ok folks this blog is so old but i have to try and answer the quiestion anyways because i have the answer for the jolting awake. i have all the other issues, heavy heart beat at times toss and turn trying to not concentrate on the pounding that just wont go away. im over weight and i smoke. well this problem of course led to me thinking i was going to or was having a heart attack. which then brought the anxiety and panic attacks and i too made a visit to the er at three in the morning. but all that didnt even start untill the jolting awake did first. id almost be in a sleep and bam. almost felt like i could see electricity as it woke me up. i would have to get on my phone and read up on possible reasons this could be happening and eventually would make it to sleep and feel fine the next day other than being tired. now like i said the heavy heart beats never started happening until the jolting awake did. now i struggle with those. all i can do about those are wake up wait a while and occupy myself with reading forums and blogs about this stuff. i have pandora radio and listen to zen garden and orchastra music which helps the problems from coming as often. but as for the jolting awake ive narrowed it down to what i believe at least in my case has to do with my over weightness and snoring. the throught relaxes so much as your falling asleep we all know causes snoring. well ad heavy chest and lungs that arent strong and youll find yourself unable to inhale after an exhale automaticly. we all know how it feels when we hold our breath and finally release. well when your brain finally tells your body hey your not breathing pick up the pace your lungs finally dislodge the throught and snooorrreee. now your scared awake from both the loude snore and the rushy feeling you get from holding your breath so long on the ex hale. ive tried recording audio of myself of this happening and spent countless nights and naps studying what i could each time to try and pinpoint what was going on. im positive that thats whats causing my jolting awake. as for the heavy heartbeats that keep me awake well those are i at least know now something completly different . they come and go. usually when i think about them for a split second as im going to bed its already too late and their all i can concentrate on. i just have to occupy my thoughts someother way until they settle down. i think its just reoccuring anxiet maybe almost a post tromatic stress disorder from when i first started getting the jolts and thinking i was going to die. i hope this has helped some people. please email me and let me know if it makes any sense or not or if anyone ever even reads this blog anymore. its april twenty eighth twoo thousand eleven. i can not get my phone to type numbers so when i type my email address the word four is actually the number four so put the number four in instead. thanks all. franklunafouratgmail.com at symbol as well.
It is such a weird problem and I am thankful that it doesn't seem to be real heart problems for anyone. I have been panicking that it is my heart too. I've been having these symptoms for at least a year now and it is driving me nuts with anxiety. Once I'm asleep its usually fine, but it always feels scary falling asleep. I always hope to fall asleep quickly before the whole thing starts in. Usually it takes 5 minutes or so before the sensations set in. It's good to know that we are not alone in this. I will follow your advise and get some basic tests done.
i woke up and i had pain on my left arm and heart, and then my left arm became numb, anyone help me? im 13 and ineed help now :'(
Hi. I was told the heart palpitations when asleep was due to going into a deep sleep your heart stops and your brain wakes you up to concentrate on the heat beat this process happens when we are babies that's why it's better to have a dummy because then they don't fall in to a deep sleep causing cot death it made sence to me? Therefore more sleep is required
I am so glad I found this thread! I have been having exactly the same symptoms as all of you all! Being jolted awake just as I fall asleep, strong heartbeat, numbness and tingling. The first time it happened was about 8 or 9 years ago. I ran to the ER of course and they of course told me they found nothing, so I chalked it up to stress and forgot about it. Then it happened again a few mos. later. I didn't go to the ER, I just did deep breaths and it helped a little to stop the heart pounding but in the back of my mind I was a little worried. It happend only about 2 or 3 more times in the next few years, so I wasn't too worried about it. But I recently got pregnant and had a baby. During my pregnancy I developed palpitations. Still didn't get too worried cause the doc said that it's common for women to devolop these during pregnancy. Well the baby is now a year old and I'm still having them, and now the sleep episodes have started again. At that point, with palpitations AND this coming back I was pretty worried. And then I had a spell one morning AFTER getting out of bed.I was sitting at the computer and I felt my feet and legs tingling, and felt like I might faint. Went to the ER and they found nothing. The Dr. told me he thought it was vertigo, but I don't think that at all. After reading all the posts here, I truly believe the one poster who said that it was related to the Vagus nerve. I'm going to check the thyroid too, but my sypmtoms are identical to the one guy who talked about the vagus nerve, and after looking up other info about the Vagus nerve it all seems to fit. This is a comfort, but last night I got nearly no sleep because it happened 4 times, always right when I was drifting off to sleep. Good news is that now that I'm not so scared when it happens, I just take some deep breaths, and it keeps my heart from pounding so hard, and then the tingling in my limbs will start to go away. So now that I'm not afraid that I'm gonna die from it, (most of the time, lol) how to I stop these episodes and get some sleep? Anybody had any luck with getting theirs to stop?
