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

[Ice_Fire]

Gosh I really feel for everyone here. Me too. As soon as I try to relax (haha, what's that again?!) My heart starts racing and it takes a lot of concentration not to have a full blown panic attack.

Music helps, but not a lot.

 

[Revathi]

New here...and I have all of the above mentioned problems. I had them for 2 months last year and they stopped but they have started again. I was so worried and thought I was the only one. Feeling a little better after coming. But how do you manage the next day with a 2 or 3 days of no sleep? :/

 

[Scribe]

I've had the same issue for a few months now. I'm in bed relaxed reading, I start dozing off so I put my book down. Soon as the light is off and I'm closing my eyes my heart starts pounding. Sometimes I also get so cold.

Has anyone found a solution?

Lately the only way I get a good night's sleep is with xanax not happy about that. I t to limit it to once a week.

 

[Truthful_Whispers]

I don't have that problem when trying to go to sleep. However, I sometimes wake up with my heart racing extremely fast, panicky, and short of breath.

 

[Wes R]

I too have been having these issues. Quick rundown of symptoms:

Chronic inability to fall asleep / stay asleep (about 5 years) Recently prescribed Ambien and it helps knock me out, but I never feel well rested with or without the medication. The only way to explain it is that when I do "fall asleep" I am definitely not awake, but I am not getting restful sleep almost ever. I will also note that I am an extremely light sleeper, and it takes me hours to fall asleep almost every night.

Recently I have been experiencing the same symptoms as most of the other people here:

Since about a week ago, as I am just about to fall asleep, my heart starts racing, and pounding like my body just released adrenaline which startles me and wakes me up. Heart continues to pound while racing, slowly goes back to a normal rhythm (but I can still feel it pounding) and the cycle repeats.

I've tried to wait it out to no avail and will just lay there worried about what the hell is wrong with me. But it will continue until I break down and take an Ambien. The cycle continues until the Ambien knocks me out, and I wake up and feel like crap every morning.

I have had sleep studies, heart monitors, EKG's, ECG's, x-rays, and blood-work all done numerous times and they all point to me being perfectly healthy.

I have not really been able to sleep at all now for the last week and I finally went to urgent care with my heart racing and pounding out of my chest. They again did blood-work, put me on a heart monitor, did an EKG, and found nothing.

The Doc said it may be anxiety and prescribed me Xanax. I have never taken it before tonight, but I am cautiously optimistic. I have been seen so many times for these same symptoms, and been told there's nothing wrong with me so many times I am desperate to try anything.

It's funny too, because I have never had panic attacks, and to my knowledge have never had anxiety before (or maybe I have and it's just gone undiagnosed for years)....

In any case, as sad as it may seem to say this, it's nice not being the only person having these symptoms. I can relate to many of you, and I hope you all eventually find help....

 

[DreamEater]

I get to the point that I have anxiety about sleep as well especially after I've been awake for a few days. I will lay in bed all night building a nice thick coating of cold sweat in my sheets and shaking trying to sleep. I think it's related to the nightmares I have at times, my mind is automatically preparing itself to go through hell and I become tense.

 

[Guest]

As I read this I am laying in bed with the same thing. I get this horrible night sleep anxiety. I get anxiety in the day to, but it makes everything worse when your not getting good sleep. The shortness of breath and tight chest freak me out. Typically I will have this for several days until my body and mind are too tired to put up any more fight. Good luck everyone. Anybody have anything other than pills or music that helps them I would love to hear about it.

 

[Jessie4586]

I can relate to this so much! I've been having my heart race for a while now at random moments throughout the day I can usually distract myself by asserting some energy at something. But lately it's like as soon as I hit the hay my heart races. I tried distracting myself with kid cartoons and even a few Morgan freeman documentary. It'll work till I wake from a jolt and then my heart racing all over again. Some nights I get four hours; if I'm lucky maybe 7 spuratic hours. I used to smoke but now I'm looking for work so i guess it's dealing with the quicker ticker for now.