144 thoughts on “panic attacks suck”

1. Thank you for sharing, your posts are a real eye opener. I hope you find what you need soon!

2. Wil, I have had night panic attacks too and they are beyond awful. I wish I had a fix for this. I have a rescue med that works for me (xanax)… I hope you and your docs can find something to help you.

   I hope you sleep well tonight..

3. Some of the most brilliant, compassionate, creative people I know suffer from depression and/or anxiety to some extent. Of course, this information is useless and irritating when you’re trying to recover from an attack.So sorry. You probably know this already. Except that you’re kind and know this waffling stranger is sitting with you in solidarity. Albeit, writing and deleting anxiously, wondering if I will post this and then worry about it. Then I think, I’m the 60th comment (by the time I’ve editted this, who know!) so you won’t get to this bit anyway. And if you do? You’ll know I hear you. WE hear you. I’m sorry you find yourself in limbo and I hope its resolves ASAP. It’s not forever. It gets better. You’ll be okay. Sending kindness.

4. I’m sure you’ve heard it all… but I too suffer from anxiety which primarily decides to be a buthead at night. I’ve been prescribed several things over the years. But I decided to try something different. I made a tincture of 2 parts valerian root, 1 part lavender. I’m guessing you could buy it, it takes about 30 days to make. Taking an eye dropper 30 min before bed, really helps. Research The effects and if it helps, awesome. If not, no great loss. I’ve personally found it effective. Thank you for sharing and reminding us all, we’re not alone.

5. Have you ever tried hypnotherapy, or any of the tools for lucid dreaming?

   Being able to know I was dreaming deflated a lot of the scary dreams for me.

   Thank you for all of your honest words about hard mental health things. I can’t even count the number of people I’ve forwarded your writings to that have been helped by you.

   If you want specifics or more details just ask.

6. Have you tried TMS, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcranial_magnetic_stimulation? It has been very helpful for my wife.

7. I’m so sorry this happens to you and that you haven’t found a way to stop or lessen the problem. I don’t have panic attacks like these but I have nightmares and major sleeping issues too. Medication has somewhat helped me but doesn’t necessarily improve the quality of my sleep, which is what really matters if you want to feel rested right? I know you’ve probably heard it all but one thing I was told by doctors who specialized in serious sleeping issues is not to stay in bed when I can’t sleep or I’m having such trouble sleeping. I’m supposed to get up, do something I like (no screens though :), something which provides me comfort and positive feelings, maybe write about it, maybe do a 5-min guided meditation session or breathing exercises then try again 30 minutes later. And repeat as often as necessary if I I don’t fall asleep after 30 minutes or wake up too soon. The idea is not to associate my bed with negative experiences but also to try and lower my stress level regarding the situation. Negative feelings like fear, anxiety, discomfort work as “waking” agents in your brain and there’s no way you can sleep properly when you feel those. This hasn’t solved everything of course but has been helpful in putting things into perspective/at a distance, assessing the quality of my sleep overall rather than focusing on bad nights, and just dealing with bad nights better.

8. If you have not already, I have two suggestions. First, have a geneticist see if you carry any of the MTHFR mutations. These mutations affects how you body processes folate which is essential to maintaining mental health (among other things). If you have the mutation than avoiding folic acid in food is essential. The US government requires folic acid be added to all flour and flour based foods EXCEPT ORGANIC. My second suggestion is to see a nutritionist. 90% or so of the serotonin our bodies produce comes from the gut. Most of this process occurs at night. If you are taking a serotonin based medication, especially at bed time, you might be getting flooded while you sleep. Panic attacks are no small thing and I’m sorry you are dealing with them. I hope you sleep like a well fed puppy tonight.

9. My history with mental illness is long and complex. When I read about an individual’s experiences with depression and anxiety an internal battle is waged where I have to lock down all the words that want to come charging out. Especially when the person’s experiences, like yours, are so similar to my own. For now, I’m going to try to stay on your topic of panic attacks while sleeping.

   I have no idea whether this will be of any help to you and to be clear I’m not even sure if it helps with my own panic attacks, but I do know that it has helped tremendously with another sleep issue. For most of my adult life I have had to deal with sleep paralysis and its much scarier than my panic attacks. I started using a large wedge placed behind my upper body for another issue and it has come close to completely eliminating the sleep paralysis. My panic attacks started after I already had the wedge, but mine seem less frequent and severe than many other people I have spoken with on this issue. The foam wedge I use is much higher than any I have seen sold as sleep aids. I had to purchase it at a business that specializes in foam products. On top of that I added two pillows under my lower back, one thicker pillow under my head with a travel neck pillow for added support. All of that extra is just a matter of finding a comfortable position for myself and others my not need anything but the foam.

