Cardiac "jolts" at bed-time

[mikehallesy]

Hi All,
        I live in the UK , for the past 3 1/2 years  I have experienced apparent arrhythmia  almost invariably
        when I retire and am in a "lying down" position. The sensations I get are almost like electric shocks
        and tend to happen most markedly at the point of falling asleep. The experience is more frightening
        than painful though I do feel a certain amount of discomfort in my chest area. Sometimes the effect
        is so powerful that I feel my ears "pop". I am 60 years old 5 feet 11 inches tall and about 165 pounds.
        I don't drink or smoke and have one cup of coffee a day. My ECGs show normal readings and my
        blood pressure is just about "text-book". Had a Holter monitor test but almost predictably had no
        symptoms during the period I wore the monitor. Sometimes I am symptom-free for a period of up
        to 10 days but the symptoms always return , occasionally  I can have severe episodes for three
        or four nights running. The only prescribed medication I take is 4mg diazepam nightly. Since I
        have been taking this for three years or so I feel pretty sure that such a low dose has little or no
        therapeutic effect. I would be most grateful for any pointers to the cause of these nocturnal
        episodes , I have a doctor friend who suspects PVCs but seems relatively unconcerned.
        Thanks in advance for any replies.

        Mike

[mikehallesy]

Thanks for the constructive replies , useful information here.  I will keep you posted on any further developments , thanks again.
Mike

[mml78]

Well, for me, PAC's set off my a-fib.  My EP said PAC's can sometimes come from the same part of the heart that generates the a-fib.  I don't get a-fib from every PAC, but if I have a bunch of them in a row, that's a sign for me that a-fib is coming.  I just had the PVI ablation on Tuesday, and so far I have had PAC's but no a-fib so hopefully it worked.  I should clarify that from what I know there are tons of people out there who get PAC's and never experience a-fib so it's not a guarantee that you'll have a-fib if you have PAC's.  Hopefully that makes sense.  Do you still get a-fib?

[finetilthree]

You wrote that you have alot of pac's since you have atrial fibrillation?  What is the relation there?  I started having pac's after I had a bout of afib for the first time, and now I have the pac's daily.  What is the connection?

[Artaud]

Hi,

Oddly enough, I have periodically experienced feelings of being shocked as I was trying to fall asleep. I have a Seizure condition, I don't know if it's related to that. If not, and if it is some temporary defect in the progress of the sleep cycle, perhaps the feeling you are experiencing is causing a rush of adrenaline, and you perceive this as being a problem with your heart.

Also, the diazepam (Valium) is something else you and I may have in common in relation to these episodes. At one time, being very anxious (as I still am), I would take  tranquilizers more often than I do now. Some of the odd sensations I would get, especially in relation to the shocking feeling, were made worse by taking medication chemically similar to yours. For this reason, I would reduce or avoid taking the medication before bedtime when the shocking feeling was a problem.

In researching an answer for your question, a Shock Like sensation appears to be not uncommon for someone coming off any one of several Antidepressants. I suspected, even at the time, that the feelings I would get were not directly attributed to seizure activity, but more so from prolonged feelings of being depressed, as I am prone to do in the wintertime. (Indoors too much, too little light, too little activities). When I would get the Shocking Feelings, it would occur every time I tried to fall asleep for several subsequent tries, eventually being successful in completely falling asleep.

For a very bizarre pre-sleep disorder, Google [ Exploding head syndrome ] without the brackets. I have had this once or twice before falling asleep, and it demonstrates what a defect (temporary) in the progression of the sleep cycle is capable of generating.

Remember to keep in touch with your Doctor.

Be well.

[mml78]

I get these jolts sometimes as well.  I think they're PAC's, which I get a lot of since I have atrial fibrillation.  Some people get a similar feeling from PVC's.  If your heart is structurally normal, you should be ok.  I notice that when I get them, if I just relax and continue trying to fall asleep, they go away.  If I sit up in bed and start panicking, they get worse.  I think if your doctor performs the right tests to determine that your heart is normal, then you have nothing to worry about.  Good luck!