Nancy and others with anxiety attacks..............................more
Please understand this is not my primary area of expertise though I have had enough experience with it and have read up on it enough I feel I can help you to get started with some ideas to reduce them and a bit about what they are.
I just finished blowing the dust off my psychiatric nursing books to refresh my memory on the biochemical basis of anxiety attacks.
Anxiety attacks can occur with anyone at any time, however there does seem to be a genetic tendency toward them according to the research. They can be described as a malfunction of the body's alarm reaction. We all have the "fight or flight" response in us. It is the body's way to deal with real danger. Our heart and breathing rate increases, our pupils dilate, our digestive system shuts down, we have an increase in adrenaline and related hormones. These physical responses prepare our body to run or fight when that lion jumps out of the forest at us.
What occurs when someone experiences an anxiety attack is that they have this physical response though there is no real or present danger. That is why it's so common to feel a need to run, or like you can't sit still when you experience one. Your body is responding physically to that "fight or flight" response and preparing to run......it's wondering why you aren't running. In addition an anxiety attack can cause a racing heart and breathing rate, tummy upset, sweating, a sensation of difficult breathing, a feeling of "impending doom", chest pain, numbness in the limbs, and a host of other REAL physical symptoms. (this is not in your head the physical symptoms can be measured objectively)
So why is your body preparing you to run when you are safe in your house late at night? I'm sure there is not just one answer for everyone but it does seem as though those who are genetically pre-disposed to anxiety seem most vulnerable during the times in their life that are stressful (like when a new baby arrives...........hmmmmmm, would we consider that a life stress?....YIKES.......you bet, even when it is a very wanted and loved baby). Now that doesn't mean it will necessarily occur the *day* the baby arrives. When the baby first arrives you are probably using lots of that fight or flight response just functioning and keeping your head above water. It can occur much later, actually just when you think you have adjusted to being a mom. I took care of my dad for about 10 years thru an illness (I had three of my four babies during this time too) and suffered anxiety attacks when he died. I think it was b/c I was running, running, running in stress mode for all those years and when he died I suddenly had far less to do with my physical energy but was still experiencing major life stress so the norepinephrine had no where to get "burned up" and boom...........anxiety attack.
I don't know the exact reason why it occurs at night after a feeding but there may be something hormonal going on. I don't think there is a clear answer to that b/c we aren't exactly sure of all causes of anxiety attacks. IMO, I think moms can be somewhat more vulnerable to anxiety attacks as the baby weans or gets older since the hormones of bf tend to calm the mom a bit and mediate mood swings. And though 7 months is not weaning age, your bf hormones are probably leveling off a bit at this stage as your baby gets older.
I think it is significant that it is at night and though you don't feel as though you are thinking of anything stressful you may be without realizing it. You may even be dreaming about something stressful. The first one may have only been a coincidence that it occured at night but now you may be sort of worried it will occur again at night and that may actually induce one. This is how people get phobias. They begin to associate an axiety attack with an particular behavior or event or location and start to avoid it to avoid the anxiety attack. So if you had your first anxiety attack on a bridge you might begin to avoid bridges b/c every time you are on a bridge you feel anxious again. It's not the bridge it's the fear of the anxiety attack. Your first anxiety attack was at night so night may make you feel a bit more anxious (even without realizing it) It may actually be b/c at night our normal defenses are *down*. For example, if you are worried about your dh losing his job, you may be able to push it out of your mind during the day when you are really busy, but not so at night when the house is quiet. Again, even without realizing it.......you may be responding physically to the worry that is there but a bit buried.
The research has shown that those who have anxiety attacks tend to have more norepinephrine in their blood. Also, folks under stress tend to have more norepinephrine too. So it seems to be a response to that excess of norepinephrine that is there when we are stressed generally.
One of the best things you can do during an anxiety attack to stop it is to do some vigorous, aerobic exercise. When you run or do a bunch of jumping jacks you actually use up those "fight or flight" hormones. You are actually doing what your body prepared for and the anxiety attack will stop. There is no way you can have an anxiety attack at the same time you are doing aerobic exercise. Probably the worse thing to do is to try to force yourself to relax when you are in the midst of the active anxiety attack. As you found out it just won't work. If you are in a situation where it isn't practical to actually exercise you can visualize yourself running or exercising.
To prevent attacks it is helpful to do some aerobic exercise at least 3-4 times per week for about 30 minutes. You can also practice some meditation for about 15 minutes per day. Both of those activities seem to work really well to prevent anxiety attacks since they both lead to chemical changes in the body that reduce the norepinephrine levels.
You can also consult with your physician if they persist and get some medication and a referral for counseling. The counselor can teach you new ways to look at things and additional coping skills (couldn't we all use that!) And/or get at the root of the anxiety attacks. Sometimes they are related to specific life events such as abuse or a significant loss.
Just wondering if you have AF? That may be why it occurs about once per month. Women seem to be more vulnerable when they are pre-menstral.
The big thing I want to stress is that anxiety attacks are very treatable. Often success can occur without medication or only using medication temporarily. You don't need to suffer with it. Anxiety attacks are considered one of the most easily treated emotional/behavioral disturbances. You've already taken the most important step toward doing better and that is talking about it in a safe place and admit you are having difficulty with it.
Good luck and feel better soon. ((((HUG))))
Warmly
Kathy