   And like I said, this may not be at all helpful but I suspect there is a link, at least for me, between the sleeping position and the panic attacks. I wish you luck with your future attempts at a good night’s rest. I know a lack of sleep can be detrimental to keeping a lid on other mental and physical health issues.

10. Are there any effective therapists are natural medication to assist with anxiety and claustrophobic issues I have been missing out on traveling away from my comfort zone or sleeping properly just want to get my anxiety and my adrenal gland seems to race intermittently have a false alarm of flight at times maybe chemical imbalance what if this happens to me if I go away thoughts take over when I’m attempting to go somewhere which turns into anxiety and I change my mind I would like to be able to travel again only about 14 years since I’ve been on a plane need effective therapy to overcome these issues. can anyone assist me genuinely ? All this started 15 years ago after partying training too hard just didn’t die it right didn’t respect sleep went to bed 10 minutes into a deep sleep someone kicked the door open and scared me out my sleep from that day my life changed it’s like a fear of sleeping and because I was traveling at the time I have issues going away from my comfort zone

11. I am sorry that you are in the grips of this struggle right now, but so glad that you have found some tools from professional clinicians to help you; I know it means nothing now, but you will find your way out of these weeds as well. Keep asking for the help, reaching out. I also need to thank you for sharing your experiences so openly. Reading your posts has compelled me to write about my own mental illness on my blog and to try and help and hopefully educate. You are a brave, sensitive and brilliant soul.

12. Thank you for writing about these things.

    Knowing that there is someone out there with similar problems who is still able to Get Things Done and lead a happy, productive life isn’t just inspiring to me- it’s a relief.

13. Hey brother I feel your pain. I too suffer from panic attacks and GAD. I’ve tried a lot things as well but the one practice that has really helped the most is daily practice in apathy when it comes to panic.
    I swear the more you focus on trying to stop it the worse it becomes. As crazy as it sounds, when I accepted the fact that I’ll probably deal with this the rest of my life and each time I felt “the feeelings” remind myself that it’s just anxiety, everything became much better and easier to deal with. It takes practice for sure, but each success builds your confidence and really retrains your mind to interpret differently these sensations that seek to throw into panic mode. There’s no magic pill or solution. The answer lies with you mad hokey as that sounds. Recognize and retrain. Best to you because I know it is awful, but you’ll make it and get better. It’s not a character flaw.

14. I went through a period of these. You are intelligent and creative enough that you will get through it. Creativity requires taking chances. That is stressful enough. You’re also famous, which probably adds something, although what do I know about that?

    I’ve heard a very smart person say that the reason so many creative people (writers, specifically) are drug/alcohol addicts might be that they never know how any sentence they start will end–like it’s one leap after another into the unknown. This is stressful. When they have to deal with something mundane, they often ‘creative’ it, when they don’t really have to. All they really have to do is follow the ‘script.’ More stress. Go for a drive through the desert and stuff. Go for a sail in the bay. Whatever..get some wide open spaces. Break the routine. Watch the water fall. etc. Celebrate what exists in front of you, by merely observing it. Then keep that in your pocket for when you need it.

15. Dear Wil Im sorry to hear about your struggle with anxiety and depression I can relate because ive also experienced some of what you’ve described sometimes right after frightening lucid dreaming. I say the following knowing that it might come off wrong or as fanatical because people who have all the wrong motives and agendas sometimes promote this advice. I hope it does not. I believe that passed all the hypocrisy and mal intentions from most “religious” people there really is an entity that loves and is aware of your pain who is the Source of all love and all things, who is now more than ever searching and calling the peaceful people whom he intended this world for. Having faith in his word i try to spend a few minutes of my mornings sitting alone willing to let His advice to guide my hands and mind to find medicine from his words as a comfort and shield from all of these terrible things happening around. I hope you are soon feeling better please accept these words that I believe will be uplifting from 2corinthians 4:7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9 persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10 We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body…

16. I hear you.

    Also, I’ve had similar experiences though not quite the frequency or intensity. I’ve even got exploding head syndrome – yes, it’s a thing and if it didn’t suck so bad it would be a cool thing to say I’ve survived exploding head. One thing that I believe helps me is telling myself right before I lay my head down is to recite/remind myself of the day, date, month, year, and my physical location with an odd amount of detail. Often I include things like side of the bed, address of the building, location of the room with respect to the rest of the home, hotel, etc. as well as who is around. I have this belief that it helps with the disorientation when I wake up.

