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REM Disturbances - Rapid Heart Rate

Posted , 5 users are following.

michael27311
michael27311

Hello

I've been dealing with some serious sleep disturbances for about 8 months now. I can't stay asleep. I get ejected out of REM all the time and wake up with a racing heart. I have been to several doctors and they have no answers for me except that it's probably sleep apnea. I was tested and have mild apnea and have tried a CPAP, but I still wake up from REM all the time - even with the CPAP on. When I don't wear the CPAP, I'm never short of breath, I'm just pumped with adrenaline with a racing heart. I'm extremely sleep deprived. I have used Zopiclone and Seroquel off and on over the last 6 months. Zopiclone seems most effective but I know it's not a long term solution. The Seroquel helps too, but I'm a useless wreck the next day - I certainly don't feel rested at all - quite the opposite.

I've been on Bisoprolol for over a year, but weened myself down from 10mg to 1.25 mg and finally, this week I discontinued it, hoping that maybe the culprit to all this has been the betablocker. When I first started the bisoprolol, it didn't affect my sleep at all - if anything, I slept well. The sleep issues started when I was on 2.5mg.

I typically drink each night but have been doing so for years and have only experienced minor sleep disturbances from the alcohol. What I'm experiencing now is something else entirely.

Anxiety has been proposed, but I've always had anxiety and while it often affected my daytime behaviour, it never affected my sleep. Once I went to sleep I was usually fine. So why all of a sudden is all this happening?

I'm getting pretty desperate and would appreciate any suggestions or to hear anyone else's experiences with this.

0 likes, 8 replies

8 Replies

  • paula33800
    paula33800 michael27311

    Posted

    Hi michael i hope you do not mind me replying to your message but i was exactly the same i was lucky i had a newly qualified doctor who had up to date training and tested my blood fo a type of anaemia and i had pernicious anaemia i know have 12 week injections hope you have,nt got it but best found early.paula
  • brian43361
    brian43361 michael27311

    Posted

    I have exactly the same thing Michael....and like you my anxiety was always related to the day it never used to wake me up so I don't think it is anxiety...I get it where I just fall asleep and then BANG!!! .....I jolt up real fast and my heart is racing ......crazy

    Zopiclone helps but I'm trying to ween off

    I'm not sure what it is tbh but your not alone I can say

    • michael27311
      michael27311 brian43361

      Posted

      With me, I always wake up after the dream. Not always with a jolt - usually I just wake up with adrenaline.

      Normally, I would remember maybe 1 or 2 dreams per week (sometimes none) but now I remember 3 or 4 per night because I'm always waking up fully after each dream.

      The other symptom I have is that my whole body is aching all night, especially on the side that I'm sleeping on. Sometimes the pain alone wakes me up as well. I can only lie in a position for about 20 minutes before I'm aching from head to toe.

  • lily65668
    lily65668 michael27311

    Posted

    Hi Michael,

    Often these problems don't just have one cause. I can see several possible causes in your mail.

    It does sound as if apnoea could be playing a part, as it's more likely to occur during REM sleep, when the voluntary muscles are paralysed.

    Withdrawal from zopiclone and seroquel could also be partial culprits - and it's really not a good idea to use seroquel on an intermittent basis anyway.

    Coming off the bisoprolol could also be a contributing factor, as it slows your heartbeat, and stopping it can cause a rebound speeding up for a while. As you pointed out, you were sleeping better when you were on a low dose of this medication.

    Drinking too much alcohol too late in the evening can cause problems. I'm speaking from personal experience here. I have a completely different type of sleep disorder arising from REM sleep, and I always notice it's worse if I go over the top with alcohol late at night.

    I suspect all these factors have come together, with the effect that your anxiety levels have understandably gone up and are now feeding back into the problem.

    If the bisoprolol is being prescribed by a doctor I'd suggest gradually upping the dose again, as this should bring your heart rate down. (I'm a former neuro nurse btw.) On this topic, I'm assuming all the meds you've been taking were prescribed by a doctor. None of them should be messed with unless under medical supervision.

    I think the CPAP could be the eventual solution, but the problem at the moment is that you've got yourself into such a state of anxiety over not sleeping that nothing is going to work till everything calms down again. Bisoprolol could be the key to this - but I repeat, only if it's being prescribed by your doctor. Once you've got your night-time heart rate down, you might be able to start trying the CPAP again.

     

    • michael27311
      michael27311 lily65668

      Posted

      Thanks for the reply.

      You're right, there could be many factors contributing. 

      I definitely DON'T want to increase my bisoprolol as the medication gives me pretty bad fatigue even when I was sleeping well. I've read that some people have had issues with insomnia while taking bisoprolol, so I began taking the 1.25 mg in the morning instead of before bed and I found that made a difference. So, I was hoping quitting it entirely might be the ticket. My cardiologist said it was safe to do so, and that I could always begin taking it again if I found my heart rate increased to where it was uncomfortable. I have always had a high resting heart rate (90-100) but it never really bothered me until I've gone on bisoprolol and got used to a lower HR and then lowered the dose. My heart rate seems ok, and it only spikes during REM and did so even while I was on the bisoprolol. So yeah, the last thing I want to do is get back on a higher dose when it's that medication which may be contributing?

      I'm trying to quit drinking for a while also to see if that helps but the last two nights have not been great. Guess it's a little early to tell.

      I'm on a CPAP trial and will continue with it however I also have bad allergies at night when I get into bed I can't breathe through my nose. The steroid spray I have been using has lost it's effectiveness and I've been relying on Otrivin just so I can wear the mask but I also can't rely on Otravin long term either so I'm in a bit of a tough situation.

      My doctor has also recommended anti-depressants long term, but I really don't want to go that route if it can be avoided. I want to figure out what's causing all this rather than just slap a bunch of bandages on.

    • brian43361
      brian43361 lily65668

      Posted

      Lily can zopiclone withdrawal cause rapid heart beat at night that stops me from sleeping. I had it real bad last night felt like my heart was dancing through my ribcage .....in desperation I took half a 3.75mg zopiclone and within minutes everything calmed right down and i could sleep
    • lily65668
      lily65668 brian43361

      Posted

      Well, yes and no. It's a bit more complicated than that.

      The problem with zopiclone, or any other sleeping pill, is that it very rapidly produces dependence. This means that when you stop it, you can no longer fall asleep naturally. This quite understandably induces anxiety, which is often the reason for the insomnia for which you took the zopiclone in the first place. Once you become anxious, and especially when you get anxious while lying in bed, you naturally become more aware of your heart beat, and awareness of your heart beat in the presence of anxiety will inevitably speed it up.

      You need to wean yourself off the zopiclone gradually - provided your doctor will agree to give you enough tablets to do this. Once you've stopped it completely you'll unfortunately go through a period of several weeks or months of sleep anxiety again, before your brain finally shakes off its dependence on this horrible drug. You will eventually start sleeping naturally again, but this needs patience.

      Remember that no one ever died - or even got seriously ill - from poor sleep, regardless of what some of the trolls on boards like these say. Sleepless nights can make you feel exhausted but it won't go any further than that. I had poor sleep for most of my working life, but I've made it into old age without any serious illnesses - not even raised blood pressure. I think I've probably said this to you already elsewhere on these boards, but consider parents of young children. They often go through several years of sleep deprivation but nothing bad happens to them.

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