Difficulty when trying to sleep

[Cinains]

When I get into bed my heart beat is fast and my heart is pounding, this keeps me up and I feel shaky.  I was prescribed valium before because I had a panic attack while having an MRI conducted on my cervical spine.  SO for the last two nights, I had one to calm me.  Three nights ago I just couldn't sleep and had to urinate constantly even had bowel movements.  Two nights ago I took valium and slept for 8 hours.  Last night I took valium and slept for 4 hours, got up to urinate and had a hard time sleeping there afer because my heart beat was fast.  I sat up and listened to music but nothing seems to calm me.  I'm 24 years and asthmatic.  I was wondering if this is a heart issue or anxiety.

[Jerry_NJ]

Anxiety, depression, and panic call all cause crazy body functional mishaps, including irregular, high rate and hard/heavy heart beats.  This doesn't mean that a heart rhythm problem is driven by one or all three of these emotional states, so it is best to discuss with a doctor who will make some tests on the heart, at lest an electrocardiogram and a good long listen with the stethoscope.  Many (most?) primary care doctors should be able to determine if you need further diagnostic work by a cardiologist.  

[bovairdb]

It sounds to me like anxiety.  I'm not a doctor but I do experience something similar.  The doctors think I have PSVT and after my last episode I've been so worked up about having another that it has induced a sort of panic in me at night.  I will trail off to sleep and wake suddently (either to go to the bathroom or because my dog bumps me), and the second I open my eyes I become completely disoriented and my heart goes nuts.  Once I talk myself down and wash some water over my face I feel a bit better.  This is how I look at it... if there was something really wrong with my heart, wouldn't it show up at random times throughout the day and not just between midnight and four am?  I hope this can help you rest a bit easier until your next medical appt.  Take care!