why do i get anxiety attacks on waking up.?

Question

over past two years the attacks have build up after two lots of major surgery plus now i take a great deal of medication for COPD, removal of spleen and part of large intestine. wake up feeling very uneasy for no reason at all. this happens two or three nights on the trot and then nothing for ten to fourteen days then it happens again for another two or three days. in between wake up ok. i lead a good life and am happy go lucky and can not understand why. only once did it really turn nasty in to a panic attack which i could not control. any ideas why.... please

Answer 1

do not the feelings you have lightly , seek medical advice, there is a lot of research into sleep and sleep patterns, taking medication will effect the hormone balance of your brain, and how you awake is important,the build up of medication could hve a relative effect to the time of the month, check the medication you are already taking for side effects, are any of the medication psycotropic,
my advice would be to see a doctor.

Answer 2

Wow, I tend to get panic attacks when I first wake up too - I think it has something to do with that shift in your brain from sleep mode to alertness. Do you have an alarm clock? That could be the problem - try getting a gentler one, like a radio set to a classical music station. I've almost taken heart attacks waking up to the regular beeping kinds. I'll actually fly out of bed with my heart racing not even understanding how to turn the bloody thing off. Maybe talk to your doctor about it and see what he/she says. It could be a side effect of one of your medications and maybe they can switch you to something else.

Answer 3

I use to get a weird feeling on waking up, thinking I was in the wrong house ...... so I moved my bed around and spent time in the room before going to sleep so I would settle better and it worked for me !!

Answer 4

You've been through a lot. It's understandable. Your confidence will return. If they persist though, seek a doctor's advice. The cause could be physical. You may also benefit from counselling.