Herat is racing BADLY

[Tommy429]

Hello,i am a 43yr old male that has been exp SEVERE racing of my heart anytime i try to go to sleep.It is very scary and this has been happening to  me quite frequently lately and it has me extremely concerned~~
I am also  exp numbness throughout my left side and have very bad migraines as well.I  am BEGGING someone to help,just want to feel normal again as i keep thinking i am going to have a heart attackThanks you for ans my questions in advance,i GREATLY appreciate any help that is provided.
                                                              Sincerely,
                                                          Thomas J

[is_something_wrong]

Thanks for your very kind words. I guess I speak for all of us when I say it's wonderful to be able to help you, it's really warming.

I really hope and trust you will be allright. Being afraid because of your heart rhythm is terrible. And as you know, a double negative effect, since the anxiety over palpitations actually creates more palpitations.

Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with!

[Tommy429]

You ALL have been such a HUGE help to me.I am on the phone again with my doc atm and am telling what u all have said,and he agrees.I am going to first see an ortho' guy(maybe for some shots,if that don't work a neuro guy)very soon and will let u all know how i make out.Again,i have gotten more help form u guys in the last three days than i have seeing reg docs in the past year andn a half.U all deserve MEDALS!!!

My solution~~~ i wil be reading ur posts later on tonight, and am very thankful for this forum and EVERYONES help as i have never been at such a loss in my entire life!!!!

[Mom2four85]

def ask for a monitor to see if they can find what's going on...it could be something very simple or it could be heart or sleep related, which you may need a sleep study also

I attended a web seminar through Dr. Steven Park [he's in the expert section] the guest dr spoke in length about tachycardia during sleep and what state of sleep it occured during - it's in one of my posts as well as his website

Itdood brings up a great point - if something is wrong with your sympathetic nerves that could be also and would relate with the autonomic nervous system and could play a factor - it does for me; nerve damage at the spine

when you lay down to sleep, switch positions to see if it stops and try deep breathing techniques - breathe only through your nose, inhale as much as you can and as slowly as you can exhale - try this until you can do this for 15 minutes [a technique from Dr. Park] that has worked wonders for me when I have tachycardia at night

[mysolution]

Please read my posts to learn how I stopped fast heart rate episodes, using a straw method ande walking.

[itdood]

For the holter monitor need to find out if it's Sinus tach.

If it's sinus tach than your issue is probably orthostatic (positional).

You mentioned something about T5 and T6 vertebrae?  It just so happens the the sympathetic nerves (helps control higher heart rates) come out right around that area.   This could be a clue, perhaps it's being pinched when you lie down.

Sympathetic nerves branch out from T1 all the way through T5 .

[is_something_wrong]

No problem! I'm happy to help (though I'm no doctor and I was only making some thoughts, I have read a bit too much about this and have those symptoms myself).

I wish you the best and good luck! Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with:)

[Tommy429]

THANKS for the replies Gentlemen,i have been seeing docs for over a year (for other issues such as arthritis of my 5&6th vertabrae~~Migraines,numbness whole left side at times)but have experienced this same issue some months before these latest episodes reared it's ugly head again.
I have had an ekg,echocardiogram heart monitor(which i will ask to be put on for a week instead of just one day)for  etc etc in recent months and all results came back just fine.I will be talking to my personal (doc)later on today and will bring this up because you guys are the first to tell me what my problem may be, and i am EXTREMLY thankful to you for this.Again THANKS so much,maybe that light at the end of the tunnel isn't a train after all!!! Will let ya's know how i make out(u have been a HUGE help)

[is_something_wrong]

Hello,

You won't get 100% certain what this is without getting it monitored on ECG, but I can give you some advice how to determine what rhythm this is:

Since you obviously are scared, and this happens at the same time / setting, my suspicion is physiologic sinus tachycardia caused by anxiety. It can be quite high and feels "violent", and just remember, it's impossible (when the arrhythmia is running) to tell the difference between a sinus tachycardia and a SVT, it can even be difficult when seeing it on ECG. Both sinus tachycardia and SVT are atrial rhythms, conducted to your main heart chambers through normal pathways.

Sinus tachycardia can increase from baseline HR to 180-210 (if you are really anxious) in a few seconds, slower or quicker. However, sinus tachycardia is slowing over time, and you can feel increases and decreases in heart rate during the event.

Atrial ectopic tachycardia or AV-nodal reentry tachycardia (which are the two most common causes of "abnormal" atrial tachycardia with regular heartrate) starts immediately and ends immediately, with a quick pause afterwards, and you feel the "thump" in your chest on the next normal sinus beat, just like a PAC/PVC. SVT will normally cause a heart rate about 180 but may vary from 100-250. It is completely regular. If you are feeling extrasystoles/skipped beats, you do not have SVT (as SVT actually is a long line of PACs with no normal sinus beats)

Remember: Tachycardias (high heartrate) will NOT cause a heart attack. This is a completely different diagnosis. SVT is annoying, frustrating, but NOT life threatening.

If you believe that you are anxious, that your heart rate is slowing over time, this is probably physiologic sinus tachycardia and the best treatment is just trying to relax, convincing yourself this won't cause any harm. Anyway it's probably wise to make an appointment with your doctor and get a Holter monitoring (24-h ECG) to be sure what this is, and what it is not. Then it will be easier for you to relax.

If you have SVT, there are many ways to break this event: Splashing ice cold water in your face, Valsalvas maneuver (breathing out against closed lips), a finger in your throat, etc. There are some other maneuvers too, which your doctor probably should teach you, because some of them can be a bit risky to certain individuals. If all else fails, you can go to the nearest ER to get a shot of adenosine, to terminate the arrhythmia.

If you don't have a known heart disease, and you do not faint or feel extremely dizzy, ventricular arrhythmias (from your hearts lower chambers) are practically ruled out. If your heartrate is highly irregular during the events, you should mention this to your doctor just to rule out episodes of atrial fibrillation.

[no_fate]

everytime you go to sleep and otherwise not.. ?

then the change in body position might be the trigger.
maybe you have a stomach problem (hiatal hernia or something of that kind).

try to put some stuff beneath your mattress below your shoulders.
this will make your internal organs push downwards as if you were standing up straight.

this might relieve the problem for u.