***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use
Stay strong and don't let your fears get the best of you!
Thanks and God bless to you all!
Suzie :-)
HI ALLLLLLLLLLLL!!! i was reading most of you's letters(replys or posts) it seem that everyone is having anxiety attack (panick attack) feels like = your heart pounding heavy- you think you will have a heart attack and die- can't sleep at night when your body relaxes-numbness in arms or feet and sometimes face- and most of all you think bad (causes and deaths and if you get what you see on tv or a friend) well had this for minimum 12 years till i went to the doctor also. i told him i can't breath and my arm is numb and my heart feels like it will come out of my chest. he examined me very quickly,faster then i ever was examined . he told come into my office (THIS IS IN THE HOSPITAL BY THE WAY).i entered his huge office and he demanded me to sit down ,he looked angry :/ first thing he said was why are you depressed and why are you so afraid. i was really shocked that he knew right away. i asked him for pills of course ( who doesnt) and he said no! he said go home and when you relax and have this panick or anxiety close your eyes take 3 big breaths and think of your HAPPY PLACE <he screamed> so i did . slowly slowly day by day and year after year my panicks and anxiety left.with no pills no worries. today im married and have3 messiest and noisiest kids and i dont feel depressed or tired. i take day by day and always try to think what today is (PRESENTLY)so happy place worked for me...what is yours? try it!!!
ps so far worked on all of my friends :)
ps so far worked on all of my friends :)
wow i have had anxiety for around 4 months now it has messed up my life im always scared that their is something wrong with me. im 23 and i cant enjoy my life anymore as i always feel pains around my boady and i am always feeling anxiouse i have tried taking anti-depressants and im also on beta blockers but still i feel the same only diffrence is i dont have anxiety attacks
I was born with W.P.W. and had the catheter ablation to correct it. It you had W.P.W. you would know it. My heart would beat 236 bpm sometimes for over an hour at which point I would have to call an ambulance and the would administer a shot of adenazine (a drug that stops your heart so that it can return to a normal rythem) I do not have episodes of WPW anymore,yet I still suffer from a fast heavy heart beat along with chest and left arm pain.I am 36 years old. My cardiologist says its not my heart at this point and all tests have come back normal.
Wow..i am taking Diclofenac too and am experiencing these problems.That is not what I expected to hear at all. I definitely have to talk to my doctor now and let him know what is going on. If you happen to read this please repost. Thanks.
***SOLVED** I have solved the heavy heartbeat problem. I had the same problems as all of you for years and have tried everything to no avail. Everytime I try to lie down for bed, my heartbeat felt very heavy and really scared me. Many nights I spent hours just trying to fall asleep because of it contemplating whether to go to the hospital or not. I noticed when I walk up the stairs, my heartbeat felt real heavy also, same feeling as when I lie down. Of course many times this caused me anxiety, so then my heart raced and the problem got worse. Here are some other problems I had that I fixed also: if I bend over to look at something on the floor or under a table, I get real dizzy when I stand back upright, I have been exercising and eating right for a few years now, but recently was stuck at the same weight for 4 weeks, blood pressure was high, never had any energy despite exercise and eating right.
