Hey guys, welcome to not another anxiety show. I'm your host, Kelly Walker, and today I'll be chatting about a topic requested by one of our listeners, which is nighttime

or nocturnal panic attacks.

A nocturnal panic attack is a panic attack that occurs in the midst of sleeping, often waking

us up for no apparent reason.

Now, sometimes a nocturnal panic attack can be caused by something like a nightmare or if we're face down in our pillow suffocating.

It's our body's way of waking us up.

But often, the panic attack happens for no clear reason.

And this is where we get caught in bewilderment.

We want to know why.

Because we assume, oh my God, now I'm even panicking in my sleep, this is getting so much worse.

But in fact, nocturnal panic attacks are just another symptom of anxiety.

50 to 70% of people that experience daytime panic attacks will also experience nocturnal panic attacks.

And just like daytime panic attacks can occur out of the blue, so can nighttime panic attacks.

In fact, this is a major characterization of panic attacks seemingly occurring out of the blue.

Well, how can this be?

Sometimes the thoughts that lead to a panic attack are very clear.

We can literally see the thoughts and sensations progressing into a panic attack.

Other times, our brain is working under the radar, out of our conscious awareness, both while awake and asleep. And sometimes

our brain misinterprets the available information. Our brains are awesome, amazing, but they're

not flawless. They don't always get it right.

And keep in mind, your brain doesn't stop working while you're sleeping. For example,

while you're asleep, your brain is busy doing things like learning and remembering how to

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