    Again, I hear you.

17. I know lots of people who are using CBD to treat their anxiety. It won’t take it a away but it will dial it down. There is CBD made from help but it is best to get a of marijuana that is all CBD with just a tiny a blunt of THC. The THC will help activate the receptors I. Your brain. CBD will not get you high. You will feel perfectly normal just the anxiety turned down. My wife uses this and it it has made a huge impact on decreasing her anxiety. Her first appointment with her her therapist after she started smoking CBD noticed she was doing way better without knowing she was using CBD. Please try it for a few weeks.
    There has been success with ketamine infusion also. There has been some very promising research studies done and there are doctors all around the country who are offering it. In 5-10 years there will almost certainly be new drugs based on it.

18. How is your caffeine intake? I love coffee, but I found it was exacerbating my anxiety. Maybe cut back for a few weeks and see if that helps. Wishing you well.

19. Hey Wil. Sorry you’re having such a tough time. Maybe I can help – I’m a UK family physician and ex-space flight surgeon (not an astronaut, a doctor for astronauts).
    Prolonged anxiety, stress, phobias, panic attacks – these are all manifestations of your sympathetic nervous system being overactive. We have evolved with subconscious parts of our nervous system that lets us react to danger (sympathetic) and recuperate when we are safe (parasympathetic). In physically dangerous environments (eg: an ape in a jungle full of jaguars; a soldier in a war zone) our sympathetic drive/level increases, keeping us at a higher level of readiness, and suppressing our parasympathetic drive. It’s less important to be digesting food if you’re about to become a snack for something else, and it’s dangerous to fall into a deep restful sleep if someone might be coming to kill you. The more dangerous the situation, or the longer you’re in it, the more the sympathetic drive goes up (and parasympathetic goes down) – leading to poor sleep, exhaustion, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, phobias, panic attacks, depression, etc.
    The full fight-or-flight reaction is our physiological response to immediate life-threatening danger. Our adrenal glands release a large burst of epinephrine, which speeds up our heart rate, diverts blood from our digestive tract to our muscles, dilates our pupils, and speeds up our breathing rate – converting our bodies to be ready to fight or run at maximum capacity. And in a genuinely dangerous situation, your entire focus is on dealing with the threat. Adrenaline junkies get the same reaction doing extreme sports, but their focus is on what they are doing, and how exciting it is.
    But a panic attack is when this exact same response occurs with no external threat. And without something external to focus on, the person having the panic attack is focused on the symptoms they feel. Heart hammering (heart rate increase), dry mouth and stomach sinking (blood diverting away from the digestive tract), muscle trembling (extra blood flow and release of glucose), and feeling sick and lightheaded (from hyperventilating). With no external threat to be focused on, these symptoms are highly unpleasant, and increase the anxiety, which worsens and prolongs the panic attack. The final added kicker is that our brains think we’re in mortal peril, so try and give us an extra psychological ‘shove’ – which during a panic attack is felt as a powerful feeling of impending doom. It’s therefore no surprise that many people think they are dying when they have their first panic attack.
    Ironically, it’s all an entirely natural evolved response, just happening at the wrong time. And that’s because our subconscious brains have not adapted to understand the difference between physical threat and prolonged anxiety or stress. The part of our brain that evolved as a tiny mammal in a world full of predators is just trying to keep us safe from danger, not comprehending that we’re stressed by our modern lives.
    So, what can we do about it?
    The principal problem is the imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, so to stop the sympathetic system being overactive, we need to reactivate the parasympathetic system. We need to relax …actively and regularly. Medications can and do help – high dose SSRI antidepressants can be effective for anxiety, beta-blockers like propranolol suppress the sympathetic drive (but increase the risk of diabetes), and sedatives like benzodiazepines can chemically induce relaxation (but these are highly addictive, so their response weakens rapidly with ongoing use, and there is a large withdrawal effect causing increased anxiety, so they cause more problems in the long run). Ideally, we need a way to reverse the steady buildup of stress. We need to do relaxation training.
    I call it training because it’s like any other form of training – if you want to get stronger or fitter, you have to practice it regularly, to make your body respond. This training is just focused on reactivating our parasympathetic drive, by regularly relaxing. (And counteracting our bodies mistakenly and subconsciously training us to be more and more stressed!).
    It’s not easy to relax, particularly when you’ve been very stressed or anxious for a long time. When it comes to meditation, there’s a reason monks are good at it, and ‘amateurs’ often find it difficult – the monks are doing two techniques at the same time. We have two halves of our brains. If you only occupy one, the other continues to stress. That’s why just doing a breathing exercise for anxiety, or just counting sheep for insomnia, doesn’t work. The monks are combining a physical relaxation technique (eg: focused breathing) with a mental distraction technique (eg: a chant).