Now for the solution.....water. No joke. I came across some books about chronic dehydration and started thinking that I was lucky to drink 3 glasses of water per day. So on a Saturday...I decided I would drink half my body weight in ounces of water per day and see what happened. Well on Monday I had lost 5.5 lbs from three days before, heavy heartbeat from walking up stairs was gone, heavy heartbeat when lying down gone, small amount of blood when brushing teeth gone, and my blood pressure dropped by 30 points and has stayed in the 110X70 range ever since. It has been several weeks now and none of the symptoms have returned. I feel like a new person. It is a lot of work to drink the required amount of water, but it is worth it. My life has changed dramatically. I forgot to mention that I lowered my blood pressure medicine from 20mg to 10mg and I think soon I will be off it all together. The main cause of high blood pressure is chronic dehydration. I have never posted in forums like this before, but I have read them many times looking for a solution to these problems. I felt I owed it to let you all know that most of your problems can be solved by drinking more water. Not drinking enough water cause tons of medical problems. I suggest reading material from Dr. Batmanghelidj. You can find some links to interviews and a few books for free that will tell you what you need to know. I don't believe water cures everyting, but I know for me it solved many problems.
Try it and post your results. Drink half you body weight in water per day and see if the heavy heartbeat goes away. I bet it only takes 1, maybe two days for most people. For me it took one day and the heavy heartbeat is gone and hasn't come back. Keep in mind I had it everyday for over a year and on and off for 5-7 years so this isn't a fluke.
Now for the solution.....water. No joke. I came across some books about chronic dehydration and started thinking that I was lucky to drink 3 glasses of water per day. So on a Saturday...I decided I would drink half my body weight in ounces of water per day and see what happened. Well on Monday I had lost 5.5 lbs from three days before, heavy heartbeat from walking up stairs was gone, heavy heartbeat when lying down gone, small amount of blood when brushing teeth gone, and my blood pressure dropped by 30 points and has stayed in the 110X70 range ever since. It has been several weeks now and none of the symptoms have returned. I feel like a new person. It is a lot of work to drink the required amount of water, but it is worth it. My life has changed dramatically. I forgot to mention that I lowered my blood pressure medicine from 20mg to 10mg and I think soon I will be off it all together. The main cause of high blood pressure is chronic dehydration. I have never posted in forums like this before, but I have read them many times looking for a solution to these problems. I felt I owed it to let you all know that most of your problems can be solved by drinking more water. Not drinking enough water cause tons of medical problems. I suggest reading material from Dr. Batmanghelidj. You can find some links to interviews and a few books for free that will tell you what you need to know. I don't believe water cures everyting, but I know for me it solved many problems.
Try it and post your results. Drink half you body weight in water per day and see if the heavy heartbeat goes away. I bet it only takes 1, maybe two days for most people. For me it took one day and the heavy heartbeat is gone and hasn't come back. Keep in mind I had it everyday for over a year and on and off for 5-7 years so this isn't a fluke.
I'm male 20 years old. 6ft tall just below 11st. Have been having all this exact same sh*t for over a year now. It's doing my f*****g nut in. It's 4.13am, yet again probs won't get to sleep until 6am. Have quit smoking, quit drinking, take anti-acid for reflux don't use drugs or weed. Taken up regular running. All this same f**king s**t STILL keeps happening. Why can't the doctors say anything??? Why do they always treat you like an as****e and tell you it's stress?? wtf?? They have been to medical school and everything surely they can do something to help??? this is just getting on my nerves like crazy. it upsets me that i can't seem to do anything about it. i am strong, but somehow not this strong :/ i have even sloped by bed at a 10degreeish angle to help with the reflux which also seems to cause sleep apnea. DO ANYONE ELSE HAVE A LUMP FEELING SENSATION IN THEIR THROAT/ACID??? From other things i have read and experiences i feel like this is a bit contributing factor. What you guys/ladies reckon? It seems outragous that we all deal with this torture every night but can't seem to get any decent useful help. Please reply! Peace and universal love.
