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Heart Racing And Heart Pounding Only When I Try To Go To Sleep?

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Abby

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Does anyone experience this aswell? I really don´t know why I have it. Sometimes I do worry about things, other times, more recently, I just close my eyes and want to go to sleep not thinking about anything bothering and my heart just starts racing and I´m awake again, even though I´m tired. What is it??
 
I have the same issue. I feel fine when I'm moving around etc, the minute I try to relax............BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this site. I'm reading so much stuff that makes me go "I thought I was the only one who had this!?!?!" :)
 
Yea, you know I used to think that it might just be my body because really, it didn´t make any sense to me. But I discovered if I had a really relaxing day or when I find a thought that is really really relaxing and good (doesn´t happen too often though) then it goes away- so I guess it´s really suconscious stress...
 
Yes. It goes boom diddy boom boom boom diddy boom boom in my chest and I can put my hand on it. ´

I feel it pumping away so hard it keeps me awake. Boom boom boom boom.
 
This has been happening to me lately but I think mine stems from nightmares. I haven't had one in years and then all of a sudden last week it started up again. Since then, I've had the heart racing and pounding when it's bed time.
 
*hugs*

I too relate. Only just joined forum, so nice to not feel alone & realise am not the only one suffering with a lot of the horrid PTSD symptoms :) I was recently diagnosed with sinus tachycardia, so heart continuall working at 150bpm, oops! But, it's most noticeable at night. No matter what I do to relax before bed, no matter how tired I am when I go to bed, the moment I turn the light off and my head touches the pilliow, bang, the panic begins & the race is on. Hate it. I've got to the stage where am too scared to go to bed. 1 thing I found helped a little is putting chillout music on in the background to focus on, altho still happens it's less distressing I guess.
xxx
 
Ugh. I am sorry for all of us. I am exhausted lately, my eyes are painful dried cherry pits stuck in my head.

As soon as I try to relax...yoga, sleep, exercise(!) I get .... strangely wired. No matter how tired, I can't sleep easily. I do massive amounts of exercise that should put an elephant down and still I stare at the walls.

Pulse can get high and I am getting tachycardia at times, palpitations....had it since a kid and I know it is stress induced so I don't freak out but it doesn't help of course. erg.

One idea...I started one of my old tricks, kind of trying to induce dissociating before bed ...and I even put in earplugs, try to block out everything, make sure the bed etc is perfect. That..has helped a bit. its a start.

My T says I am armoring myself against my recent flooding and the sleep may be a problem for awhile, its hypervilligence, stress, trying to NOT relax because when I do things "come through". That was his explanation.

For me, maybe you? that the bit, its when you try to let your guard down, the body gets "nervous"....?

Sorry you are going through this, it royally sucks, I know.
 
Me too and I wake up anxious and heart pounding several times a night. That's when I come here and prowl the forums to distract myself back to sleep!
 
Yeah, me too, I prowl around the 'net....house....I would like to wander around outside but I don't want to freak my husband out. Pretty moon last night.

I realized last night that the most random thoughts are not random. Last night again, random thought, no biggie....turning it around in my head, checking it out from every angle. Harmless.

No it isn't! I "caught" one finally...stepped on its "tail" right before it blew up. I was relaxing, starting to sleep and BAM - the flashlight suddenly flicks on & the memory starts to unravel to its end.

That is what keeps happening lately, lots of them. I am almost curious its such a strange thing but last night I realized....and I mentally tried to slam the door shut. I got up, moved around, actually jumped up and down trying to shake it off. I immediately found a distraction...watched something, and had a beer, ok 2. I later tried to dissociate into sleep, used the earplugs etc and I actually got some decent sleep last night. Cherry pits not so burny today.

I stopped it from coalescing. Its not good, I do remember the thing that I kept ruminating on but I am NOT going there. It is hovering but I am ignoring it. We'll see how today/tonight goes.

Wishing everyone a good nights sleep sooner than later....Whirlwind.
 
I "liked" your initial post, not because I like that your heart is pounding, but more as a "word..." ME TOO!

For me, I've figured it's due to the years upon years of horrible, horrible nightmares. My body has become conditioned that it associates sleep with "going to that scary hellscape where unspeakable things happen" and, naturally, preps itself for fight/flight.

I was on a short-ish course of minipress over the summer for the nightmares. I probably should've stayed on it longer than I did, but it seems to have "rebooted" my adrenal response to sleep (despite still having nightmares).

I did find one thing that helps: sleeping with a hood or a little throw-blanked over the top of my head (in addition to whatever sheet/cover is used for my body). I figure it's some weird security thing. It doesn't change my thinking before I fall asleep, but it does seem to reduce the racing heart.
 
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