You are in no way a freak. I have had this happen to me before b/c I had panic disorder and OCD. I think what works for me is to walk around and exhaust myself in order to sleep. You could take a seditive to calm down or distract yourself with self halp books,tapes, or call a friend. Hold your breath for ten seconds and then let the air out. Keep repeating this process in order to not breathe heavy and make the attack worse. Talk yourself out of it. Tell yourself you'll be ok.It is only temporary. I hope it helps. If not I'll think of more. Ali