Hi there all- last week was scary for me. my husband was out of town and i was alone with the kids. i laid down and i thought my head was going to explode. the pressure was scary. i didn't know what was happening. i walked around to get the blood going, move my body a bit. then when i felt better, tried to lay down and it happened again. and again,and again. i really thought if i fall asleep (yeah right,sleep?!) like this, i'd die. but this wasn't the first night i've had issues. it was just the scariest. so i googled ALL my symptoms and came to this site. after reading all of your posts i felt a bit relieved to know i wasn't alone. i put all the blogs together and came up with loosely 3 categories, with overlapping symptoms. which of course i fall into all, to some degree. i am stressed, about 25 lbs over weight, eat dairy, have numbness in hands and feet at night, toss and turn all night,every night,,,etc. i also seem to carry a lot of water. my hands and fingers sometimes looked like they did when i was pregnant, swollen with white spots. this symptom comes and goes randomly. i find myself going to the couch every night because the positions of the cushions fit my body's sleeping needs better then my wonderful king size bed. also the t.v. is a nice distraction from the uncomfortableness and stress. i don't exercise. i have a special needs child and 3 other little ones, so i NEVER stop moving. but that is not "exercise". it's actually stress. so at night when my body is going crazy, so is my mind. having these sleeping issues i always think it's the stress or the extra weight. it never occurred to me that it could be partially my diet. we eat well here. no processed food,no fast food (with the occasional pizza and a movie night), wheat bread, lots of vege's, cookies and cakes and such are just not preferred-salt over sugar in this house." my kids and i will pick a string cheese over a cupcake any day". that thought is what made me think about dairy. so i cut my dairy in half the very next day after my scary episode. the night i slept sitting straight up because the pressure in my head was so bad. i noticed the difference in 2 days. the pressure is gone. the numbness is way,way down. the mental stress is down too, from the physical going away. i can lay down normal again. i can't believe dairy has had a hand in this for this long. i never would've realized that was part of it with all the other stuff going on with me. also, i have been sleeping with my ceiling fan on high. the air being colder seems to help a lot. i don't know if the fan has to do with the noise or the air flow, or the coolness to the body, but it helps a lot. i remember when i was little and we didn't have air in the summers, i slept better with the fans. and i always kept mine going longer then i needed to,season wise. you know how some people "need to "sleep with the t.v. on? maybe the fan stimulates more senses in ways that we may "need" to fall asleep? my husband and 2 of my kids have sensory integration disorder. EVERY ONE has some degree of sensory issues, but to some it can be severe. it's mental and physical. this might be something to look into. i don't know. but it seems like the combination of the fan and the dairy are working for me. i still have mild numbness in my limbs when i sleep. but i am going to explore the dietary avenue a lot further. i just wanted to share my thoughts because reading all yours has been helpful to me. take care to all.
I've been having the heart flutters and the numbness and the acid reflux and the headaches and the sudden awakenings for about 7 months now. Actually, I've had the acid and the awakenings for years but the rest came about 7 months ago.
I'm 32 years old. 6'2" about 185lbs. I weighed 218 when my problems began but I made changes to my diet (some helped, some made things worse).
I went to the ER the 1st time in August of 2011 (or almost 11 months ago). It was about 5 a.m. and I woke up thinking I was about to have a heart attack. That 1st ER was when I was told I had Acid Reflux (and Anxiety attacks). I was told to take Prilosec so I did and it took away my symptoms completely.
The 2nd time I went to the ER was in early January when I started having the chest pains again. This time I was given an Rx for Trazodone, a depression medicine. 2 weeks later I made visit #3 because the Trazodone made my heartbeat palpitate wildly. I was told to stop cold turkey on it since I had only taken it for 2 weeks and was given a Rx for Xanax. Now at the same time I started the Xanax is when my daily headaches began. But at first, I felt completely fine again. I was taking 1mg each morning before work (the source of my stress).
My 4th ER visit was in March. The heart flutter was getting worse and I knew that the Xanax was bad for me and really wanted to get off it. All they did was test my heart (again) and tell me I was fine (again).
My last ER visit came in April. This time I was given a heart monitor to wear for 2 days. And I was given the name of a Doctor I would see on a regular basis as an alternative to always having to go to the ER every time I felt worse. The results of the heart monitor came back normal.
