waking from sleep

[Ihatepalps2]

My 20 year old nephew has started, out of the blue, waking up gasping for air--after dreaming that he couldnt breathe. He said his heart is racing and beating erratically--he is scared to go to sleep now. It happened last night, and he went to the ER as quickly as he could so they could get the wild heartbeat on a monitor...but they fiddled around and by the time they got him hooked up, he was in normal rhythm. They did do testing on him then--chest xray...monitor...etc...and said everything was fine. He is an extremely active athlete-never had any heart troubles, but is on several medicines for chronic insomnia. Any ideas whats happening to him?

[jkfrench]

That same thing happens to me.  It is only when I first drift off to sleep.  It never happens in the middle of the night.  Just when I am first trying to sleep.  My doctor told me it was anxiety.  It does scare me and I can totally relate.  I sometimes have it happen several nights in a row, then nothing for weeks.  When it starts up I am also afraid to go to sleep (which probably makes it worse).  
Hopefully he will stop worrying.  Especially if the doctors told him everything was okay.
Frenchie

[Artaud]

Hi,

Perhaps a place to start would be with a Cardiac Loop Event Monitor or a Holter Monitor.

The Loop Event Monitor, worn for up to 30 days (and removable for showering etc), will record a number of seconds of data before the event button is pushed, then a specific time afterwards. Your nephew would then go to a phone and transmit the results to a technical center, where they would immediately evaluate the EKG and tell your nephew if there is any reason for concern. Each subsequent event would likewise be recorded by pressing the event button and the results phoned to the technical center.

The Holter Monitor is worn for 24 hours continuously and returned to the Doctors office. The results are obtained within a day or so and given to your Doctor.

Apnea, arrhythmia, anxiety, and other events could cause such symptoms. I would eliminate the more serious aspects (arrhythmia first, then apnea, etc.) and work backward to the lesser ones. When I was a an adolescent, I had a friend that experienced what may be termed as Night Terrors, he would rouse from sleep and fly madly for the door to get outside. He slept over once and experienced such an event. Problem is that he was unfamiliar with the door lock, and could not get outside, I had to run to the door to assist. The ironic thing was that he was the neighborhood tough kid, he otherwise feared nothing. Anxiety, even from sleep, can be a problem.

If you would, list on the forum the names of the several medications for insomnia. I'll be gone until Sunday, but others may have comments about the medications as well. Find out about your Nephew's use of Caffeine, Steroids, and illicit drugs if you can. (I am not saying he uses Steroids or illicit drugs, but you need to know if he does for the proper diagnosis of his problem). If he uses Caffeine and takes insomnia medications, tell him to stop the caffeine. It doesn't matter if it's coffee or soft drinks with caffeine, they need to go. Find out if he uses supplements, Vitamins, especially the mega dose kind, and with B Complex Series may also cause problems. (as could mineral supplements, too much iron, etc.)

Tell your nephew to be open with his Doctor about his use of Caffeine, supplements, and possible use of steroids or illicit drugs. See if your Family Doctor can order blood tests to rule out any likely problem (as the Doctor sees necessary).

Best health to you and your Nephew.