Waking with heart pounding!

[Clara]

For the past few months I have been waking with my heart absolutely pounding, feeling incredibly anxious with very high blood pressure and raised pulse. It can happen at different times during the night. Sometimes an hour after I've fallen asleep, sometimes at around 3am and sometimes at 7am.
I often feel like I'm frozen to the bed and sometimes like I'm choking or can't get a proper breath. My body often feels very weak also. The 'attacks' do pass but are very frightening in the night when I feel so alone (even though my husband is lying beside me!). I have been taking 25mg Atenolol in the moring for the past year and was fine until 6 months after I started taking it so I don't think it can be that.

I mostly feel ok in the day though I do feel stressed at the moment which isn't surprising when I am having so much broken sleep. I have had an echo scan which came back normal and an ecg which was also normal. Nobody seems to know what is causing these night time awakenings and I don't feel I am being taken seriously. I am scared there may be something wrong in my head as these are happening without me being in control of them.

In the past when I've had panic and anxiety it's been during the day but never at night and it's incredibly frightening. I go to bed each night with a positive attitude that I will sleep ok but it happens every night without fail.
I though it might be PMT related but I get it all through the month.

Any advice would be much appreciated as I feel there must be something very wrong with me to keep waking up like this.

[Barbara B]

Hi Clara
Just wanted to say that I suffer from the same problem. I also suffer from anxiety and eptopic beats. I have had the same tests and they have come back normal. I started to suffer from low blood pressure about 2 years ago it was after a lot of stress then all the attacks you described started. I was also given diazepam which helped with the panic but the addiction is worrying me especially as it lowers the BP. I also had propranolol but it didn't seem to help in my case. I don't really know if it helps but I have also had good treatment from a qualified homeopath and feel better from this. I just thought I would like to say I agree it is frightening but I think I am slowly improving and I hope it may help to know you are not alone with this problem. Also the articles on this web re panic attacks have helped.
Best wishes
Barbara B

[suzy-sue]

WELCOME CLARA ,SORRY YOU ARE FEELING SO BAD AT THE MO,LOTS OF US HAVE OR ARE CURRENTLY HAVING THE SAME PROBS,THE TROUBLE IS STRESS ALWAYS MAKES IT WORSE AND THE MORE WE WORRY THE WORSE IT GETS.IVE JUST BEEN ON A SITE RECOMMENDED BY SOMEONE ON HERE CALLED www.anxietynomore.co.uk ITS GOT SOME GOOD INFO &WORTH A VISIT.HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER SOON SUZY

[Clara]

Thank you both so much for your replies. It is good to know I am not alone in this. I dont feel my family really understand what I am going through and I dont like to bother them with it. Well, I am off to bed now for what will probably prove to be another eventful night of anxiety, heart pounding and panic! I try to stay positive but it is hard when you feel so ill in the night.
I will read up the info. you have recommended. Thanks againxx

[lesleya]

Hi hun
I know what your going through, you have my sympathy. Ive been having problems at night too for the last 2 weeks. I get terrible jolts as im falling off to sleep and i feel like ive stopped breathing...my heart goes like the clappers and it scares me witless. When it happens im tending to keep myself awake because im scared of it happening again so im loosing loads of sleep. Theres nothing worse than lack of sleep as anxiety seems to be worse when youve not had enough rest to be able to fight it. Does your husband support you when you wake up in the night feeling like this?
My doctor is keeping an eye on my blood pressure as its raised slightly he said, i think it was 150 over 87 or something like that on wednesday...sorry cant remember properly (hopeless) and it was 152 a few weeks ago. Not a problem really he says if i wasnt diabetic? im not sure what the normal bp is.
I think the fact that im in peri-menopause has a lot to do with how im feelig too as these things seem to be happening since i started this. I dont know how old you are hun? but like you said maybe your pmt might have something to do with it too..always worth asking next time you go.
I hope you can get help sorting it out soon, as i know its really distressing.
Wish you luck.
xx

[sunshine-lady]

Hi Clara and to NMP, pleased you found us. I'm sure you will like it here as there is so much advice, information and support.

chat is fun too and a great place to make new friends

[lorac]

Hi Clara

Welcome to the site I think you will get some good advice and support on here. I know how horrible this symptom is because about a year ago this was happening to me, I still get this from time to time but it isn't as bad as it was so hopefully yours will get better soon.

Carol

[weeble40]

Hi and a big welcome to NMP its great to have you here, hope to see you in chat sometime,

Take care

Emma xxx

[Clara]

Aaah such lovely replies has cheered me up immensely! My symptoms
I feel are probably related to peri-menopause as am in my 40s now and notice the heart pounding gets worse from ovulation onwards! I dont wake my husband in the night as he has to be up very early for work in the morning and he doesn't know how to deal with it anymore or what to say!

Lately he has taken to sleeping in the spare room so when I wake feeling like I am going to die (literally!) I can put the light on or radio to try to distract myself! I also feel this is probably stress related as have had all the major stresses over the last couple of years....but it is very hard to change the person I am.....ie I have always been a bit of a worrier and get stressed out more easily than other people. Other than this I am quite sane lol!
xx