• 💖 [Donate To Keep MyPTSD Online] 💖 Every contribution, no matter how small, fuels our mission and helps us continue to provide peer-to-peer services. Your generosity keeps us independent and available freely to the world. MyPTSD closes if we can't reach our annual goal.

Feels Like My Heart Stops, I Jolt Awake. Extremely Terrifying

Status
Not open for further replies.
It's comforting to know I'm not alone. I've had this happen over the last 4 yrs or so. It's absolutely terrifying. My whole body feels awful for several minutes after waking from this. I will have repeated episodes while trying to sleep after the first one. The last time it happened I tried to pay close attention to all the symptoms I was experiencing. One I noted that goes with it is a strong metallic taste while I'm recovering. This can be a result of an adrenaline surge. Now I don't know if the surge caused the problem or if the surge started my heart again. Or if the whole horrible thing is just anxiety.
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to me occasionally.

When I am laying in...
I have the same.
My condition has been diagnosed by a neurologist as Sleep Onset Myoclonus.
Google it. Tried and tested many tablets including tranqs, sleeping pills, anti depressants. Problem is the more tired I am the worse it is. Best tablets I have found (not a cure) are clonazepam.
 
I've had this problem for going on 3 years now. It started when I took some anti-depressants (Valdoxam) for the high anxiety levels I was experiencing (prior to that I'd never taken prescription medication).

My body didn't respond well to the meds, I threw up all night, had severe shaking & when I tried to go back to sleep, this began (I didn't sleep for nearly 3 days straight & was in Emergency wards every night seeking answers. Finally a GP gave me Valium which got me to sleep).

It's all the same symptoms mentioned, jolting awake suddenly, being confused etc. I have it to varying degrees, sometimes horrible, lately I find I can talk myself into being calm through it & deep breathing helps.

Here's the other thing, I can't fall asleep unless my neck is arched upwards. I've wondered about vertigo but don't experience in daytime. My head has to be lying sideways on a pillow & chin right up otherwise I get an unpleasant dizzy, unbalanced feeling.

Things I've found that trigger this sleep condition for me are;

1. Alcohol
2. Over tired / under tired
3. Rigorous exercise, particularly late in the day
4. Drugs with a quickening agent i.e panadol rapid or nurofen plus
5. STRESS

Sometimes Valium has been helpful, sometimes not. The last 3 new guts in a row I've had this & Valium has helped me stay calm, but not stopped the occurance.

A couple of years ago when I was experiencing panic attacks, I saw a doctor who checked out my blood & found out I was high in cortisol & deficient in other things like magnesium l. She put me on a cocktail of vitamins & natural supplements to help with the panic attacks, but strangely this never occurred during the year I was taking these. I am going back to her this week to have everything checked out & hopefully find a solution. It is so challenging living with this mysterious condition, prayers & hugsfor you all until we find our solutions .. :-)
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to me occasionally.

When I am laying in...
I heard that this is caused by stress and caffeine. Search up, what to do if heart feels like it stopped. There are yahoo answers that are very informative.
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to me occasionally.

When I am laying in...
I thought I was the only one. It really does feel like your bout to have a heart attack or somthing like you almost died but just woke in time then I'm scared to fall back asleep so I stay awake nodding in and out trying to stay awake bout eventually pass out
 
You described in perfect detail what ive been through. I have been looking for someone who has this happen to them also. It feels like I am having a heart attack when it happens, then after the mind registers that im awake that feeling goes away. It sucks because it hits you right when your on the verge of sleep. After doing some digging I found out its called "Hypnagogic jerks" basically it happens because changes in our sleep schedule. Our brain is telling us it's not ready to go to bed yet. Just get yourself back on a sleep schedule you'll abide by and it will subside.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
I have a lot of anxiety that caused/causes me to feel like my heart is palpitating, or is stopping, or I'm having a heart attack and I've noticed that the reason is in part that I'm so fixated on my heart/heart beat that when I stop paying attention to it (whether it's during the day or when I'm about to fall asleep) I get these jolts that make me feel like I'm going to have a heart attack. Once I noticed this I stopped paying so much attention to my heart and it's helped a bit. It's hard at first because you have to make yourself not pay attention to your heart but if you do you'll start to feel a little better. Also get a diffuser with lavender oil. The noise and smell really help calm my anxiety and help me to go to bed.
 
Also this might be childish but going to bed with a lamp on/nightlight really helps ease my anxiety and make me feel safer so I can fall asleep. I notice that my heart doesn't feel as bad when there's a light on.
 
You described in perfect detail what ive been through. I have been looking for someone who has this happen to them also....
I think this is pretty accurate as I haven't had any symptoms for a while but tonight I do pretty badly. I've been going to bed at 4 am the past two weeks but tonight I tried going to bed at midnight and my body/anxiety wasn't having it.
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to me occasionally.

When I am laying in...
Same happening with me since last four to five month I am tired to visit doctor and too much feeeling scared....
Still dont get any solution. If any one have plz tell me.
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to me occasionally.

When I am laying in...



Hi. Did this ever stop happening? This has been happening to me for 3years now. And it happens every few nights/days. My doctor doest believe me when I tell him
 
Over the past few years, this weird occurrence has happened to occasionally.

When I am laying in...
hey o have the same problem i have for a wile now but i allways thougth it was nothing but it started happening alot more the last few weeks and its scarying the shit out of me when im almost fallin a sleep i just find my self jumping out of bed scared like i didnt have any air and my herts starts beating faster so today as this happend about 5 times in a row im going straigth into the doctors tomorrow but i realised cuz it happens more if i get stressed durinf the day or if i push my self to much but cant tell you what it is because even my self i whant to deal with it and go to sleep at nigth in peace i hope u find a solution and let the world know about it cuz today when i searched online for it theres alot of people out there just like me and you
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top