waking with heart racing

[molly36]

The other night i woke up and realised my heart was totally racing,i started to really panic about it and then i broke out in sweats ,i was overbreathing getting cramps in my chest.i was so scared i called a ambulance they took my pulse and it was 160 per minute ,they said they thought it was panic attack,they took me to hospital and they gave me ecg and said all satisfactory and doc said it was panic attack.But my point is i only started panicing when i realised my heart was racing.I tried to calm it down myself but it wouldnt work .I didnt feel in anyway paniced when i woke up i just paniced when i realised my heart was out of control.It was terryifying.I have sufferd panic and anxiety for many years with ectopics flutters you name it.But i really dont think this was panic attack i think it was my heart racing for no reason,i was sleeping ,now i cant even do that without the anxiety affecting that aswell as my daily life.Has anyone else had this kind regards molly

[zoe-22]

hi this has happened to me when it does im frighten for my life.the first time i went to hospital and they told me it was a panic attack,i tried to explain that i wasn't panic when i woke they told me it was my subconscious doing it, ha i just thought anything to shut me up and they sent me home. now i just sit on my bed and take deep breaths if that dont work go into the bath room and splash your face with cold water for about 3 min sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't, sometimes mine races for over an hour and i just feel like im waiting to die basically, that what it fell likes. i went to the doctors about it he said the same, it was my subconscious doing it. i have a heart rate monitor which i bought and my pulse goes upto 175 and normally its between 55-76 so when i feel it going like mad i panic alot, your not alone and i know it a horrible feeling sorry i cant be much more help pm if you want
zoe x

[molly36]

hi thank you for your reply,it is awfull i just am so fed up of these heart symptoms ruining my life.thank you again kind regards molly

[dodo]

You might well have been having a bad dream that you just don't remember or your subconcious might have heard a noise or something that you don't remember. I have had this before and this is what I have been told. I once woke up exactly the same as you and tried to do the deep breathing which didn't work at all, the more I tried the less it worked.

SOmething else you can do is get up and walk about to use the adrenalin up. Eventually your heart would slow back down on its own even if you didn't do the slow breathing as your body would get worn out of it eventually. You can only panic for so long.

A paper bag by your bed also works wonders.

[molly36]

thank you for your reply ,i try and walk about but feel so breathless i have to sit down.kind regards molly

[dodo]

Yes I can relate to that too. But I often feel restless like I need to move. Remember that you can breathe and just keep telling yourself that. Try and lie down on your left side, close your eyes and breathe from your stomach and not your chest.

[Maybe_Baby]

This has happened to me, and ever since i have suffered with really bad anxiety and health ocd. I use to constantly check my pulse.

I woke up one night, and realised my heart was beating really really fast - I then got really worked up over it as my mum use to have a heart condition, which caused her heart to beat abnormally fast.
I was home alone as my partner was at work, so i got up and went on the laptop to try take my mind off it. Anyway, after 10 minutes it was getting faster and i couldn't ignore it, so i phoned an ambulance - they also took me to hospital for an ECG and was monitored and my heart rate was 165 bpm. The doctor i seen was lovely, he told me it was all down to a panic attack, which i didn't really understand as i hadn't actually started panicking until i had phoned the ambulance - i did wake with my heartbeating fast! So ever since then i have been really over aware of my heart beat :(

[molly36]

Hi thank you for your reply,its just so scary when its your heart ,i cant stand it .I have never been able to conrol my fear when it comes to the palpatations.thanks again kind regards molly xx

[gypsywomen]

molly during the night even thou we are asleep anxiety is still there,what i think happened you had a adrenalin rush ,this would make your heart beat faster than normal you may get them in the day time but dont notice them as much ,,, it causes fright,, maybe you could take propranolol they help with these rushes xxxxi know as i have had these on waking maggie

[jothenurse]

My panic attacks usually have the fast heart rate - up to 160 or more. I do wake up sometimes during the night (usually from a hot flash) and I notice that my pulse is elevated. Then I really have to work hard on distracting - watching tv, doing a crossword puzzle, just to keep myself from having a panic. I get this after I eat sometimes also. I try to exercise, but I get scared when I feel my pulse going rapid because it reminds me of the panic attack. Distraction helps me the most (along with taking a small amount of ativan every day). I'm hoping to increase my exercise, because I really think if I could get back into shape and run, hike and do all the things I did before the panic disorder, I would get over my fear of the rapid pulse and hopefully the anxiety would start to calm down. Shopping, going to work, doing all those things can bring on a fast pulse. I try to distract, and breathe slowly and evenly. It usually works.

[alicegreen]

This is exactly what happened to me the other night and it has really set me back. I got used to my heart racing after I was worried and that then set it off, but the other night it was actually the racing heart that woke me. I instantly jumped up and switched on the light and begged my hubby to take me to hospital. I got more and more worked up and ended up having to run outside in the cold air as I really felt as if I was going mad. Since then I have dreaded going to sleep.