Pounding heart beat everytime I try to fall asleep/ Am I sick or just crazy???????

[Alady]

Hello*** I was wondering if anyone could provide me a little information and possibly some relief to the problem I am experiencing right now.  Every night for the past week or so, when I try to fall asleep, my heart rate accelerates tremendously and pounds like crazy.  Normally I never have any trouble falling asleep so this is becoming somewhat of an annoyance because I actually FEEL sleepy but because my heart beats so fast and so hard it keeps me awake.  I can feel it throughtout my body and it lasts for hours. I try so hard to fall asleep that I have come up with little tricks to kind of "pych myself out".  Like I try rolling over in different positions trying to offset the rhythm so hopefully when it starts again it will be normal. I try to clear my mind totally.  After a while I will doze off, (without me knowing but I'm not complaining) but I'll wake like 45 min later only to realize that my heart is still beating as hard as ever.  If I get really annoyed I'll try to stand up, walk around or go for a drink of water.  But nothing helps.  And I'm so sleepy. As soon as I settle back in it starts again. I have had anxiety issues in the past but I think what made it worse for me is that at first I didn't know what it was.  Then once I became more aware of what an actual "anxiety attack" was it just kind of went away on its own.  And I do admit I was dealing with a whole lot at the time.  But now, on the contrary, there has been no extreme changes in my life or anything I would say I am really stressed or worried over; @ night all I pretty much want to do is sleep and I can't.  It's coming to the point now that I am almost expecting my "nightly episodes", like I'm looking for it to start.  And this is an obsession (an unhealthy one at that) that I don't care to have!  The way my heart beats it feels like to me that it is pumping way too much blood throughout my body for too long of a time,  my heart might burst, or I may die in my sleep.  Its poisoning my thoughts and I wish I knew what to do to make it stop.  I'm afraid. Please help.

[harriskelvin]

Hi all! I've finally found a solution to my insomnia and what triggers it.
Just to point out, I've never ever had sleep problems or anxiety feelings in my entire life. I was always that kid on the block that could sleep whenever and wherever (loud noise and light have never disturbed me falling asleep). Only recently when I've changed university due to a combination of lack of interest and no help from the professors, I've gone through a lot of terrible exams where I constantly was failing.
After I've changed university to something I rather preferred, the exams went absolutely brilliantly. But then suddenly during the exam-period I begin to suffer from anxiety and it releases adrenaline through my body constantly even when I need to go to sleep (my heart was beating too loud and fast, I could hear it through my pillow). I went to my cardiologist to get EKG and heart-monitor just like all of you guys did, and started eating more magnesium and potassium (even though I'm a fit guy, always running and going to the gym). My EKG and heart-monitor came back just fine, and my doctor prescribed me bromazepam due to my inability to fall asleep. It helped me but I didn't want to be dependent on these drugs so I researched on the internet and found a video about Acupressure.
After been doing one Acupressure (massaging my self on different points in my body) it helped me fall asleep in 5 minutes (I'm not joking guys!!). This has to do with all the stress and nerves being stimulated at the body and they need to ''manually'' be switched off.
Here are some Youtube videos about the techniques that have helped me fall asleep:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLz6Vbxz2L0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c3fQvTvcqQ

[AMASue]

After I had my youngest child, I started experiencing a pounding heart at night when I laid down to go to sleep.  I was diagnosed with mitral valve prolapse.

[Alexandrianoel]

This happens to me also and quite frequently. Measured my heart rate after being slightly alarmed at it a few nights ago and found that it was higher than even a target rate for cardio exercises. I am very frightened that I'm going to just have a heart attack in my sleep. I am over weight and I had gestational diabetes while I was pregnant, I'm concerned that if I ask a doctor they will just tell me to lose weight but that they won't actually help me sleep better...

[DecipiQQ]

If you know your doctor is going to tell you to lose weight you should really start on that journey. It will help lower your blood pressure and stabilize your heart rate. Eating healthy and at the correct times of day (not just before bed, no snacking at midnight etc.) will also help your circadian rhythm allowing deeper and more restful sleep. You should also try a broad spectrum mineral capsule this too will help with sleep.  Rapid heart beats, ectopic beats, palpitations and PACs are a side effect of something else going on in the body (stress, fatigue, hormonal imbalance, poor diet).. Lifestyle changes will help eliminate these issues.

