Life has never been so stressful for our ancestors; they have honestly been able to have a sound sleep at night. The immediate impact of such a night is complete exhaustion the entire day. The long-term effects can be that we age quicker. Our appearance will betray our true age and we will look older. If not handled, these sleepless nights will turn into nocturnal anxiety attacks which will disrupt the normal cycle of our lives.

As human beings we need to rest approximately every 16 hours. Our resting period lasts approximately 8 hours and then we're up again. There is no way around this cycle. Sooner or later our bodies must rest. However, when there is an impediment in the normal course of life, the balance is lost and then problems creep in. Nocturnal anxiety disorder occurs when you suffer with chronic sleep problems. One way to find out if you do is to monitor the amount you regularly sleep. Is it less than usual? You may have sleep anxiety disorder.

I say may because sleep anxiety attacks is not easily diagnosed. You see it is a mix of many symptoms that indicate various sleep disorders. So a reliable diagnosis may be delayed. During the first phases of the night attacks, you will not sleep much or well for that matter and will most certainly feel drained the next morning. During the initial stages you are advised to seek professional help to assist you in dealing with the attacks.

The general symptoms of panic attacks while sleeping are insomnia, sleepiness during the day and improper sleeping patterns. Insomnia is more predominant than the other two symptoms in the initial phases. Also panic attacks during sleep are common with people having unpredictable sleeping behaviors.

As much as 50% of all panic disorder sufferers experience some nocturnal anxiety disorder.

One side effect of panic attacks while sleeping disorder is the fear of sleeping the sufferers develop which heightens their anxiety making matters that much worse and complicated. While it may seem sensible and obvious to some, sleeping pills are not the answer to resolving these problems. You could make things worse by becoming addicted to them.

Nocturnal anxiety disorder cannot be associated with dreams as the attacks occur at the beginning phases of Rapid Eye Movement or REM.Therefore, dreams cannot be held liable for setting off panic attacks. Also, the occurrence of nocturnal anxiety attacks can result in sudden waking up, palpitations, breathlessness, fear, perspiration and tremors. Such symptoms usually occur when the person is in deep sleep.

It is still not known what causes nocturnal anxiety attacks. Some have suspected that the buildup of carbon dioxide in the body while we sleep may be the cause. This is known to be the "false suffocation alarm."

Panic attacks while sleeping can be eradicated with medications.
Nonetheless, medications should be used as the last weapon for treatment as these disorders can be cured with certain restrictions and changes. To be clear, we're talking about anxiety medications and not sleeping pills.

You can free yourself of the night panic attacks and anxiety attacks in general if at first you can make peace with yourself. This is a very serious step. You must understand yourself first before you try to explain anything to others. The more easily you are able to express your concerns and the occurrences of your attacks the quicker you can free yourself from its grip. Apart from that you must make certain lifestyle changes as well - such as quitting or limiting smoking, caffeine and alcohol. These substances can easily increase the intensity of an attack. Additionally I would say that self help is the best help to cure night panic attacks.