    You don’t need to become a monk or meditate to relax (although obviously you can if you want to). You just need to combine two techniques at once. There are lots to choose from, so pick two that you enjoy. Here’s some examples:
    To physically relax, the simplest technique is focused breathing – you take slow deep breaths, and as you breathe out, you feel your ribcage and shoulders drop, and you let that sensation of your muscles relaxing extend into your arms and legs. If you find this too difficult (your muscles are just too tense to relax in one go) try progressive muscle relaxation – you tense a group of muscles (eg: hands, forearms, upper arms, etc) one at a time, and then relax them – this lets you feel the difference between (more) tense and relaxed. Do this with each part of your body in turn, a few times, and you should be more relaxed than where you started – and then go into the focused breathing.
    To keep your brain from stressing, try a visualisation technique as a mental distraction (although a chant, self-hypnosis, counting sheep, are alternatives). Imagine in your mind that you’re lying on a lounger on a beach (or in a beautiful garden, or a library – somewhere calm) and that it’s a perfect day – warm but not hot, white sand, crystal clear turquoise water, palm trees. There’s a drink next to you, multicoloured with fruit juices, a tiny umbrella, a pineapple wedge. There are brightly coloured tropical birds flitting around…
    You’re adding detail to the peaceful and pleasant imagery, keeping yourself occupied …while you’re focusing on the physical sensation of being relaxed from your focused breathing.
    The good news is that you don’t need to do this for hours and hours (unless you want to). 5 minutes, 4 times a day – when you wake up, lunchtime, late afternoon, and bedtime – should be enough to restart your suppressed parasympathetic nervous system.
    I won’t lie, this will take a while to kick in. Not as long as the years your subconscious has been training you to be on edge and stressed, thankfully, but definitely weeks and months. But if you practice every day, your subconscious brain will realise that you’re spending time actually relaxed, and it will respond by then bringing your sympathetic drive back down, to where it should be.
    A note on phobias. Your stressed brain is trying it’s best to protect you from the danger it thinks you’re in. And like any horror movie, if you can’t see the danger, it must be creeping up behind you, which only makes your brain more stressed! A lot of agoraphobia occurs because someone who has been stressed for some time has their first panic attack somewhere crowded, like a supermarket. You’re stressed anyway, and then more stressed by going shopping, and then you’re surrounded by people …and your brain decides that one of them is the reason you’re stressed. And it triggers the full fight-or-flight response to save you. Hours later, when the panic attack has finally worn off, and you’re feeling exhausted, and think you almost died, your brain says “don’t go back there”. This is another survival response – if you’re a small mammal and you narrowly avoid getting eaten somewhere, your instinct is to avoid that area. We still have this response, and so when we think about the ‘dangerous area’ our brains make us feel fear/anxiety to keep us away. So you naturally don’t want to go back to the supermarket, and you feel worse when you consider it. And you back away. But, like all stress and anxiety, it builds, so then we’re not just stressed thinking about the supermarket, it’s also the small shops nearby, then going out of the house at all – until you’re hiding at home, with your anxiety worse than ever. Phobias build up gradually. And your brain can be afraid of pretty much anything! Going outside, heights, flying, pointy objects… And if you manage to convince yourself that your phobia is irrational, your poor stressed brain will switch to something else – after all, something is making you scared.
    The way to deal with phobias is to start with general relaxation training – the more relaxed you get, the less your overall stress and anxiety. But, once you get the hang of relaxing regularly, and it’s getting easier with practice, you can then choose to apply your relaxation techniques to the specific phobia. Gradually. Baby steps. You originally gradually backed away, so now you’re going to gradually back towards. If it’s agoraphobia, start small – think about going to the front door – your anxiety goes up! Then relax. And again. And again. Over several days (maybe weeks) you’ll find that the anxiety response will reduce, until you can think about going to the front door with a minimal reaction. Progress. Then actually go to the front door! Anxiety spike. Relax. And you keep practising this, with each small step in turn, until it gets easier and easier. Eventually, you’ll be able to do things without any anxiety …but it takes repetition. It’s training.
    You are tapping into the basic fundamentals of how your physiology works, and making it work for you, instead of against you.
    One last thing about panic attacks – there’s not much you can do once one is up and running, except wait it out (and understand what’s happening). But one thing you can still control is your breathing rate. Your body thinks you’ll be running or fighting, so is trying to get rid of carbon dioxide by hyperventilating. But when you’re having a panic attack, you’re not generating the extra CO2, so hyperventilating drops the CO2 level in your blood too low, which makes you feel sick and lightheaded. Get a paper bag (not plastic – please don’t accidentally asphyxiate yourself!). By breathing into a large paper bag, two things happen: first, you have a visual reminder to breathe more slowly!; and second, you breathe back in the CO2 you’re breathing out – which reduces the drop of CO2 in your blood, and reduces some symptoms.