Backtracking a little bit, in March I went to the Eye Doctor to get glasses. It was something I needed for a long time but never got around to. I had the bad luck of seeing an Eye Doc who was also a regular doc as well. Instead of JUST giving me glasses, he ordered an MRI to see if I had a tumor or suffered from migraines. I had neither. He then ordered an echo-sonogram to check for irregular heartbeat. That also came back normal (even though I DO have the flutter constantly.) He also gave me a Rx for Inderol, a blood pressure medicine even though my BP thru this entire ordeal has been the same (about 120/80 or borderline high but not in the slightest bit of danger). This med did nothing positive nor negative and after 2 months I weened off it. I asked his help to ween of the Xanax but he wouldn't even address the issue because of family history (a half sister who attempted suicide). All in all, this quack cost me over 5k in hospital bills (giving me a grand total of over 13k in all between all the docs) and didn't help me any more than the various ER docs had.
My new regular doctor gave me a Rx for Atenolol which is another blood pressure med. I still take it to this day, 3 months later. It does nothing positive nor negative for me.
As far as my Xanax goes, I SORT OF weened down a little. I went from taking 1mg each morning to taking 0.5mg each morning and 0.5mg an hour before bedtime. I decided stretching out the effects would help me rather than having the whole effect at once and then feeling the withdrawls until my next dose. This method worked for a while, but now I still feel like I have withdrawls right before taking my next dose.
Today, I tried to make an appointment with my regular doctor because my symptoms have been getting worse. I was told there was nothing more the doctor could do for me. Yup, my doctor refused to treat me any further (thanks guy). The nurse arranged me an appointment with Mental Health. I go there on Thursday. The only problem with this is I have been there before (earlier in the year). I had 3 seperate 'consoles' and then was informed I didn't qualify to see the therapist. I told this to the nurse and she informed me they CAN'T reject me. Funny, cuz I was there when they DID reject me before. But, behold, the Mental Health people gave me a call and made the appointment. I have a console. They will probably give me the same run-around I got before and nothing will have been done.
Now, the GOOD news. I am now weening off the Prilosec. Yes, after 10 months I am STILL taking it. I read up about long term usage and I know that quitting cold turkey is really bad. So I'll be taking the Prilosec only every other day for a while. And then every 3rd day. And finally every 4th day. The days i don't take it, I'll take the chewable antacids I was taking last year back when I had NO SYMPTOMS other than the acid reflux. I am further changing my diet after reading all 5 pages of this thread. Will lose most of my soda/sports drink intake and drink much more water. I'll tone down the dairy intake. And most importantly, I will TRY to find ways to lessen my stress and not THINK about all the bad things going wrong in my mind and my body.
It's not like I don't KNOW that I am okie. I will not die. There were times I questioned that, as most of you all did. But during sane times I know it's going to be okie. Anxiety is rough. It makes you THINK you are sick when you aren't. It made me spend thousands of dollars with no insurance on medical bills. It made me take alot of pills I shouldn't have taken (but was TOLD to take by people who should know better). It made me insane for periods of time. But it is going to be okie. I know that. I just have to continue to know that. I wish all of you good luck, and if any one of you are reading this and have solved your problems, by all means tell us about it. Give hope to those who have yet to find it themselves. I will do so when I feel better. I don't know if it will takes days (when I flush out with water), weeks (when my prilosec is lessened), months (when I can kick the Xanax habit), but one day I feel NORMAL again. And I'll tell you guys all about it. And I hope I won't be the only one.
I'm 32 years old. 6'2" about 185lbs. I weighed 218 when my problems began but I made changes to my diet (some helped, some made things worse).
I went to the ER the 1st time in August of 2011 (or almost 11 months ago). It was about 5 a.m. and I woke up thinking I was about to have a heart attack. That 1st ER was when I was told I had Acid Reflux (and Anxiety attacks). I was told to take Prilosec so I did and it took away my symptoms completely.
The 2nd time I went to the ER was in early January when I started having the chest pains again. This time I was given an Rx for Trazodone, a depression medicine. 2 weeks later I made visit #3 because the Trazodone made my heartbeat palpitate wildly. I was told to stop cold turkey on it since I had only taken it for 2 weeks and was given a Rx for Xanax. Now at the same time I started the Xanax is when my daily headaches began. But at first, I felt completely fine again. I was taking 1mg each morning before work (the source of my stress).
