night time panic attacks or heart problem?

[hamster lady]

Hi everyone

I have now been struggling with panic attacks and anxiety now for 2 years which sta rted when I woke up one night with a very rapid heart beat. I wake up about 4 times a night, every night with bad dreams with my heart pounding or racing. I wake up very suddenly, sometimes with a terrifying jolt and then my heart goes bonkers and races very fast. I usually end up with a panic attack when this happens and have to wake my husband up because I'm so scared. My heart goes faster at night than it does during the day and I'm terrified that I'm going to end up with a cardiac arrest or that I'm damaging my heart from all the racing and pounding it does at night.

I wish I could get to the bottom of what is happening to me at night, can a panic attack wake you up in the middle of the night with an adrenalin rush with a pounding or racing heart? I have been to the doctors a few times about my night time heart worries and I had an ECG which was normal and the doctor just said that it was anxiety causing it. She told me to go back and tell her how fast my heart is going but I can't really take my pulse very well and it is going too fast for me to count! She just told me to take some deep breaths when it happens but that is easier said than done when you have gone into full-blown panic!

I'm terrified that I've got an underlying heart problem and that I am going to suffer a cardiac arrest when my heart goes into that really fast rythmn. My heart is OK during the day but can go a bit fast if I feel a panic attack coming on or if I get an ectopic beat which scares me. I wish my doctor had offered me a 24 hr holter test to see what is going on with my heart at night. I also wake up feeling like I can't breathe properly but my doctor said that those were also anxiety symptoms. I have sometimes thought that I could have sleep apnoea but my husband says that he doesn't hear me gasping for breath all night.

I was wondering whether any of you guys have similar symptoms at night with panic attacks waking you up out of your sleep and then your heart races. I am finding this really hard to cope with and I'm so exhausted all day due to my broken nights and very poor sleep. I dont' know how much longer I can go on like this and I've also ended up with a major health anxiety about my heart. I spend all day and night thinking that a cardiac arrest is about to strike, it has totally ruined my life.

Any help or advice would be most appreciated, I'm really struggling at the moment.

Many thanks in advance, hamster lady:weep:

[primadonna]

Hi,
I've just revisited this site after several weeks and read your problem. I sympathise so much as all your symptoms are the same as mine. Whenever I start to fall asleep, I wake up with a funny heartbeat or palpitation and thats me for the rest of the night as every time I try to sleep it starts all over again and then the chest pains begin. I'm absolutely drained of all energy as I've only been getting a good night's sleep on average about once a week. Its so scary because, as you say, you think you're about to have a heart attack. I went to A&E in the early hours a few weeks ago. After some blood tests, was told it wasn't a heart attack. I'm now on the waiting list for a CT angiogram (just for peace of mind) but have been told that it won't be until October. My GP says its just anxiety, but try telling yourself that at 3 in the morning when all you want to do is sleep. The more anxious you feel, the worse it gets and a positive nightmare. Do you dread going to bed each night? Its a vicious cycle. I wish I had the answer, especially as to why it started in the first place at the beginning of the year. It does help though knowing others are going through the same thing and are being told by doctors that its nothing to worry about.

[xvolatileheart]

My symptoms tend to be around my heart/breathing as well, so I totally know how you feel. I think if you've had some tests done and all is fine, you have to try your best to accept that and move on. That's what I'm trying to do. It's not easy, I've been struggling for 7 months, but I use those tests as a reminder that everything is fine. I feel so bad for my poor heart though, I really put it through a lot of stress.

[casswhite]

Hello hamster lady :-). What you have just writen is exactly what im going through!!. Early hours monday morning i was sleeping on the sofa and jumped up with a very strong racing heart!! It felt that bad i rang an on call doctor and he sugested to go to a+e, they did an e.c.g it was all normal. I had just suffered a panic attack :-(. I find it worse because i suffer from palps/ectopics all the time and feel its strain on my heart which could lead to something then i panic. But only today my c.b.t told me your heart is a muscle and all this pumping and thumping is like doing a workout without the excercise and that its just making your heart muscle stronger. He also suffers from palps/ectopics and has just lived with it now it doesn't bother him. Im still finding it hard to train my brain and its more harder at night but im sure we can do this together :-). If you want my mob number just inbox me and we can help each other :-) sorry for the essay hun take care xx

[hamster lady]

Thank you so much guys for your replies, it is very much appreciated. I'm sorry to hear that you are all going through the same thing with your heart going weird at night, it is just awful isn't it! My anxiety is definitely worse at night and because there are no distractions I just lie there listening to my heart beat and feeling my pulse, it is so claustrophobic! I must admit I have thought a few times that I was going to have to call an ambulance because my heart rate was so fast and I have been terrified that it isn't going to slow down! I usually get up in a panic and go into the bathroom to splash myself with cold water and then I go back to bed and lie there panicking and try my best to calm down and my heart rate usually goes back to normal in a few minutes.

I just had no idea that you could get panic attacks in the middle of the night, it completely took me by surprise and ended up with me thinking I was having a heart attack! The first time it happened I felt really ill and had an upset stomach and felt sick but I get that if I have a panic attack during the day too but I thought it was a symptom of a heart problem.

I had some telephone CBT for my anxiety but unfortunately I couldn't do the one to one CBT which I really needed for my heart health anxiety because I couldn't get to the appointments due to my son being so poorly. It is such a shame because now I'm really struggling with my anxiety and heart attack phobia and now the only thing I can do is to take some medication which I don't really want to do because I'm scared of side effects and I don't want to feel like a zombie all day, I have too much to do!

