waking up with racing heart

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Hi can anyone shed some light on this.. Basically I had funny turn a yr ago and to cut long story short I've been in and out of hospital with palpitations dizzy weakness shakes hot and cold flushes.I've had all tests done which shows irregular heartbeat and I have episodes of IST inappropriate sinus tachycardia.. Its very scarey and now for past 6 mths i actually wake up during nite with racing heart pounding like its going to jump out of my throat it goes so fast I get breathless.. I try to relax n sometimes it lasts from 15 mins to half hr or can be for couple hrs and I feel like it flutters or vibrates.. How does one know if it is just anxiety related or in fact cardiac?? Its very frightening coz sometimes I think wat if it doesn't slow down?? All the wat its...does anyone else suffer like this any advice would be grt

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4 Replies

  • Posted

    Hi. It sounds like you are describing SVT (supraventricular tachycardia) does it go back to normal suddenly? Next time you experience it try sitting up in bed, put your thumb in your mouth and try and blow it up like you would a balloon. I know it sounds funny but this will stimulate your vagal nerve and will slow your heart down. It's called a valsalva maneuver. If this gets it to stop and go back to normal that would indicate SVT. If it doesn't do anything then it could be IST or a panic attack or it could be sustained SVT which might require treatment. Perhaps ask your doctor for a 7 day heart monitor to try and catch when it happens. Good luck
    • Posted

      Hi Sarah thanks for that yeah I've had holters etc all OK just at times sinus tachy to sinus Brady wen sleeping...doesn't happen all the time and no it doesn't stop suddenly either it takes a while to calm down and I actually do sleep in a 40° position.. I'm tryin to convince myself because I get this like at least once a WK during my sleep I'm still alive tat it must be anxiety even though I don't feel anxious all the time? But yeah thanks for advice mush appreciated x
    • Posted

      I now have a pacemaker but occasionally experience the fluttering which I think is the pacemaker doing its job. Always, the triggering factor is an extreme of some kind; either in temperature or blood sugar or pulse going too low. I wouldn't be satisfied with anxiety being the cause unless you genuinely have a history of panic attacks. I would keep a record of your meals for a couple of weeks and see if there is a correlation. I have begun to cut way back on grains, sugar and carbs to avoid excess glucose and to keep blood sugar stable. Also, you might find it helpful to take magnesium and extra Vitamin D. Start with tracking and look for patterns. Good luck.
  • Posted

    If you Google ' Arrhythmia Alliance ' there is a lot of information on their site.

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