Heart Palpitations at night!

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Sarcasm

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The other night at the ER the doctor actually told me there are 2 things that help with the nightly palpitations, one putting my face/hands in ice cold water and the other is baring down to the ground with my arms together. Next time i am going to try this. Thank you!
 
Hi Melissa - The cold/ice makes sense. When this started happening to me during the night it was winter and I would step outside and take a few deep breaths and it would help. As for the palpitions happening while sleeping - this could still be anxiety but pretty sure my doc said this was most likely due to thyroid issues. These are very scary because I would jump up out of a deep sleep with my heart pounding so I know exactly what you are saying. My Ob/Gyn was the one to actually find the thyroid issue. When you go to the doc ask for a thyroid panel.
 
Hello,

I'm a 26 year old mother of 2 wonderful toddlers. I am pretty much healthy maybe a little on the chubby side :). Since 2 weeks ago i have been having heart palpitations at night when i am either trying to sleep or i do fall asleep. I get them so bad i think i am having a heart attack. My heart starts racing, my arms get numb, i get the double vision feeling and i get really dizzy. This last for about 10-15 minutes. I have been to the ER a few times for this lately and they just put me on a heart card which will record my "heart episodes" when i have them. I was just put on the heart card today. I am so scared and i feel so alone because i don't think anyone understands. My BF is loving but i know it annoys him that i wake him up freaking out with the palpitations. I honestly think i could die sometime and i am so scared. I have 2 toddlers and i don't know what to do about this. If anyone has some info, please let me know. I have read up on SVT and some other heart issues, but it just freaks me out so bad to see that people are having the same problems as me, but they were diagnosed with heart disease. Please if there is anyone out there that can relate or help i would appreciate it immensely. Thank you, Melissa : :
 
Hi Melissa, Have you been to a cardiologist?
It could also be anxiety - having two toddlers is wonderful but I'm sure can get stressful? This used to happen to me alot when my son was little - I went from doc to doc and they did finally find my thyroid to be a bit hyper though not enough for meds. Cardiologist checked me out too but found nothing so my diagnosis was postpartem thyroiditis and lasted about 18 months. There were other symptoms as well - most noticable was weight loss - anyway things did get better with the thyroid but still had palpitations (and still do now). It seems that anxiety attacks creep up when you least expect them instead of when you are actually feeling stressed your body waits for you to relax and then SLAM! Not funny I know. I would definitley see a cardiologist though just to be sure.
 
Don't worry too much. I have been having palpitations and irregular heartbeat all my life. heart checks are all right - nothing serious. I'm 62 now and otherwise very healthy.
 
Could you be doing a lot of caffeine for the energy you need to keep up with 2 toddlers? One soda can raise your heartbeat by 17 beats per minute. Something to consider....I had to quit cafffeine because it was causing heart palps....
 
Hi KDEL
Thank you for the reply. I haven't seen a cardiologist yet i will hopefully be referred to one soon by my primary physician. At first I thought it was Anxiety/Panic attacks but the weird thing was i was having the palpitations when i was falling asleep, and everything was calm. I was asleep for like 20 minutes two nights ago and i woke up with a pounding heart. I jumped out of bed and went to the ER. I honestly hope and pray it is anxiety, I have been so worried about my heart. I was like the heart is one thing not to mess with it keeps everything going, anything but the heart..lol. My only palpitation i had during the day was really bad, i was home with the kids (weekend) and they were really hyper and would not calm down, so this could be contributed to that. The only thing i don't understand is why i am having them in my sleep? Its weird. Have a great night!
Melissa:)
 
Anxiety is very hard on you. Try not to worry about it too much. I know its scary but you could possibly cause them by being stressed about having them. Avoid caffeine and try to get plenty of sleep.
 
Hi Melissa

Sorry to hear about your distress. As others have said, of course get checked out by a cardiologist. If all turns out well there, then do not dismiss anxiety as a major factor.

In my early thirties, amidst raising children, I had palpatations badly and always at night. They would occur after the kids were all in bed and when I was laying down trying to fall asleep. One time they were so bad that I ran out of a motel room, down the hallway and out the door. I would feel as though my heart was pounding and I could not get enough breath. Once I even went to an all night drug store and bought an OTC inhaler.

I suffered with them for a few years. Then I finally did some research on my own and found that this is a fairly common occurance for women around 30. It has a lot to do with the amount of responsibility we face at this time in our lives. With that knowledge, I investigated some techniques (like the cold water things) and found a large degree of relief.

I wish you well
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Of course you will need to go see your physician about such matters to be sure there isn't something serious going on but my brother was having your same scary symptoms and he was told by his doctor that to stop the palpitations was to plunge his hands into a bowl of ice/water. For some reason this interrupted the palpitations. All I know is it worked for him. He would keep some ice cubes in the freezer so when it happened in the night he would put the ice cubes in a bowl with cold water and put his hands in quickly. ..perhaps it was the quick contraction of blood vessels or just the cold ? Good luck.
 
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