Awful palpitations at night?

[Ladydowntheroad]

I know that most palpitations are totally benign etc but right now I’m having them every night and they’re bloody awful. I’m waking up with a racing heart, constant skipped beats (virtually every other beat).
I’ve had ectopics before but not like this. I have an annual cardiology review for a mildly leaky valve and my appt is conveniently in 2 weeks but I literally feel like I’m going to drop dead every time I go to sleep at night.
The annoying thing is is that as soon as I stand up I everything go back to normal.
Why would this be so bad while I’m sleeping? Anyone else get this at night?!

Yup I get runs Of svt constantly it’s very annoying and stops you sleeping. I have beta blockers that help control it, would this be an option for you? Have you been checked for afib and that?

@Ladydowntheroad

You are my leaky valve palpitation twin at the moment! Thank you for commenting on my thread yesterday, I was going to respond today and then saw your thread here.

I had exactly the same symptoms last night, and was so freaked out I asked for a handhold on AIBU 🤦‍♀️ which quickly slipped off in to the obscurity of page two and beyond...! Here it is for your reference though:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4127358-Posting-for-traffic-handhold-crazy-fluctuating-heart-rate

My amazing new GP surgery has actually booked me for an ECG today and said they will give me a 24/76hr trace if need be as well. it only happens to me at night as well so I know the ECG today won't help really. I've had this racing heart at night problem for years, and before my heart diagnosis I just chalked it up to my awful chronic anxiety 🤷‍♀️

How're you feeling now? Are you going to speak to your GP while you wait for your heart appointment? X

Oh my goodness huge hand hold! We are going through the same thing aren’t we Are you getting the skipped beats with the racing heart as well? I don’t know which ones leading to another with me or which one is worrying me more... it’s horrid though as it means less sleep which means more anxiety and then just an endless circle.
I did actually have an ECG yesterday at my GP office but I knew exactly what you said, what the point as it came up totally normal then come nighttime off it goes again!
I have a little Kardia handheld device (best thing I’ve ever brought), it helps to reassure me normally and has worked great for two years but is throwing lots of skipped beat racing hearts etc at me at the moment so at least I know I’m not going crazy. It’s also given some ECGs to give at my cardio appt so they can see what I’m talking about which is handy.
My anxiety was fine before this started but it’s now through the roof 😩 It’s so hard to deal with.
Home schooling my 4 and 7 yo started today and I’m piled under with work so it’s going to be a long day...
if you wake up in the night again message me x I’m always lingering at nights right now and they seem so lonely with this

@Ladydowntheroad I'll definitely message you if I'm up tonight. My husband is due home this evening and I'm praying he doesn't get called away unexpectedly, as I don't think I can manage the sole responsibility of DD overnight again with my heart acting up this way. I was so close to calling an ambulance last night but I'm trying really hard not to put added pressure on the NHS. The nurse today told me I should've called an ambulance rather than lie there hyperventilating with panic 🤦‍♀️ the stupid thing is, they would've got there and my stats would be ok because I'd be awake!!

I've got an oximeter that also measures heart rate, which is both a blessing and a curse at the moment...! But what it showed was that I would fall asleep, and then minutes later wake up with a sudden WOOOSH and panicked feeling and my heart would be racing. I'd check my hb and it would be around 80. It would then proceed to come down fairly quickly to around 60, in around 40 seconds maybe. Then other times I'd wake up with a similar feeling but groggy with it, and my hb would be 45/46. It would then steadily climb up to around 60 in around 40 seconds again.

GP offered me a quick appointment which went ok after the ECG, my obs again were fine, but she has ordered the 24hr trace, as I've told her it needs to be at night time. She was really nice, but I felt I was trying her patience a bit by the end as I was such a weepy mess and she was a fairly typical robust brisk doctor. I just wish having health anxiety didn't put extra strain on the NHS with the need for extra appointments and tests, I feel like doctors get fed up with me and I always feel like a fraud. I've paid for private scans etc where I've been able to afford it for this very reason, but we're not rich so it's NHS most of the time ☹️

Massive hugs to you, this is the worst I've ever felt and I can't imagine having to work and home school today on top of it, so you have my sympathy and massive respect

Dh has paroxysmal atrial fib and awaiting an appt to discuss ablation.

His first consultant said everyone else who had it was absolutely fine feeling like this and inferred dh was being dramatic.

Can I also just check, with the ectopic/irregular beats... if my heart rate monitor shows 56, 57, 58, 57, 55 etc, does that mean I’ve got an irregular heart beat? Should it just show 58, 58, 58 etc for 30 seconds at a time (if resting)?

@Fluffycloudland77 I find a lot of health professionals aren’t interested in helping patients first and foremost. I almost cried reading the NHS guidance earlier, it referred repeatedly to the close care and careful treatment you would receive if diagnosed with XYZ. I’ve had to fight for every blood test I’ve ever had, and I’ve never been referred for further scans or tests by any NHS doctors ever. If it’s not a big rash or swelling right in front of their faces, sometime doctors don’t wanna know ☹️

Just popping in with no expert knowledge at all, but I had palpitations with underactive thyroid. So much better since being medicated.

@Ladydowntheroad how did you sleep last night? Hope you’re ok 🙂

I slept fine from 9.30-2am, then had one episode, then straight back to sleep until 6am. My husband gave me a lie-in, so I then spent 6-8.30am in a horrible fitful state, dropping off - racing heart - waking up in a panic to find my heart rate mostly around 45, but 70ish on a couple of occasions 🤷‍♀️ I just don’t know what’s normal anymore! I haven’t had any episodes of tachycardia at all, the highest I’ve seen my heart rate is 90 after walking around then hurrying up the stairs. When I manually check my pulse, it seems mostly steady with a very occasional lagging beat, which I think is normal?? No flurry of irregular beats I don’t think. The doctor and nurse said the same thing and they were pleased with how it sounded.

I’m wondering if mine is all panic induced from this stupid leaky heart valve news. I usually sleep ok unless I’ve got something on my mind, but if I’ve got something very stressful going on, I can be sleeping fitfully and having racing heart episodes quite regularly. Maybe I’ve told myself this episode is worse than previous ones because I’m convinced it’s to do with my heart valves. I don’t know, I’m just rambling now!! I bloody hate health anxiety I can tell you that much.

Dhs often start at 2am. He gets tachy rates of 150-200bpm.

I agree with you about hcp, and I am a hcp. There’s a lot of phoning it in.

Wow can’t believe I am not alone in this . I find I wake often heart racing with a jolt and a feeling a sudden adrenaline rush . Sometimes it happens repeatedly like six or seven times in a row and occasionally my heart just keeps racing for a very long time
I was inclined to think it was sleep apnoea however it can also happen just when I’m sitting in the middle of the day reading or chatting
Drs did a 24 hr monitor which showed nothing except some random palpitations but that’s how it goes , it’s not necessarily going to happen every day .
Most recently I attended the ER because my heart just kept racing and I was so short of breath . The monitoring showed a rate of 140 and repeated palpitations . They kept me a few days and now I’m awaiting to see a cardiologist to find the cause
So stressful . I’ve been dealing with this on and off for years but the last two months it’s been through the roof bad
I’m totally feel everyone’s worries here it’s just a very lonely feeling especially at night :(