Heart Rate at night

[chris_1982]

Hi

I have been reading the forum for a while put this is my first post. I have had aniexty for about 15 years. It comes and goes and I can have long periods where nothing happens but it always comes back when I have some kind of health problem, like a couple of years ago I had a thin Melanoma removed and had to have a few dysplastic moles removed too and it sent me into a spin that took about three months to get over, this after going to a councillor a few months before who convinced me I was perfectly healthy. Anyway its normally because I am scared of fainting so when I feel sick or stressed the aniexty kicks in with me thinking oh no I am going to faint, probably because I fainted as a child after a injection.

However lately I have been getting really worried about my heart rate, its driving me absolutley crazy. It started when I woke in the middle of the night thinking I heard the phone and my heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. So I went to docs and he gave me an ecg appt in the meantime I had another attack, this time at work and had to drive home thinking my heart is going to give in any minute, it finally settle when I visited doc. I then had the ECG which took 3 goes to get a good reading but it was ok just a bit of fast heart rate no problem. Anyway I put to back of my mind then last night it happened again, I had to wake my Mum up which is quite embarassing for a 28 year old, I am only living at home because I wanted to wait the first two years out after the melanoma which is lucky because I could not have coped last night. Now I am at work and my heart while not racing is around 80 when its normally around 60 probably from the stress of last night but I am worried this is going to keep happening. It doesn't help that I have been going through a root canal which has taken longer than usual. I have already been for three clean out visits with four weeks inbetween and the infection is hanging in there and I now have to wait until January for my next appointment and I went dizzy on one appointment. Plus I have to have a couple more moles off early December (just a precaution, 99% sure they are nothing) Infact the only thing I appear to think logically about lately is my skin. very strange.

I guess my question after going on and on is, is it normal for my heart rate to be elevated today after what happened with the heart racing last night? and is heart racing when I was a sleep and not anxious normal? I have asked my skin doctor to refer me for more councilling and she is really nice and has referred me but I don't know how long that will take.

Chris

[countrygirl]

When I am anxious like in a hospital setting for a test mine can be up to 140bpm and its always around 120 just at my GP's because I know they might take my pulse!

Although you think you are relaxed because you are asleep you could be having a bad dream that you don't remember and this will cause your heart to race etc but all you know is that you wake up with a fast heartbeat. 80 bpm is actually quite slow for anyone with anxiety:D
Mine can be anything from 60 to 140 depending on how anxious I am.

I have ectopic heartbeats and if I have a run of a few at once then I get huge adrenalin surge and heart races to 140 and takes hours to get back down to 90 so completely normal as your body takes a long time to get rid of the adrenalin.

When you feel your heart racing in the night - count it and as long as its under 160bpm then nothing at all to worry about unless it stays above 120 for say half a day. That was what I was told. If it gets to 180 and above and stays there for hours then go to a&e as thats when they would like to give you something to slow it down. some people with anxiety have a constant fast heartbeat of up to 100 and they still don't worry about it once they have ruled out things like overactive thryoid causing it.

[Going home]

Hi Chris, sounds like you're in a bit of a vicious circle. Your anxiety perhaps started with the melanoma and thats understandable and maybe hasn't quite gone away. Also, if you wake during the night with a pounding heart this could be because of the drop in blood sugar levels that we all get during the night and low blood sugar can result in the body producing more adrenaline. If you eat a slice or two of toast or have a milky drink before bedtime (forget the diet for now) this should keep your blood sugar a bit more level as you sleep and could stop the night time palps and fear. The increased heart rate through the day (80 isn't very bad to be honest) is probably because you're now worrying alot about it.

Hope this helps a bit.
Anna xx

[chris_1982]

Thanks for the replies, I managed to finish my day at work and now have had my councilling referel letter through now so hopefully I can start tackling this a little better. Its just so weird my heart races at the hospital and doctors all the time but I always seemed ammune in my sleep and sleeped well but not anymore apparently. Very frustrating. I will try eating toast and a milky drink see if that works and it kind of makes sense because I don't tend to eat anything past 6 o clock. I will also try and count the rate at night (if I can count fast enough :)) to make sure its below 160.

Also next time I go to my GP I think I will have to ask for a blood test to rule anything else out I have had the ecg a few times but never in my life have I had a blood test, which in is self is strange with these anxiety symptoms and my past skin trouble.

Thanks again

Chris

[Tallulah]

Hi Chris

Have you tried learning a breathing technique and doing some form of relaxation before you go to bed. If you breath in through your nose counting 4 then breath out through your nose counting 4, not too deep breaths, and your diaphram should be rising and lowering, this may help to calm you down;

Tallulah:)

[jothenurse]

Really, 80 beats per min is normal. It's not even considered tachycardia until it's over 100. For you though, being used to a lower pulse, I'm sure that you can notice, but certainly not dangerous.
When I have problems with tachycardia/panic, mine goes up to the 160's. Very scary. I've had many EKG's and they have all been sinus tachycardia. Scary.

[cornishmaid]

my pulse is normally normally between 60 and 75 ,i checked it today and it was 59 bpm,so that sends me right off into panic mode as i think its too slow,id soon sent it beating faster i can tell u ,i hate my pulse being under 60 ,this is my major fear at the present time,few weeks ago it was blood pressure

[kirstyt]

Btween 60/80 is brilliant.mine id normally wen restin is 90/100.and wen im anxious its btween 140/150.once wen i had an ecg i was so scared it wrnt even higher!!im sure u have nothing to w:Dorry about.