Are these panic attacks?

I would get these every once in a while but lattley they are occuring almost everynight. 

About an hour after I fall asleep I wake up with my heart racing and breathing hard. At first it scared the hell out of me now it is more of a pain in the ass. I feel lik the only way to calm myself is to eat. Which is not good considering I will eat about 500 calories before I start to calm down. Now this does not seem to happen if I go to bed on a full stomach only if it has been a while (4 hours) since i ate last. I was also thinking that maybe it had to do with my thyroid being messed up right now. I go in this week to get my blood taken again so hopefully it will be stable. I just don't know. Could it be panic attacks? This is all new to me. Does anyone else go through the same thing? Does it run in familes? I talked to my mom about it and she says she use to get them alot now she sleeps with the tv on and she doesn't get them anymore. I think it just keeps her from getting into a deep enough sleep so it doesn't happen. If anyone has gone through this could you please shed some light on it for me. How do I calm myself down without eating?

Sounds like anxiety attacks to me.  i used to get them too.  I would get them at night when I was trying to sleep or just relaxing on the couch watching tv.  I have a Thyroid Problem too and that's what was causing my attacks.  i even had a sleep study done and they found that as soon as my body was relaxing to sleep my heart rate would increase which is the oppositeof what it's supposed to do and always kept me awake.  I saw a physician who then put me on Zoloft and sleeping pills.  I got tired of being on meds and took myself off.  What helped me was working out after work around 5:30 for 1 - 1:30 hrs taking a shower then eating dinner.  Make sure to see an endocrinologist, not only a physician.  My physician overlooked my nodule in my left lobe and I had to have surgery 1 1/2 years ago.  Thyroid cancer and problems runs in my family.  What was your diagnoses?

Thank you for your fast reply. I really don't have a thyroid gland anymore. I had an ultrasound done last year and on one side ( don't remember, right or left) you could hardley see the gland and could not on the other side. So I am hypo. My body does not produce much if any T3 T4, I get it all from meds.

I thought about sleeping pills but didn't want to depend on them. I just want to get through this without taking drugs to help me sleep. Maybe i will have to have a light snack around 5ish and then eat supper after I get done coaching my sons soccer games around7:30.

I have noticed too that if I am up late, like midnight that I will start to have them attacks too, with out being alseep. Did they tell you why the thyroid does that? I think maybe if my test this week are still off I will call an endocrinologist. My doctor suggested it but I just have never called one.

I'm hypo too.  They first found the nodule on my left lobe in 2005.  They kept testing my blood every 2 months and it kept coming back normal.  But yet, I'd gained weight, even with dieting I didn't lose a pound.  I had the anxiety attacks, fatigue, insomnia, and constipation. 

My physician put me on those pills for the anxiety.  My endo did nothing.  For 2 years it went on.  I was so frustrated cuz i knew something was wrong with me but the doctors didn't do a thing. 

In May of 2007 when I went to Greece for a month I saw an endo there who did all kinds of test.  i took all of me records from here.  they found that my nodule grew over 20% which was not good cuz part of the nodule was cystic and could have burst at any time.  She was surprised that my doctors here in the US did not put me on suppressive therapy, which was written on the assessment that my endo wrote up for my physician which i didn't see till i requested my records. 

So when i came back I found a new endo and she suggested surgery.  they removed my left lobe and isthmus.  i was not given synthroid because my blood work was normal.  

A few months after surgery i got these big red welts that swelled up, itched, burned to touch, and then bruised. It's called angioedema. I saw an allergist who could not find why i was getting them.  Once again I felt helpless because something was wrong but the docs didn't do much. 

I then had stomach problems always feeling bloated, stomach pains, and major constipation.  Had a lower GI done and a colonoscopy done in Nov but everything came back good.  

Oct 2008 i was back in Greece and saw my endo there who put me on synthroid.  Shortly after taking synthroid my breakouts of welts became much less and now I don't get them.  Once a blue moon.  I asked all my docs including my endo if it was linked to my thyroid and they said no.  Only my gastrologist said that it's all related as the angioedema can appear in your organs and being an autoimmune it's effected by your thyroid. Go figure.

Was you gland removed or where you born with a partial gland?  They never told me why my thyroid caused the attacks.  Make sure you see your endo and it doesn't hurt to get a second opinion.  Yeah try eating a snack around 5 ish and then eating a little later.  That then should keep you fuller longer.  Aslo try to eat more proteins for dinner.

You should talk to your doctor.  It could be panic attacks, however there's a very common medical condition called arrhythmia or superventricular tachycardia...  The symptoms are similar

"Supraventricular tachycardia (SVT) is a heart rhythm disorder featuring episodes of abnormally fast heart rate lasting for seconds, minutes, hours or, in rare cases, days. Episodes may occur regularly or very infrequently (sometimes years apart).

The rate may be as high as 300 beats per minute, but is usually between 140 and 180. It is caused by abnormal, fast, electrical spontaneous impulses that arise in the atria, the upper chambers of the heart and override the natural pacemaker.

Attacks often happen for no obvious reason but may be triggered by exertion, emotional upset, coffee or alcohol.

In most cases, the heart is normal, although the symptoms may be uncomfortable."

could be night terrors? ..although you say sometimes the racing heart/panicy thoughts begin to happen before sleep if you stay up late enough, so it sounds more like the thyroid issue you and angelaimes have been discussing. however the waking up with a jolt and racing heart thing is similar to some night terror type things I was going through a few months ago. 

Have you ever had your blood sugar tested? If eating makes you feel better you may be hypoglycemic. How is your diet? How many hours before you go to bed do you have your last meal/snack? Could also be sleep apnea. Sleep apnea can cause episodes of interrupted breathing during sleep, among other things.

I would make an appointment with your family Dr. There are several conditions that could cause your symptoms including sleep apnea, anxiety, hypoglycemia, diabetes, panic attacks, heart or neurological problems.

http://www.medicinenet.com/hypoglycemia/artic le.htm

http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/sleep-ap nea/sleep-apnea

Thanks for all you responses.

angelaimes: My thyroid went out when I was about 11 years old. My sister had taken me in to see the doctor becouse my hips were hurting me so much. THe ball and joint were flat together and not rounded like they were suppose to be. That is when they found out my thyroid was bad. Looking back at pictures I can tell I was around 9 when it first started going but was almost 12 before anyone cought it.

gi-jane I have had my heart tested a couple times before and everything has come back normal. But then they never have tested it at night when I was sleeping. I go in soon again so I will talk to the doc about it.

littleshellys I have had my blood sugar tested just recently. Everything is fine there. I eat supper around 5:30 then maybe a light snack if anything a little latter. I try not to eat becouse of the attacks, I know I will be eating in the middle of the night. I usually try to go to bed around 10:00 so usually by 11:00 the attack comes. I have thought about sleep apnea. I had my husband stay up and watch me sleep. He said he could not tell if i quit breathing for a while or not. I really don't think that is what it is since it only happens within the first hour or so of falling asleep, then I am fine the rest of the night.

Last night I ate way too much before bed but din't have an attack. I will try eating supper latter and see if that helps it any. Then talk to the doc when I go in at the end of this week.