Tachycardia When Falling Asleep?

[pielady42]

Something strange happens to me now and then. I will be falling asleep or asleep for no more than an hour when something sends my body bolting upright. I awaken as I am forced upwards, gasping for breath with the whole bed shaking from tachycardia - it is beating that fast and hard. Once I almost fainted within the first thirty seconds. When I wore the holter the cardiologist said I was having a tachycardia but didn't know what triggered it. Has anyone experienced this during that early phase of sleep (REM?) I wake up disoriented and sure I am dying and eventually I realize "oh, it's just that thing happening again". It's very terrifying when it happens though, especially when I am so out of it and can't think straight. By the way, I have never had tachycardia when I am awake (knock on wood).

[CollegeGirl143]

mmmm sounds like sleep apnea to me.. This is a disorder where you stop breathing in your sleep for short periods of time (Before you freak out its very common and will not hurt you). I wake up with a start, gasping frequently, because i have pretty bad sleep apnea, but im still alive. the tachycardia is probably from the shock of waking up so fast not being able to breathe right away.

[Dillon222]

I have this same symptom , I will drift off to sleep , then suddenly be awaken gasping for air with palpatations , happened 10 times in a row one night.Somtimes I drift off to sleep , and I am awaken with a shaking arm or leg. I dont get it , doc says its Anxiety but I dont buy it.

[Darwingirl]

I have had this happen to me too mumerous times. Sometimes when I wake with the jolt my heart rate will be bradycardic then goes tachycardic. Sometimes it makes me feel absolutely terrible for about half an hour, especially if I was in a deep sleep. I too also think that I am dying when it happens and it takes a while for me to calm down. I have been advised that it is probably sleep apnea and intend to get this checked out in a couple of months - doctor does not seem concerned. What I have found that helps is sleeping on my stomach.

[sb786]

wow, can't believe you guys suffer from similar symptoms as me during sleep!!
i am always waking up panicking within the first 2 hours of sleep. sometimes i jolt awake but have no idea why. most of the times i jolt awake feeling like my heart has stopped or it's beating way too slow. as soon as i awake palpataions start.
i also have svt and have jolted awake like this and had an svt attack straight away. why does it only seem to happen during the first stage of sleep??

[CollegeGirl143]

sb, how do you know you where having an svt attack? Svt during sleep is EXTREMELY rare.. and when i say extremely rare, i mean EXTREMELY rare lol..What Seemsto be happening is alot of people suffering from a very common condition called sleep apnea, and working themselves into a panic over it..

[pielady42]

I did read that there is something about the transition into REM (probably getting this wrong) that triggers the tachycardia in some people. It's just so weird. I did mention sleep apnea to my doctor and he was skeptical.

[sb786]

the reason i'm saying i have svts at night is because i have had svt attacks during the day which have been confirmed by docs. I usually wake up within the first hour or two of sleep and my heart starts racing very fast and no matter how much i relax it is hard to slow it down. can beat like crazy for about 20 mins is it possible for this to just be sinus tachy? can your heart beat as fast as 180bpm without it being an svt attack? Someone else mentioned that svt at night is rare, what is the reason for this?? i hope you are right!!

[kitcurious]

My husband has sleep apnea. He wakes up countless times during the night and snores incredibly loudly. He has a C-Pap machine but doesn't use it. The main problems he had from it were the predictable. Drowsy, taking naps, lack of attentiveness, car accidents, poor memory recall etc.
He's not fat, but when he gains any weight it's always right in his abdomen, After he started running for exercise the condition improved greatly.

[Bellesmom]

Anyone with symptoms of sleep apnea should spend a night being evaluated in a certified Sleep Lab. Sleep apnea should be treated, as it is serious -- it can also be easily treated.

[anacyde]

Look up noctournal panic attack.  Google it or whatever they do.  I used to get that, and the culprit was the noctournal panic attacks.  Extremely unpleasant.  I used to take 0.5mg of Ativan at night, which cured it, and eventually it went away as I got a little older.  I can't say that's what yours is, but you described by symptoms to a tee.

[CollegeGirl143]

yes, sinus tach can easily get up to 180 sustained.. One of the main reasons svt's at night are so rare, is because svt in itself is largly triggered by an already elevated heart rate, due to exersize, stress, adrenline, dehydration, anything really.. At night the heart rate slows significantly, so the changes of an svt attack drop significantly. The body is asleep and has much less of a chance of getting into its own way.. It would probably be a good idea for you to get another event monitor, to document exactly what it is you're feeling at night. Its possible its svt, but extremely unlikely. If you're having night time anxiety, this can be treated and you can finally get some rest!

