Palpitations/Fast Heartbeat

[AmorDeJay]

Hello All. Within the past year, I have had an echo, numerous EKG's (which show some flattened T-waves but my cardiologist doesn't seem concerned with them - I don't even know exactly what it means to be honest), a CT scan with dye of my coronary arteries and a 24-hr and then a 30-day holter monitor.  All tests seem to come back normal. But lately, I've been having more and more palpitations, sometimes my heart pounding wakes me up out of a sound sleep.  Or I'll just be laying down watching TV and my heart will start to pound going up to a pulse of like 90.  I take Toprol XL for blood pressur so my pulse is normally pretty low, in the 60's so 90 is high for me and I feel it!!  I know this shouldn't make me nervous after all the testing I've had but why does this happen out of nowhere so often. Why Why Why? Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks so much.

[AmorDeJay]

Thanks so much. I will definitely try all of those things. I do tend to eat incredibly large meals within an hour or two of going to sleep. And my husband insists that I snore so maybe I do have sleep apnea. Thank you again.

[MichelleP_3811]

Also, just to be on the safe side have your thyroid checked if you haven't yet done so.  Thyroid issues can lead to a faster than normal heart rate among other symptoms. Take care.

[MichelleP_3811]

It is really hard to say exactly but it could actually be something unrelated to the heart causing it to act up.  Things like sleep apnea or acid reflux can trigger the heart to beat faster than normal though 90 is not especially fast but the fact you feel it so acutely leads me to believe that maybe the vagus nerve is involved.  I would watch caffeine and energy drinks as they can dehydrate you, watch eating heavy meals and meals with lots of sugar or carbohydrates and try not to eat a few hours before bed and see if that helps.  Also drink lots of water,  It will help your heart function better.  You may want to think about trying a sleep study to see what is going on, if you have some sort of apnea that your heart is responding to in the middle of the night.  Best of luck getting a handle on this and feel better soon.