I was getting the same night time attacks you describe.... the Low Carbing sorted it, (someone suggested it was adrenaline release as low cortisol and overnight hypoglycaemia meant my body was struggling to get enough glucose from my liver, so was relying on Adrenaline to stimulate things!) Horrendous experience, like "flight or fight" but the effect would go ON an ON :-(

Blood testing showed I was VERY low Testosterone (probably as a result of opiates for chronic pain) and VERY low Cortisol.... treatment in the UK is VERY backward in these respects, so I had to do most of the researching myself as my Endocrinologist seemed to be satisfied I was OK as I wasn't actually near death!

Once on TRT, I moved on to supplementing Cortisol with low PHYSIOLOGIC doses of Hydrocortisone, in a protocol which seems to be rare in the UK, but widely followed in the US. I went from WHOLE DAYS in a stressed condition, as the result of say, just a slight fright or a slight daily problem - then eventually got back to having normal reactions to stress...

After some months on this, I was ready to stop the HC until just before Xmas, I got Swine flu, and had to rely very heavily on HC, it knocked me very hard! So that has set my plans back some months, and am waiting until I get back to the same state as I was in November! Getting better, but not as good as it was.

I still have hypothyroidism, and have never managed to get that under optimal control, it's an area in the UK that is even harder to get treated!

I have to admit being a bit too heavy on caffeine though, it's a vice I have still clung to!