Creepy crawlies

[maplesyrup]

I wake up during the night and it feels like my skin is crawling. This has gone on for years. Even before I started this program (I'm only in week 2) I taught myself to do deep breathing to calm myself down and eventually I fall back to sleep. Is this a panic attack? How could it be when I'm resting??? No, it's not related to dreams - I've monitored that. I also don't drink caffeine.

[AN]

I guess that would depend what other symptoms you are experiencing, but it sounds like you are having panic attacks if you are worked up enough that you need to engage in relaxation. What thoughts are you having when you wake up? The deep breathing and calming yourself down are good strategies to relax, and it sounds as if the moments pass since you can get to sleep. I also wake up so stressed and sometimes have panic attacks. I have decided that these are triggered by my thoughts. I am worried about work, constantly thinking about all the tasks I need to accomplish. This leads me to wake up with work on my mind. I guess you would need to figure out what the triggers are. Write down when you have these feelings. How often does this occur? When do they occur? You need to gather more info to look for patterns. Journaling may be helpful. Do you engage in any relaxation before bed? Are you calm when you sleep? Listening to your relaxation tape, taking a calming bath, drinking tea before bed, etc. may help to calm you before sleeping.
Take care,
Amy