I have been dealing with this off and on for the past few months. At first, I chalked these incidents up to panic attacks, even though I don't actually have a history of them. In picking the problem apart, when it happens it's just so unsettling and scary that I panic over the possibility of losing control specially in the freeway (though with the ever present worry that an episode might hit) but it came back as strong as ever last week (3/15/13).
It is definitely worse at night, most likely because I am much more tired at night
Never an issue when I am the passenger
I spend at least 8, It seems to be worse at this time of year January and March, and now it even happens on slower side streets.
I can’t stand the lights (such as sunlight or headlights flickering through a guardrail), If I flip down my rearview mirror at night and adjust my side mirrors so that they don't reflect headlights, the issue is reduced, but not eliminated.
What it feels like specifically: Like I am falling, just a gradual fading of feeling. It feels to me something like I am falling asleep, and get a jolt at the last second. If you have ever fallen asleep and had a dream that you were falling and "snapped" awake at the last second, it feels like a milder-yet-scarier version of that.
The worst part is definitely the fear that accompanies each episode. I have to force myself to breathe through it. When an episode strikes, it helps if I turn down the radio, roll down the windows, and remind myself that nothing has ever happened before, and that if I can keep my fear in control, I will be okay.
I would love for someone to be able to figure out why this happens to us and how we can stop it