Just had this happen again for the second morning in a row, about 4:45 this morning. I haven't really been sleeping the last few days, which probably isn't helping, but I woke up feeling like I wasn't breathing with a sudden sharp pain in my chest that caused me to sit up in bed and take a big gasp of air. Then it felt like my heart was fluttering (palpitations) and began to beat pretty fast for a few minutes before calming down. The irregular heart beat came and went (though to a lesser extent than the initial shock) with the same stabbing pain but much less severe than the initial one. Once I calmed down and got my breathing under control it seemed to subside slowly and I feel more or less normal now, but I'm wondering if this could have something to do with a combination of sleep apnea (waking up not breathing and having to inhale deeply) and some kind of heart condition (the combination of the sharp pain and subsequent rapid heart beat and palpitations). Also, its possible that the collarbone i broke on my right side a year ago (which has kept my sternum out of alignment often) has something to do with the pain. This is not the first time this has occurred in the last year, although it is has never occurred with such frequency (two mornings in a row). I should note that both times I had been in bed lying down (I think on my side) for a few hours. During this time I had been unable to fall asleep completely, and had only momentarily drifted off when the onset of the heart pain occurred. This might sound strange but the feeling in my chest was of the heart "slamming" open, as if there was a blockage or closed valve which prevented proper blood flow and then it was suddenly forced through, followed by the palpitations which I assume would indicate the heart trying to reestablish normal blood circulation and rhythm. As far as my health, I just turned 24 a few days ago and exercise regularly (cardio and weight lifting) at least 3 times a week and try to eat pretty healthy (avoid sugars, sodas, foods high in fat or sodium, drink plenty of water, am a nonsmoker) though I do drink alcohol probably two days a week and have a history of heart complications in my family (uncle had a heart attack at 37, grandpa had a quadruple bypass in mid 50's). I also heard that electrolyte imbalance may cause this, and have read about the precordial catch syndrome (probably closest description to what happened) or GERD can cause similar symptoms though I am unconvinced. Should I be concerned/ contact a doctor? -Andrew