[sb786]

i have been told that my svt is probably triggered by pvcs, i don't understand how but, i had a 24 hr ecg recorder which didn't catch svt but confirmed that i was having pvcs at night  too, that's another reason i think that it is svt. i hope you are right and its sinus tachy!! in your opinion could my heart remain at about 180bpm for about 20 mins? i'm so confused, all the night time tachys have always only happened within 2 hours of sleep does that indicate sinus tachy perhaps?

[CollegeGirl143]

absolutely sinus tach can sit around 180 or above for 20 minutes or even considerably longer.. Yes palps can trigger an SVT attack, because a premature beat is more likely to travel down the reentry loop in your heart, but in the context of sleep, svt in any circumstance is rare.. Call your doctor and tell Him/Her whats happening, and if you need to, ask for an event monitor to make sure that what you are feeling isnt SVT, althought i think you're in the clear.. It might offer a little peace of mind. Most doctors dont become concerned about the heart rate during rest/sleep until it reaches 200+, so you might have to push for the monitor, but i think you should definatly discuss it with a cardiologist or electrophysiologist.

[sb786]

Thanks collegegirl i'm going to try an get an event monitor. i just want your opinion on something. I never used to be that afraid of the svt until i started getting tons of pvcs. like you, my doc said that a pvc can trigger the svt( i still don't understand how this happens???) I have had an echo done which was normal and a 24hr ecg which showed 54 pvcs and my doc says i don't need to worry.
However, the reason i am so afraid now is because someone who works in a hospital once told me that because i have svt and pvcs i am more likely to get a dangerous arrythmia, (he is not a doc or nurse but does have some sort of medical training but i don't know what)he told me that if the pvcs can trigger svt they can trigger other arrhythmias too. since then i constantly live in fear. In fact about 4 weeks ago i had an svt attack but i was convinced it was vt and scared the life out of my poor hubby! i used to be able to control the svt at home by relaxing and eventually the attack would stop, but now i can't do that and make it worse by panicking. as soon as it starts it i start calling for an ambulance and telling them i am having a vt attack!! do you think i am just worrying for no reason at all?

[kitcurious]

Please have the event monitor if it will help you decide this just will not happen.

Try to stay positive, consciously block negative thinking when it starts, and stay away from people who feed and support fearful thoughts. Especially on the Internet.

Hope you have a Happy New Year :-)

"If you want to conquer fear, don't sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy."
-Dale Carnegie

[sb786]

Thanks kircurious i just asked my doc to order one now and was told it may take a few weeks! Happy new year to you too!!

[mrabal]

I have it.  It's more than tachycardia, its supraventricular tachycardia (160 to 180 bpm).  It's awful.  It started after my gallbladder surgery three months ago. All of a sudden I wake up with a rapid heart rate, then it gets very fast.  I have to stick my face in a bucket of ice water to get it to stop.  I have been to the ER twice with this and they assure me it's scary but not life threatening.  I wonder if they have ever had it.
I have worn a pulse oximeter for sleep apnea and my oxygen saturation stayed right up there.  My cardiologist told me that sleep apnea causes a deceleration of heart rate and ruled that out.
I can't drink alcohol, have caffeine or eat any chocolate.
I have seen two cardiologists now, had two types of stress tests and am now on VerelanPM.
I am scared to death to go to sleep!  I am not taking this lying down (pun intended).  I am off to the Houston Med Center for further evaluation.

[mrabal]

I forgot,
Do get the event monitor.  It helps the Dr to see what is going on.
Also, do try to be positive.  I have noticed if I try to take a deep breath when I wake up, slow down, don't jump out of bed in fear and just try to relax I may be able to squelch it.

[CharityP]

I have SVT and it ONLY happens during the night!

[shiran]

I also have documented SVT and the most common time for it to happen is just as I'm drifting off to sleep.
(From what I've read, sinus tach shouldn't be above 150 at rest.)

[BeccaGK]

I have similar symptoms. I will be in the sleep/awake stage and will have incredible chest pain, rapid heartbeat, and trouble breathing. Sometimes it's just rapid heartbeat. I'm not overweight and I do not have high BP. I do not snore. I'm also young I'm only 22. I am stressed so I thought I was having sleep panic attacks. I'm just scared I will develop an arrythmia and die.