. You've had sleep apnea for years. It does take time to fully heal from that -- body, mind and spirit. Be patient with yourself and the process. Once you get the mask issue resolved, your sleep will be more restful and restorative. Consider the herbs and medication you're taking too. I think you're going to see big improvement in the weeks and months ahead.

Be sure to let us know how things are going. I hope others will have some words of encouragement for you and share their own experiences.

~ DreamOn

[yasulh]

Put into perspective, you've only been using CPAP for 2 weeks. You've had sleep apnea for years. It does take time to fully heal from that -- body, mind and spirit. Be patient with yourself and the process. Once you get the mask issue resolved, your sleep will be more restful and restorative. Consider the herbs and medication you're taking too. I think you're going to see big improvement in the weeks and months ahead.

Be sure to let us know how things are going. I hope others will have some words of encouragement for you and share their own experiences.

~ DreamOn

I want to add on to what DreamOn said. As someone who specializes in work with traumatic stress, I can tell you that there may be a relationship that may cause a temporary increase in your stress once you start CPAP, but that it should decrease over time. Your sleep apnea causes you to have increases of the chemicals involved in stress flooding your body - due to your brain panicking over a lack of oxygen. When we have higher levels of these chemicals in our body, we become even more prone to stress. This can at least partly account for your current anxiety. Studies have shown that increases in oxygen can feed these chemicals - which is something to keep in mind as your body is adjusting to an increase in oxygen when you are sleeping with CPAP. You may find that your anxiety levels increase temporarily as your body adjusts to having increased oxygen feeding the residual stress chemicals while also adjusting to not needing - and therefore not releasing - those chemicals every night while sleeping. Once your brain gets used to not being panicked every night, the levels of stress chemicals in your body should decrease and you should get some relief. If that does not happen for you, then you may have other sources for the panic and should consider additional evaluation. Does this make sense?

[SaltLakeJan]

Mornin' Dan
I hope you had a good night, and that YOU were able to keep your mask on. Dan, your Dr. probably thought he had to scare you to death to get you to take the sleep study and begin therapy. then you had the bad experiences in your sleep study. Plus you have untreated apnea. That is enough to make anyone jumpy, have anxiety and panic attacks.

You are back to treating yourself kindly. You might try adding a choosing a Positive Thought that you say to your self several times a day. Something like: I sleep well, it is easy to keep my mask on at night, And, I feel calm and relaxed all the time.

I had a serious long illness, a type of infection in my heel that moved up into my thigh. I had to take an antiobiotic infusion 7 times in each 24 hours to save the leg. I had to do this for months, I was beyond anxious. The powerful antiobiotic was not healing me. At one point, I got hold of myself, I read a book by By Dr. Herbert Benson at Harvard Medical School about positive thinking.

For me there was a great body-mind connection. I began saying a positive statement several times a day. I actually relaxed and convinced my mind I was betting better. When my mind became convinced I was healthier each day, it wasn't too long before my body cooperated.

You have only been here a few days, but you already have people who care about you, and want you to leave the panic attacks behind. I believe in you and believe you can improve your health though positive thinking and following the things you are doing to help your self.

Go for it Dan. Jan

[BlackSpinner]

I was having anxiety attacks before Cpap too -ever since my apartment building caught fire in 2004. Mostly they seemed to happen as I was falling asleep. Since I got my cpap and I read that the oxygen desats (down to 56%) can cause the same reactions I found that I could break them just by remembering that when I feel anxious at night.
At this point I think it is just the memory of the anxiety attacks that are bugging me.
Since I have been on cpap I have been able to face a lot more stress with calm then I could before. This goes especially at work where challenges would put me into tears before. I work as a computer programmer and I often have to do things I never did before because technology is constantly changing. In the last few weeks I have had to educate my self on encryption technology and automatic file transfers, all to be invisible to the user. I didn't shed a tear - even when it became a company political hot button. (ah yes you have to encrypt and decrypt files but you are not allowed to use the industry standard freeware on the server even though that is what our outsourced data managers are insisting we use) Last year my boss would have had to sit on me as I freaked out, I would have had migraines and my stomach would have tried to eat itself. Not now.

The only thing I still have anxiety attacks about are family issues - but I have two disintegrating parents on the other side of the country and a post-teen going to college and trying hard to screw up her life. This is what I work on with my therapist.

[DreamOn]

Yasulh, you explained everything SO well! I'm really happy that you and the others are here to shed light on this. I don't think this is an uncommon experience, and just knowing that can bring some relief.

I knew about the role of oxygen deprivation and the fight-or-flight response our body goes through every night when we can't breathe and how that contributes to our daytime problems, but this explanation was especially enlightening for me:

Studies have shown that increases in oxygen can feed these chemicals - which is something to keep in mind as your body is adjusting to an increase in oxygen when you are sleeping with CPAP. You may find that your anxiety levels increase temporarily as your body adjusts to having increased oxygen feeding the residual stress chemicals while also adjusting to not needing - and therefore not releasing - those chemicals every night while sleeping. Once your brain gets used to not being panicked every night, the levels of stress chemicals in your body should decrease and you should get some relief.

I love the way you approached your situation, SaltLakeJan. The body and the mind are so intricately connected. I'm glad you were able to heal from that very difficult illness. That would be so scary!

[yasulh]

Yasulh, you explained everything SO well! I'm really happy that you and the others are here to shed light on this. I don't think this is an uncommon experience, and just knowing that can bring some relief.