[Aru6969]

I read this thread 2 moths back when I was having the same problem. Heart pounding in my chest during night time which in the least was very distracting. Thankfully I found the reason for this. It was night time hypoglycemia. Seems like my blood glucose levels seemed to drop near the 10:30 mark which is when I usually go to sleep. So my suggestion, try cosuming plentiful of carbs before going to sleep. Also if this does work, you should probably get yourself a diabetic profile done.

[lucy19703]

Hi everybody

My husband has the same problem since 2 months.  He gets desperate each night. Before it didnt take him more than 5 minutes to fall asleep and like a stone.
Now his heart doenst let him in peace!! He feels it the whole night!!
Acupuntur is helping him a bit. Specially during the day because he also feels his heart then.
He also found some exercises -Autogenes Training- those exercises are also really good. They help him to get relax.
Tv before going to bed is terrible.
Read something, or have some quite sex, yesterday that helped!!!  or a bit talking in the darkness also.
I think I give him some support . Find somebody to share your problem.
Wish you all of you good luck!!

[steelskyblue]

You are definitely not alone. I think we are all part of a silent secret club.

4 months ago, I went to bed and didn't sleep well that night. It was no big deal. I had bouts of insomnia before, I work very hard, I have an obsessive mind, I am detailed oriented and hyper at times. Never really stopped me however. It would come and go about twice a year lasting no longer than say a week.  I am also a nervous person. So I have the groundwork for insomnia and anxiety but I never really had problems with either.

I am over 40 now, and for the first time ever I am experiencing anxiety because for the last 4 months I have not slept well. Sleep used to be my favorite time. Now I dread nighttime. And I do my best not to feel this way.

The symptoms are, I could be falling asleep on the couch, in fact I could fall asleep and sleep on the couch for an hour or two but the moment I go to bed, my heart starts pounding, and this warmth travels up my chest to my neck, beads of sweat show up at my hairline. And at it worst I start getting tremors and even teeth clattering. So part of this is anxiety yes. But read on.

My heart starts pounding even sometimes during the day when I am at my calmest. My sternum is so sore, like it's been punched. Sometimes I even get tingling hot/cold in my hands and feet.

I have been checked for heart problems with EKG, EchoCardiogram and Holter monitor. It came back all clear.

My Gastro doc is not buying gerd, or spasms in the esophagus doing this. He said, nah when I described it.

My GP is throwing random medications at me. She is seeing high blood pressure because I CANT SLEEP. So she put me on blood pressure med which made things so much worse for me. I had to stop. She put me also on trazadone which creates as much trouble as it fixes. I would not recommend it.

So at this point I don't even know what doc to go to next and I am starting to believe that maybe I am having panic attacks except about what?? I have no children, I simplified my work responsibilities, I exercise, I eat only organic and well balanced small meals. I don't have any problems in my life worth mentioning. I am actually a lot calmer, cooler, and centered I have ever been. So I should not be getting this problem still but it keeps coming back.

I get sometimes a two week break with no problems and sometimes I have the problem EVERY night.

Exhausted, in tears, bewildered and very sad. I have always been a very healthy person I don't understand what's going on. I feel helpless, and hopeless. I try to be cool about it, but at the end of the day this is very hard to accept.

It never occurred to me that this could be a spinal problem. And here was a hint, a very good massage or routine visit to the Chiropractor would actually make it better for a few days. So you folks might be onto something here.

Thanks for the tip!

[Beebum716]

I am exactly in the same boat as you are. Writing this comment at 5:40am on a saturday been awake since 2am. I will definitely try massage. Hope it helps. Thanks!

[Gammy60]

I have read all the comments as I had the exact same thing happen to me.  Mine started after I had been ill with some kind of bad virus.  I've been able to get some sleep.  Just thought I would share what worked and maybe it will help someone.  First I don't try to go to bed very late.  It seems to be worse if I try to delay going to bed even though it stresses me to think about it.  Then I try to relax and pray or breathe and count.  If after awhile I don't fall  asleep, I take a Gaba Calm that I got at the Health Food store.  I get the losenges that your dissolve in your mouth.  Then I continue to to try to breathe/count.  Sometimes just this works.  After awhile if this doesn't work, I will take an OTC sleep aid (Diphenhydramine HCl).  This eventually gets me to sleep.  Hope it helps.

[baltkabt]

how are you feeling now?