    1. Thanks for taking the time to write that up

    2. Wow, that was an interesting read! Thanks for sharing, i learned so much.

    3. Hi, Wil- I’m so sorry that this is happening, but very grateful that you are talking about it. You are breaking the shame for a lot of people and making it okay to get help. I had similar thoughts after reading your post to what Dr. Douglas shared in his very thoughtful comment. If you are interested in learning more about the Autonomic Nervous System and how the Sympathetic Nervous System can become overreactive under chronic stress or trauma, Dr. Stephen Porges’ work on the polyvagal theory and Dr. Peter Levine’s work on Somatic Experiencing therapy might be helpful for you. Here is a podcast in which Dr. Porges describes the polyvagal theory to a lay audience: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na2blnkRhAY , and an episode of the same podcast with Dr. Levine giving an overview of Somatic Experiencing: https://youtu.be/KUL8HU-SSs8 . Dr. Bessel van der Kolk’s “The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma” (https://www.amazon.com/Body-Keeps-Score-Healing-Trauma/dp/0143127748 ) provides a helpful overview of trauma and discusses both the polyvagal theory and Somatic Experiencing.

    4. Thank you, Ben.

    5. Beautifully written response. I wholeheartedly agree with both your reasoning and treatment. I have used mindfulness, dialectic behavior training, cognitive behavior training, and exposure therapy. You’ve just explained my process (3/4) working through my isues that I would be recommending as well. Thank you for sharing such great advice.

20. Sounds like serotonin syndrome. Consider trying cyproheptadine, a prescription antihistamine that blocks the serotonin. You may find immediate relief. No kidding. This can be triggered by any drug that boosts your serotonin a little too high. It can take a few weeks to resolve as your chemistry returns to normal,but cyproheptadine will provide relief in just about an hour and maintain the serotonin block as long as you take it.

21. Oh Wil, that sounds awful. I hope your loved ones are there to hug you tight. I hope you feel better by now and I sure as hell hope that you get a good night’s sleep tonight.

    I read something about nightly panic attacks just yesterday (in a completely different context though): Sometimes you wake up during your REM phase. For various reasons that sucks, because you can hardly move during the REM phase, so when you wake up you feel paralysed. Then you panic (naturally), start breathing faster, your heart beat nearly explodes and that only makes everything worse. Usually, we don’t wake during the REM phase and if we do, the brain usually switches on the rest of the body first. However, perhaps yor brain doesn’t, or at least doesn’t manage to at all times. I have no idea whether that helps at all – it’s more of a possible explanation, not a cure.

    I send you many hugs.

22. I hope you get this under control soon. I guess you already know good doctors who will try their best to get you better medication and better psychotherapy – I’m assuming you’re not relying on medication alone anyway. I know you will pull through – you always have because you’ve known when you needed to reach out for help in situations like this.

23. I was diagnosed with Panic Disorder just a couple of years ago on top of my lifelong Major Clinical Depression. You’re right that it sucks. All I can do is offer you and the others here support. It’s something that we sufferers have to live with and even with professional help and medications, it’s not easy at all.