I knew about the role of oxygen deprivation and the fight-or-flight response our body goes through every night when we can't breathe and how that contributes to our daytime problems, but this explanation was especially enlightening for me:

~ DreamOn

Thanks DreamOn!

I am extrapolating from what I know about traumatic stress, but the mechanisms should be the same. The oxygen feeding the stress chemicals is why we tend to hyperventilate during a panic attack - the stress chemicals cause the brain to want more oxygen. We also know that people who experience traumatic stress tend to retain higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies. So, it follows (at least theoretically) that if you are suffocating many times each night your body would have a similar reaction and start to retain those chemicals. I know that since I started my CPAP therapy a little over two months ago, I saw an increase in anxiety in myself for a brief period.

[DreamOn]

I am extrapolating from what I know about traumatic stress, but the mechanisms should be the same. The oxygen feeding the stress chemicals is why we tend to hyperventilate during a panic attack - the stress chemicals cause the brain to want more oxygen. We also know that people who experience traumatic stress tend to retain higher levels of these chemicals in their bodies. So, it follows (at least theoretically) that if you are suffocating many times each night your body would have a similar reaction and start to retain those chemicals. I know that since I started my CPAP therapy a little over two months ago, I saw an increase in anxiety in myself for a brief period.

I know that cortisol is one of the hormones released when we're struggling to breathe at night, and it is amazing to learn how much that one substance can affect our body and our minds! Excess cortisol produced from sleep apnea can affect blood pressure (even during the daytime), glucose metabolism (diabetes), inflammation, cognition, depression, thyroid function, immunity, heart health, and obesity (especially increased abdominal fat).

All these conditions are associated with sleep apnea. Add to that the fact that we're not getting quality sleep because of the frequent arousals as our bodies struggle to breathe, and it's no wonder many of us are such a mess when we come into this! Sleep deprivation alone can cause many problems.

It is so important to treat sleep apnea to prevent the long-term problems. CPAP isn't a permanent cure, but sleep apnea is a manageable condition. We are very fortunate to have this option. And oftentimes, any damage already done can be reversed or improved. My blood pressure is very high without medication, so I'm hoping I will eventually see improvement in that regard especially. It's already come down a bit, and I've only been using CPAP for about a month. It's good to know that we're taking charge of our health and doing what we can to be the best we can be!

~ DreamOn

[Dan on CPAP]

It's hard to explain the warm feeling inside after reading everyones replies, I really thought I was on my own with this issue and really didn't want to share until I was encouraged by someone on this thread, Thanks...... I know I'm going to get better, because there is no other alternative. My attacks seem to appear at night only and my work is a great distraction during the day. I'm glad to report that I slept for 8 hrs last night and didn't take off my mask once. I even felt that It was normal to have it on when I woke up, and waited for my wife to ask if I was going to take it off. I felt great today with a minor panic attack about an hour ago, but it was very minor. It occurred after I just saved $1,500.00 by completing my kitchen demo, maybe it was a happy attack .... Boy, am I sore now...
I was going to seek professional help for my panic attacks, but I consider it a last resort, as I don't want to take nothing other than over the counter stuff. I believe the advise that has been given and I'm going to wait for the quality sleep to be my medication, thanks to everyone that has commented and I hope more join in.... Dan

[DreamOn]

I'm glad to report that I slept for 8 hrs last night and didn't take off my mask once. I even felt that It was normal to have it on when I woke up

Yay! That is tremendous progress!!! Once your mask stays on all night consistently and your treatment is optimized I think you're going to see great results! Isn't it a weird feeling having to touch your face in the morning to make sure your mask is really on? I do that now sometimes.

I felt great today with a minor panic attack about an hour ago, but it was very minor. It occurred after I just saved $1,500.00 by completing my kitchen demo, maybe it was a happy attack

Not to make light of your situation, but if I was facing a kitchen demolition I'd be having panic attacks too! That's a big undertaking. Renovations can be stressful!

I hope that other people will share their experiences here too. I'm glad this has been of some help. Learn all you can about sleep apnea and your CPAP therapy. Knowledge is power! And feel free to ask any questions. There are a lot of people here willing to help. We're all on a similar journey, and chances are good that someone has faced exactly the same challenges and found solutions.

~ DreamOn

[yasulh]

I was going to seek professional help for my panic attacks, but I consider it a last resort, as I don't want to take nothing other than over the counter stuff. I believe the advise that has been given and I'm going to wait for the quality sleep to be my medication, thanks to everyone that has commented and I hope more join in.... Dan

Dan, professional help can involve more than medication. As a psychotherapist, I teach people breathing and relaxation techniques that I also use myself to avoid and overcome panic attacks (I have a couple of phobias ). If your panic attacks don't get better, you might consider that avenue and seek out a psychologist, professional counselor, or social worker who specializes in stress and anxiety. Good luck to you!

[meusion]

Hi Dan,
I'm glad that you reached out and that you feel good about the result. It is nice to know that you are not the only one!! I think it is good to see if treating the sleep apnea will resolve the panic attacks, however, don't go too long. Panic attacks and the resulting emotional and physical distress cannot be good for your mind or your body. For me they become very debilitating. I was having them daily and finally had to resign from my job and live with my parents for awhile until both my mind and body healed. I am still working on this process. I guess I just wanted to say thanks for opening up this thread and sharing your story. It helps me too and don't be afraid to get help if your panic attacks do not go away with treating your sleep apnea.
Thanks,
Heather