Heart Palpitations, shortness of breath while sleeping

OK sounds like almost everyone is having the same symptoms as myself (feeling like my breathing stops when falling asleep and jolting awake to palpitations and/or shortness of breath. Some chest pain during the day occasionally.

Im 24, male, 6'2, 83kgs (182lbs in American ^_^ ), not much caffeine and hardly any alcohol (only socially). I've been researching for a while now and it seems like Sleep Apnea could be the cause of these symptoms but a better question would be "What's causing the Sleep Apnea?" I also suffer from Seborrheic Dermatitis (Red/flaky skin) which I keep in check with topical treatments. Normally I wouldnt think these two things are connected but they both started around the same time.

Hypothetically, if there was a tumour on the Pituitary Gland affecting the adrenal (cortisol) function, it can cause both of these conditions. I plan to see a specialist.

Sounds like people being prescribed beta blockers or anxiety medication can address the symptoms but not the source of the problem. I find it annoying explaining whats wrong to a doctor because they must think people are just crying for attention and dont take it seriously.. I'm a young, fit aussie guy, why the hell would I want the attention of some random GP?! In Australia, even with health care you still have to pay an unreasonable amount just for a 5 min consultation with a GP, not to mention any costs for medication(s). Damn GP's...

It's not a good thing but I was so glad to read people are suffering from the same symptoms. I thought my heart or breathing was just being weird

Since my last posting I have been in and out of hospital, I have gone from beta blockers to calcium channel blockers and now fleckanide ( whichI had to be admitted to hospital to be put on}. I was given an exercise test on a treadmill and my heart rate was good while I was under stress but when I stopped I had pretty bad palpitations for half an hour. The consultants attitude was that I was giving up too easily when i asked to stop but I could feel pressure building in my chest as I exercised. To say he was taken aback is an understatement as reams of paper came out of the machine. I am still waiting for an ablation procedure which I am told is a cure so hope it happens before the medication does me any damage. Ignore the feeling that doctors think you are attention seeking, you only have one life and one body so fight for your right to fitness

did you every get checked out for sleep apnea? Lack of sleep /low oxygen lvls can cause heart palps and rapid heart beat in the morning or when you are falling asleep. Your heart is trying to make up for the lack of oxygen in your blood. You are fairly young and unless it's a congenital heart defect, I don't think it's anything serious.

i have been experriencing the same , i m only 18.. what do i do?

I've started taking thyroid support capsules from the health food store about a month ago. Looking at the labels they all seem about the same. After about a week I noticed these symptoms lessen considerably and are now almost gone.

I've been dealing with this awful problem for 2 and a half years. I've been to every kind of doctor and finally ended up on psych meds. Over time I realized that food is main culprit of all these symptoms. STAY AWAY FROM SUGAR. Processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, and corn. Anything that messes with blood sugar. No doctor could ever tell me why all of a sudden these things affected me this way, but the point is I learned to control the symptoms so I could have a better life. MAIN THING: Do not eat after 2 to 4 pm. BED ON AN EMPTY STOMACH. You might be hungry at first, but you will sleep better. If you do choose to eat sugary or processed foods, eat them way early in the day. I can't even stress this enough to anyone who has this problem. DO NOT EAT AFTER 4 PM AND THE HEART WILL REST!!!!!

Hi I was wondering how this all worked out for you? was the problem resolved?

you may have sleep apnea.....

I have had similar symptoms for 2 years. through a coincidence I stumbled across gluten intolerance symptoms. That turned out to be the issue. Had bad palpitations after eating bread, pizza and pasta. Also the fog and joint pains. I am now trying to go gluten free, which is a challenge, but the rewards are well worth it. I no longer suffer from the shortness of breath, have more energy and can think more clearly. Reduce all intake of wheat, sugar and coffee and see what that does for you. Just listen to your body, forget the tests. GG

This may sound off the wall as I was surprised having same issues. Get an HIV test, they are easy oral tests at local pharm. I was shocked to have this be with me for a long time and not even know It.  Having shortness of breath, insomnia, swollen spleen, fatigue on and off. Was even in great athletic shape, them one day nodding off to sleep become problematic big time for no reason I could explain.  

Hi Dan I yoo am suffering the same symotoms and I also have Seborrheic Dermatitis (treateated topically with Avantan. I'm a pretty fit Aussie as well. I first noticed these symptoms whilst on deployment in Afghanistan, I was on call 24/7 and had a pager wake me up at all hours of the night. I have the same Symptoms now although they went away for a while, but are becoming a little more frequent. I am definatly going to go to the Doc even though I know it is part Psycological but is now becoming more of a Physical one... I'll let you know how things go.

My gluten allergy manifested itself exactly like this. Racing heart, shortness of breath and a host of other symptoms like lousy sleep and always tired. I cut out all wheat and got my life back.

I had the same symptoms about a year ago. Every night just as my sleep passed from that still aware twilight to actually dozing off I would awake with a startle, just a seconds afterward, feeling as if I had not taken a breath in quite some time. Falling asleep propped up on pillows was the only way I could get past the dozing off part of sleeping. Still that was so uncomfortable, once I was asleep I would unknowingly shift to a more flat sleeping position. After that, any time I would roll over the palpitations would kick in waking me back up. They were so bad you could visibly see each rapid heartbeat and my heart felt so labored. It would begin to calm down if I sat up. I also experienced chest pains and what felt like an electric current shoot through my heart and branch through my veins.

I am rather sure it was not the case, but with feeling the need of trying to catch my breath it felt as if I had died there for that fraction of a second. Like I said, I don't think that is what happened, but it is truly how it felt. That coupled with the palpitations from something as simple as rolling over in bed (relaxed and no anxiety at all) I began to almost be scared of falling asleep. The fear and lack of sleep eventually led to some anxiety as a result.

I finally got to a cardiologist, via a trip to the ER and an overnight observation at the hospital. My diagnosis was Aortic Insufficiency (aka Aortic Regurgitation). I've had low blood pressure my whole life (90/65), so when he mentioned a beta blocker I worried. I had tried some to manage my migraines and it would cause my BP to drop dangerously low. Luckily the first one we tried helped without causing any issues. Toprol XL has worked great. We started off at 25mg, had to increase to 50mg about 6 months later, and now at 75mg (a tablet and a half) and all seems well with the palpitations. It also has lessened the frequency of my migraines too.

I still have the occasional breathless feeling wake me when I'm sleeping on my right side (leaned forward a bit)(no palpitations though), but so far, it just takes rolling to my back or left side to remedy.

I have been dealing with this for 9 months now. Last week I borrowed a headband and monitored my sleep on a phone app. Result was my sleep is incredibly bad. almost all sleep is light with huge periods of being awake, very little REM and no deep sleep.

I am trying to keep an eye on this to try and improve my sleep to see if it helps.

Did you ever find out what this was? I am experiencing this right now for the last 4 nights. Its only when I lay down on my left side. I am 5 months pregnant as well. I went to my doctor and she thinks its acid reflux but I really dont feel the symptoms of acid reflux match with these. But I'm not sure, I have never had acid reflux. It's very scary and I am going to see a cardiologist next week to make sure everything is ok. My EKG was fine at my regular doctors office but still worried and want to see if anyone can figure this one out. I dont think its anxiety either. i have suffered from anxiety in the past and its definetly not the same thing.