    I was an adult with a family when ST:TNG first aired. I’ve fought this for a long time. Sometimes a med change is enough to keep us going. Sometimes, we need more than that. Don’t forget to reach out to your family and close friends when you need them. Allies help.

    You are a valuable person and lots of people care about you and want to help. You are one of the people who, through your public blogging about your mental illness, led me to do the same. There are plenty of others like me out here.

    All the best.

24. Have you tried Lavender essential oil? That helps me when I can’t sleep.

25. I’m bipolar, and the best medication I ever had (I don’t take any anymore thanks to progress made in….every way) was, and still is if I need it again, mirtazapine. Medications can work differently for people, but in my case it knocked me the hell out every night, guaranteed, where dedicated sleeping medications did nothing. That did more to lift my depression than the actual anti-depression effects I think, especially since it put me into a proper, heavy REM sleep. It was later I realised it was helping a lot with anxiety too.

    The two ‘side effects’ of mirtazapine were more valuable to me in dealing with depression than the….anti-depressant effect. Getting up in the morning was a right bastard though, I’d wake up a hell of a lot slower and slip back into sleep easily if I didn’t get out (or be thrown out) of bed immediately.

26. Sorry you’re going through this, your brain probably won’t believe me it will pass. It always does. Might not be soon.. When I’m having an episode of paranoia i’m in a constant state of panic and it’s really scary it ends up wearing me down until i’m suicidal because I just can’t stand that feeling which is a belief during that people and insects are spying on me plotting to destroy my life. I thought my neighbor was a spy (we’re now friends, and I’ve since told him). Also at one point was convince Anne could control the weather and what happened to me and was doing so to fuck with me (everything is about me when I’m paranoid). I know that Anne didn’t control the weather or caused my brother to be mad at me now. And probably has no clue who i am. She has me blocked and I don’t blame her I would too. I always feel like I might talk about myself too much, but I do this to let you know I relate on some level. Good news I’m on med cocktail that works wonders for me. And restarted therapy

27. Hey Wil, I hope you find something that helps. I’ve only experienced that particular brand of hell twice, but it sounds like I was lucky that the two events happened a few weeks apart instead of in the same night. In addition to anxiety and depression, I also have Type 2 Diabetes, so the first time it happened I thought my blood sugar must have been out of whack, but it was fine (ish).
    I’m grateful to you for sharing these experiences. If you ever wonder if your willingness to be open about your mental health makes a difference, it does. Thanks to you, after most of a lifetime of struggling with anxiety and depression, I finally got help. Thanks, sir! And hang in there.

28. I just wrote a whole thing and it didn’t go through so here’s a gist: I’m sorry you’re going through that it sucks. blah blah it will pass. I relate blah blah. a confession that is probably the reason it didn’t go through

29. That sucks, man. I know that feeling all too well and it’s the fucking worst thing in the world. I’ve had anxiety on and off for many years. I was doing great for a time and then it came back with a vengeance recently. This past month has been hell, and I’m fighting through it, but reading about other peoples experiences, with anxiety, has been strangely therapeutic – like I’m not the only one fighting this invisible terror, and that helps. I’ve really enjoyed your work over the years, and I’m sorry that you’re going through a tough time. But I wanna thank you for sharing and I hope you feel better soon, Wil. Take care 🙂

30. Please look into EMDR and talk to your doctor about it.

    1. EMDR is amazing and combined with CBT has been the most helpful non-medication treatment (although I do also take meds) I’ve had in 35 years. It’s definitely something to try. The science behind it is very interesting to follow.

31. Thank you for sharing. Your posts often give me so much and also give me the feeling you were a friend. I wish i could help you. I can only talk about myself:
    I had to quit coffee entirely and meditate and exercise daily, also focusing on helping others helped – but i suffered from depression and sleeplessness, not anxiety.
    Also and very important! I quit the tubes! The dark side that is: No twitter, no fb account anymore, nevernever read comments! Except here. But the comments here are only positive and nice because you sort it out – therefore you get confronted with so much bs. Can’t be healthy. I also don’t watch or read the news anymore – THAT helps a lot. I never miss out on the few – veery few – really important things that happen because, lo and behold, people tell me about them. Irl. Harrharr.
    I dunno if that stuff would help you, but i am feeling good and so free now. Hope you get well soon! Anna

32. Have you tried bio-feedback? That helped me a lot with anxiety and insomnia. Only had a panic attack once though

    1. https://braincoretherapy.com/ This is the program I did. I know you have probably explored everything, but when I did it, my thought was it doesn’t hurt to try. Of course, not covered by insurance, so there is an out of pocket expense.