My 4th ER visit was in March. The heart flutter was getting worse and I knew that the Xanax was bad for me and really wanted to get off it. All they did was test my heart (again) and tell me I was fine (again).
My last ER visit came in April. This time I was given a heart monitor to wear for 2 days. And I was given the name of a Doctor I would see on a regular basis as an alternative to always having to go to the ER every time I felt worse. The results of the heart monitor came back normal.
Backtracking a little bit, in March I went to the Eye Doctor to get glasses. It was something I needed for a long time but never got around to. I had the bad luck of seeing an Eye Doc who was also a regular doc as well. Instead of JUST giving me glasses, he ordered an MRI to see if I had a tumor or suffered from migraines. I had neither. He then ordered an echo-sonogram to check for irregular heartbeat. That also came back normal (even though I DO have the flutter constantly.) He also gave me a Rx for Inderol, a blood pressure medicine even though my BP thru this entire ordeal has been the same (about 120/80 or borderline high but not in the slightest bit of danger). This med did nothing positive nor negative and after 2 months I weened off it. I asked his help to ween of the Xanax but he wouldn't even address the issue because of family history (a half sister who attempted suicide). All in all, this quack cost me over 5k in hospital bills (giving me a grand total of over 13k in all between all the docs) and didn't help me any more than the various ER docs had.
My new regular doctor gave me a Rx for Atenolol which is another blood pressure med. I still take it to this day, 3 months later. It does nothing positive nor negative for me.
As far as my Xanax goes, I SORT OF weened down a little. I went from taking 1mg each morning to taking 0.5mg each morning and 0.5mg an hour before bedtime. I decided stretching out the effects would help me rather than having the whole effect at once and then feeling the withdrawls until my next dose. This method worked for a while, but now I still feel like I have withdrawls right before taking my next dose.
Today, I tried to make an appointment with my regular doctor because my symptoms have been getting worse. I was told there was nothing more the doctor could do for me. Yup, my doctor refused to treat me any further (thanks guy). The nurse arranged me an appointment with Mental Health. I go there on Thursday. The only problem with this is I have been there before (earlier in the year). I had 3 seperate 'consoles' and then was informed I didn't qualify to see the therapist. I told this to the nurse and she informed me they CAN'T reject me. Funny, cuz I was there when they DID reject me before. But, behold, the Mental Health people gave me a call and made the appointment. I have a console. They will probably give me the same run-around I got before and nothing will have been done.
Now, the GOOD news. I am now weening off the Prilosec. Yes, after 10 months I am STILL taking it. I read up about long term usage and I know that quitting cold turkey is really bad. So I'll be taking the Prilosec only every other day for a while. And then every 3rd day. And finally every 4th day. The days i don't take it, I'll take the chewable antacids I was taking last year back when I had NO SYMPTOMS other than the acid reflux. I am further changing my diet after reading all 5 pages of this thread. Will lose most of my soda/sports drink intake and drink much more water. I'll tone down the dairy intake. And most importantly, I will TRY to find ways to lessen my stress and not THINK about all the bad things going wrong in my mind and my body.
It's not like I don't KNOW that I am okie. I will not die. There were times I questioned that, as most of you all did. But during sane times I know it's going to be okie. Anxiety is rough. It makes you THINK you are sick when you aren't. It made me spend thousands of dollars with no insurance on medical bills. It made me take alot of pills I shouldn't have taken (but was TOLD to take by people who should know better). It made me insane for periods of time. But it is going to be okie. I know that. I just have to continue to know that. I wish all of you good luck, and if any one of you are reading this and have solved your problems, by all means tell us about it. Give hope to those who have yet to find it themselves. I will do so when I feel better. I don't know if it will takes days (when I flush out with water), weeks (when my prilosec is lessened), months (when I can kick the Xanax habit), but one day I feel NORMAL again. And I'll tell you guys all about it. And I hope I won't be the only one.
You are describing sleep apnea because you DO stop breathing and are jolting awake.
Have a look at the symptoms of thyroid - not goiter but thyroid.