Why does sleep contribute so much to panic/anxiety?

It differs with people. Some can be worse at night. Others are worse in the morning. In a way I see it that come the night, people are meant to lay still in a bed. We all know people with anxiety remaining still. The one place for so long. Some would get anxious at night simply because of that. They simply stay still for long periods of time. If that makes any sense to you.

Now, when we dream, we can dream about our fears. Very common thing to dream about. We have such things as lucid dreams. They are dreams that can seem so real. Maybe you are dreaming about something you fear. In a lucid sense. You wake in a panic. But in the first five seconds of us wakening up we forget what we were dreaming about. True fact. So a person might not remember the dream but still be in a panic.

Consider as well the thought of having to go through another day. If a person is not having a good time of it, to wake and have to face another day will be nothing but dread for them. Then lack of sleep would make a lot of people panic too. I need my sleep or I can be on edge.

So there is many way that sleep and anxiety can be linked together. None of the above might even apply to what you mean. But it shows you still how sleep and anxiety can go hand in hand.

My doctor believes I have nightmares and that is why I wake up with either panic or sometimes just a horrible dread feeling. I never remember dreaming, but my husband said I was kicking him the other night while I was sleeping.

cheer_mom said:

My doctor believes I have nightmares and that is why I wake up with either panic or sometimes just a horrible dread feeling. I never remember dreaming, but my husband said I was kicking him the other night while I was sleeping.

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It's kind of the same for me, though I don't know that I necessarily have nightmares so much as I have less than great dreams related to anxiety. I sometimes wake up with the very first thought on my mind being the thought of death. I've considered finding a professional to talk to (my therapist, unless there's a more specialized field) about it. I don't really think about it consciously anymore, but it's apparently penetrating my dreams. Haha.

One other thing I've noticed that I suspect could be related is that if I'm woken up out of a sound sleep, I tend to get very nauseated. I wonder if it's some kind of anxiety response.

Sleep is the only thing that “cures” my HA and helps me feel at peace.
I kid you not, as soon as I open up my eyes; whatever fear I have on my mind, I start thinking about it already.