33. Sorry to hear that Wil, been suffering from anxiety/depression for few years. Night terrors SUCK. I’ve had to try combos of different stuff that works for me. It all got worse for me from an antibiotic that in rare occasions causes anxiety. Hang in there dude,

34. Sometimes, it’s the simple things. I too suffer. One of those soft, gel, medical ice packs laid over my head. No kidding. Something about cooling my head made my brain less active at night. I would spend hours ripping myself from sleep for fear that I was falling. I wasn’t. I was in bed. The ice pack helped. I think amazon sells cranial ice packs now. I hope you find what works for you. 🙂

35. Just keep on keeping on, sir. Many folks love you, if even from afar (guilty!).

36. I’d just like to recommend the podcast Sleep With Me. “Scooter” (Drew Ackerman) has done nearly 700 episodes over the past several years and recently joined the Nightvale group.

    My favorite part are the introduction: a different but similar intro each episode, where he sets a welcoming tone for anyone who needs a comforting presence and distraction in the “deep dark.” In this 10-15 minute section, he gives you permission to fall asleep if you want, but assures you he’ll be there to keep you company for an hour or so.

    My favorite episodes are the TV and movie recaps – of which he lovingly but boringly recaps numerous Star Trek The Next Generation episodes. Others include Game of Thrones and Doctor Who. He has other bedtime stories and characters he creates, though I’m usually zonked out shortly after the intro.

    Some folks say they will queue up several episodes to stay on through the night, to help them when the wake in the night or occupy/distract their minds when they can’t sleep due to chronic pain or other causes of insomnia. (As a Patreon supporter, we also have some episode bundles that run 4-8 hours).

    If you have a sleep partner, headphones or earbuds can help. I like a really low volume, so I have a headband with flat speakers so I can adjust the sound by moving the speakers.

    I’ve been listening for about 9 months and just love it.

37. I hope you’re doing better today HUG

38. Go to Canada or somewhere with decent mental health care because us mental health system sucks!!! My fiancé has the same thing and benzos help but are wicked addicting and don’t drink alcohol with them or abuse them.

39. Hey Will, and anyone else with panic attacks, you might want to look into getting tested for the MTHFR gene mutation and have your folate levels tested. If that’s what’s going on it’s a simple fix that can end panic attacks and depression – or help meds work more efficiently – plus, you can head a lot of other health issues off before they happen (migraines, miscarriage, heart issues, some forms of cancer, parkinson’s, alzheimer’s, more). 23andme can test for the gene and your dr can check folate levels. Here’s more information: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-integrationist/201409/genetic-mutation-can-affect-mental-physical-health

40. That’s all you can do is manage it. You’re not alone in that. I’ve started taking something called Rixolti, and it’s helping me sleep (even though it doesn’t seem to be effective where my cat is concerned.) However, the dreams are ramped up, so my mind is still being busy. All anyone can do is manage until something changes and then start over again. “Life’s a bitch, then you die.”

41. Hi Wil,

    I had severe panic attacks that basically left me bed bound for nearly 10 years, there often wasn’t a a reason, I do have a medical condition which doesn’t help but isn’t the cause. It absolutely sucks, after some I’d feel ill for weeks, every time I had one it felt like I was going to die, pure fear. I have no answers and still feel anxious and have panic attacks sometimes, but now I recover more quickly and am able to live most days fairly normally, it’s a fight and that’s how I see the anxiety now, as an enemy I have to fight, it’s always there trying to sneak up on me but I won’t let it win again, I will take medication when I feel I need it but the need has gotten less and less. I hope to see you again at your next UK convention, this is something *I could not have imagined being able to attend 10 years ago, thanks for being open and honest about how you are feeling, it helps others and fights the stigma.

    Best Wishes,

    Daniel.