I don't know about you guys but the worst thing about the racing heart is that awful feeling of being totally out of control and that something really bad is about to happen, like fainting. I posted a question yesterday on the All Experts Cardiology Website about my racing heart at night and the cardiologist said that it sounds like panic attacks at night and suggested that I take anxiety medication. He also said that it would not end in a cardiac arrest which was what I was afraid of. I feel a bit better today and actually had a better night last night which no racing heart, it is certainly worse if I have lots of anxiety during the day.

I am just so glad that I found this form and can share my worries with people who are going through the same thing, a lot of my family don't understand my worries and just get fed up with me. However, my husband is wonderful and just wants to help me get over this but he doesn't know what to do to help because I don't even believe the doctor when she says there is nothing wrong with my heart! It is just that when your heart is going like the clappers it is the scariest thing ever and is enough to push you into nervous breakdown or a full-blown heart health anxiety!

I hope you guys had an OK night last night, please keep in touch on how you are doing. I think I would have gone insane if it wasn't for this forum!

Sorry for the essay again!

hamster lady:flowers:

[primadonna]

Hi,

I had a better night last night. The palpitations started again as soon as soon as I started drifting off, but I thought after reading all the posts that it must be anxiety which lots of us are suffering with during the night so sat up and tried not to get stressed about it. Because I'd had several sleepless nights in a row, I think my body was on automatic shut down as far as needing sleep was concerned. I must say that reading all the posts was a great help as you say.

I went to may GP on Monday and she prescribed Bisoprolol. I'm hoping they are starting to kick in now. Propranalol didn't do much for me which I had been taking when I felt this way. Hoping for another better night tonight.

[Dizzzie]

Hi there I have this problem
Every night I been having panic attacks for about a year it has got so bad have gone on citalopram however I am still experiencing this night time panics as soon as I'm about to fall asleep wham !!!! The heart starts beatin strange speeding up it's the start of an attack I am going to try and out headphones on which I hear can help play some soothing music to try to relax me and telly crazy brain to relax I guess what I have learnt as soon as u feel
That adrenaline try to deep
Breathe use distraction hope you can get a hold on this and start to feel
Better soon x

[SoobyDoo]

Oh my goodness......I am with you on this one!

Every time I try to sleep .....bam......a big jolt in my heart then the palpatations. I am not even worrying about my heart now after the ECG! I have been on Propanolol which helps......slowing the heartbeat and even just to not hear my heart thumping in my ears every time I try to sleep!!!!

So how do you all manage to get to sleep????? I haven't been getting a lot!!!!!

[laura442]

I had all these exact same problems, it too was ruining my life. I have been on escitralopram for just over 2 weeks and it has all gone away now :) Its just anxiety I promise you. By all means get an ecg to try to put your mind at rest, but it still didnt put my mind at rest. I have some nightmares but they dont bother me like they did before. xxx

[Meewah]

Get checked out for sure but I feel you will be like a lot of us on here who suffer from fast heart rate after a nightmare etc.. I used Propranolol (beta blockers) and they allowed me to get a good nights sleep without worrying about waking in a panic with my heart racing. I was also told from a cardiologist that as long as the heart is beating fast from anxiety it is getting a great work out and this burns the excess adrenalin and makes your heart stronger. I suppose its like going out for a jog without all the aching muscles.

Just beware of trying to convince yourself its something to worry about. Get the tests the doctor recommends and put it to bed if you excuse the pun, because you like most of us will start doubting what you have been told and you may demand more tests which in turn gives more anxiety and more tests and so and endless loop that if you do nothing about will consume your life. I had to be told forcefully by my doctors to stop with the heart checks as they cannot find anything. The problem is doctors react to your anxiety which in most cases is set at a normal level so for most people who enter the doctors surgery their anxiety has good grounds. With us this is exaggerated and they react accordingly only to find out that after all the tests they still cannot stop us visiting. :-)

Mee

[SoobyDoo]

So how have you all been???

I am still getting anxiety, breathlessness and all that shebang at bedtime and I just can't sleep, the Doctor gave me Zopiclone for sleeping and now I am worried I am addicted, only been taking a 3.5mg tab every night but why give an anxious person some other tablet to be anxious about??!! grrr
The Propranalol really helps with the racing heartbeat so if any of you suffer from "just" that I would try it out, my Doctor said if I am worrying about a heart attack I am less likely to have one on a beta blocker anyway!!!! So it may be worth a try?!
I still get a fluttering feeling in my chest and the big skipped beat that wakes me suddenly and the anxious feelings.
CBT should help though, is anyone else succeeding on CBT?

[MardyBum]

I was much the same and after a call to NHS direct they called 999 and I had an ambulance at my house. I was checked and all ok BUT i was having a panic attack!! its so scary and I felt terrible getting the ambulance out but they were lovely about it and were happy that I had... ive been noticing chest pains on a night time again and have to really talk myself into the fact its prob cause im tired so my anx is getting the better of me xxx

---------- Post added at 14:11 ---------- Previous post was at 14:09 ----------

CBT got me my life back last time... it really worked i was home bound for over a year and CBT changed all that. Im down for CBT again but the way I currently am I cant actually get to the clinic and they have told me they dont do house visits :( x


So how have you all been???

I am still getting anxiety, breathlessness and all that shebang at bedtime and I just can't sleep, the Doctor gave me Zopiclone for sleeping and now I am worried I am addicted, only been taking a 3.5mg tab every night but why give an anxious person some other tablet to be anxious about??!! grrr
The Propranalol really helps with the racing heartbeat so if any of you suffer from "just" that I would try it out, my Doctor said if I am worrying about a heart attack I am less likely to have one on a beta blocker anyway!!!! So it may be worth a try?!
I still get a fluttering feeling in my chest and the big skipped beat that wakes me suddenly and the anxious feelings.
CBT should help though, is anyone else succeeding on CBT?