coping with panic attacks at night

hello! waffles here. i hope you're doing well.

i'm going to write about what i do when i have nighttime panic attacks because i thought it could help someone else. i experience my worst panic attacks at night when i'm trying to fall asleep. there's no trigger that causes them usually (except, rarely, waking up from a bad nightmare) so they can be unpredictable, though they mostly happen when i had anxiety earlier in the day. idk if anyone else here experiences something like this but hopefully someone will find this helpful.

1. breathe. when i get these panic attacks i feel like i'm losing air and i can't see or hear very well like i'm about to pass out. focusing on breathing helps me remember i'm alive and i'm okay.

2. tell myself i'm okay. i remind myself that i'm safe, nothing can hurt me here, and i'm going to get past this. this will be over soon, no matter how i feel now it will pass.

3. hug a pillow and drink some water. pillow hugs always help.

4. make mental lists. some like counting to sleep, i like to make lists of things like types of cereal or more broad categories like animals or people's names. it's a good way of shifting focus and distracting yourself.

5. read. this helps distract me once i'm calm enough to focus on words on a page.

6. stand up and walk around. i like to get up and pet my cats and then have a snack. sometimes i am too scared to move though.

7. try to sleep. i know it's hard. at first i used to try to keep myself awake after a panic attack because i was afraid something would happen to me in my sleep. forcing yourself awake will only make you more anxious. so even if you know you won't be able to fall asleep, dim the lights and close your eyes if you can. i hope you get a good night's sleep!

that's all. feel free to add what helps you cope in this situation!