42. Hello and wishing you well. My brother sent me your blog post. I have these same things, been going on for some time.
    Mine happen any time I get comfortable, even during the day. Starts out as tingling in the hands, legs. Then a rising sensation in the abdomen, which rises up. The terror hits about then, then the wave rolls out through my head and arms. Worse if I lay on my right side.
    I get them every night and day, for about 2 months now. I am in despair, honestly, living hour to hour. Lost my job, most friends.
    I tapered off of all benzodiazepines in 2017, after 25 years of use, so can’t take that. Remeron and Seroquel at the moment.
    Severe depression and nervous exhaustion. Noise sensitivity is bad, cant’ hardly stand to watch TV or read anymore, can’t handle the sensory input. PLEASE, is there any relief ? Will it end ?
    I used to teach school, build houses, play music, laugh, love, cry. . I am a lump of flesh now, losing weight fast. My elderly parents trying to hold me together, with tea and snacks. I don’t think the emergency room can do anything.
    I am sorry this is not positive. I hope you all find some peace.

    1. I’m sorry you’re suffering. When I get into that state, I get with my doctor right away. Suffering like that for any length of time serves no good purpose but to traumatize and delay recovery.

43. As a fellow panic attack sufferer I empathise, sympathise, and am so grateful you share your experiences with us. When they come out of the blue like that – for seemingly no reason – and kick me around for as long they want, I feel so helpless. A mantra which helps just a tad are questions and answers. Logic: Have you experienced this before? Me (in full on panic mode): Yes. Logic: Did you get over it? Me:…yes. Then it’s a sort of rinse and repeat from time to time as my body is trying to shake itself to bits. I do wonder if my being uber-controlled most of the time has something to do with it. Sometimes even the process of being creative (I also write) can bring on an attack, especially when the subject matter is close to my heart. I do wish you well, Wil, and much kindness and compassion. Love to you and yours, Lita.

44. Thanks for sharing, Wil. Love to you and yours.

45. Thank you for sharing, I suffer from these as well and have tried changing my diet, exercise and everything else I can think of. Medicine actually tends to make me feel worse. I hope you and everyone else that suffers from this feel better soon.

46. One thing that helped my sleeping was getting on my ADD medication. (I didn’t know I had ADD before this.) I take Strattera. I think my brain goes all over the place, so even when sleeping, I needed the focus to be on sleeping (or dreaming). No idea if this would help you or anyone but thought I’d mention my experience.

    I also recommend Formula 303, which has valerian in it. It only kept me asleep for 3 hours but it was better than nothing!

47. I’ve gotten used to the anxiety coming and going but it takes me ssssssso long to recover and get back to being productive following a depressive episode. I’m so apprehensive about re-engaging with people because when I fall back into an episode I cut myself off from everyone. Hence, the hard time re-engaging. It’s a vicious cycle.

48. Wil, my son is 17 and going through learning how to deal with anxiety. He’s also had persistent daily headaches since last December. I’m trying to be supportive over and above what we are doing with varying treatments and evaluations through medical science. It sucks what you are going through but I want to thank you for continuing to share of yourself as it has helped me to understand a little bit more of what my son is going through. So, thank you for sharing, and I hope that something clicks and it can lessen for you. The fact that you have your life gives me hope that my son will figure out how to live his.

49. It saddens me what youre going through. For me it helps if I analyze or write down how I feel and read what I wrote so I can comprehend the possible triggers? Sometimes its the food! as weird as it sounds whenever I have dairy before I sleep I get weird dreams or nightmares so I cut that off. Drinking cold water after a panic attack helps me calm down as well. I know these points could be of no use but I really do hope you feel better.

50. My first thought is that you don’t want or need to hear any more advice or ideas on what to try next…. but I’m going to examine some of these other posts and try some of them myself soon — Dr. Ben’s post in particular, but that podcast also sounds very interesting. Sometimes it helps me to start up a spa-like pan-flute whale-song album on my phone and prop it up on the pillow next to me (I don’t like earbuds). At least I can concentrate on the songs and get out of my head for a few minutes.

    I believe there is still an ongoing program at UCLA that is open to the public that offers some type of cognitive therapy-style process to help with anxiety attacks. A good friend of mine had great success with it, and speaks of it often.

    I used to describe my attacks as the feeling you get when you make a snarky private email comment to a friend but you accidentally “reply all” in response to a group email. It’s that hideous sinking feeling that goes from base/gut to chest then brain and causes you to lose your breath when you realize in a split second what you’ve done, just as you’re clicking that send button. Then that stabby feeling keeps coming in waves, over and over again. The airplane turbulence scenario sounds even worse.

    I hope you’re feeling better real soon — I can’t wait to read your book as soon as you’re finished with it.

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