Heart skipping/jumping just as falling asleep

[LouiseMon12]

As the title says, for the past few weeks, when I fall asleep, I feel my heart almost slow then suddenly does a big thump which wakes me up. It makes falling asleep really difficult. I've also been having palpitations, mainly after a meal/alcohol and while my resting heart rate is 75 bpm, it has been getting up to 90 sometimes.

The gp ran some bloods which shows I'm anemic (Hb 10, ferritin 12) so I started on iron although not feeling any better yet (after started on them 3 weeks ago).

In addition to the above, I've also been feeling tired and breathlessness on and off during the day.

All other blood tests (thyroid etc) normal. Waiting on ECG etc now.

Has anyone experienced this issue and could it be due to anemia/low ferritin? I'm starting to panic that something is wrong with my heart. I'm 43, slim, active.

@Rina66 that's really comforting to hear as it sounds just like me.
@spiderlight I can totally relate to your description of 'heart holding its breath' and then there's a thud!
I have terrible HA so it's really comforting to hear from you all

@torreli sorry to hear you are also suffering from this. Can I ask what other symptoms you have?

The night time adrenaline rush as if I was about to die and my heart kicked back in.
During the day, dizziness, short of breath and just generally feeling weak and feeble. Being upright was hard work, my heart wouldn't beat fast enough. I ate lots of extra salt and drank water (usual tricks for low bp) but nothing worked.

Things have improved since but I'm still below 60bpm resting which is normal for me. I am the correct age for peri as mentioned upthread. Also on iron for anemia.

Chest pain for a day. I should probably have got that checked but A&E is a mess isn't it.

I had irregular heart beats as a symptom of perimenopause. It was very distracting, and alarming. It's a shame this isn't brought to awareness.

But, it is always good to go to the doctor's for advice, since there may be other factors. Women's heart issues are often dismissed as stress or indigestion. We need to be assertive in our quest equity in health issues.

I had palpitations due to peri menopause too, worth considering. The one symptom that went away and never came back even when I needed to adjust hrt for other symptoms.

Mine does it just when I'm falling asleep, my smart watch picks it up every night. I have a big ice cold drink when it starts & this slows it down.

I'm not surprised this is a peri thing - fits perfectly for me, along with the low ferritin. Am I weird in actually quite liking the 'thunk' feeling? It's a bit like when your neck clunks in just the right way for me, or when a joint cracks.

It's such a comfort hearing everyone's stories and feeling like I'm not alone.
@torreli your breathlessness and dizzy sounds just like me. Can I ask what your bp was? I can't stop obsessing over my low bp which is currently 105/56 (just checked now!). I don't think perimenopause causes low bp so not sure why it's like this

Could you try adding salt to your lunch? I never used to add salt to anything, had a naturally low bp and heart rate which became symptomatic as I entered my thirties. I now have to add salt to everything and sometimes self medicate with salt sprinkled in a glass of water (proper salt, not that cheap stuff) when I'm not feeling good. It's really effective for me.

So I was doing OK for the past week, my breathlessness almost went away and I was no longer feeling dizzy. Because of that I stopped taking my BP, I really thought the iron tablets were working. Then last night before bed, I started to feel breathless again, lightheaded and when I took my bp, it was low at 100/50.
I've been on ferrous fumerate for 6 weeks now, so I don't understand why I still have moments like this? Has anyone else experienced this, where symptoms improve and then come back? Not sure if it's relevant but my period is due in a week or so.
I don't want my HA to take over again....

@LouiseMon12 your health anxiety has taken over.

Stop taking your blood pressure. Add salt to your food. I just ate oats for breakfast with pink salt. Delicious and useful.

Stop thinking about it.

Do half an hour lying on a yoga mat each morning/evening and listen to some meditations.

Use your diaphragm to breathe and not into your chest.

You'll be fine.

Also it took three months of alternate day iron for my levels to go up. GP told me at least a month. Don't take more than that it's pointless.

If you are actually worried go to your GP and ask for a 24hr monitor.

Also it is possible to have low BP idependently of the ectopic beats.

Your ferritin needs to be around 70 to 100 and can take months to get into normal range providing you aren't bleeding terribly on periods and/or have trouble retaining ferritin (anemia). Some people can take years to get their levels up to optimal.

Low ferritin can cause breathlessness, palpitations, dizziness and muscle weakness amongst other symptoms.

www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/nutritional/iron-deficiency-anaemia/

@Ilovelowry you are right, the HA struggle is tough. I haven't managed to stop taking my BP, its still low at 100/58, but I feel OK, not lightheaded. The breathlessness I feel is less @LittleGreenDragons , but it comes and goes depending on the day. My periods are still heavy, I know I haven't given the iron tablets very long (7 weeks)...

Yes, I have this off and on too. The latest bout was last year, when my ferritin was 9, and I am perimenopausal. I've been taking iron and, while I don't know my current values, my symptoms have improved (fatigue, insomnia, breathlessness and these palpitations). It is very disconcerting when the thunk wakes you up just as you were drifting off!

@incognito50me Thank you for sharing. Can I ask if you still suffer any of those symptoms or have they completely gone since taking iron? Can I also ask if your bp is normal?

What dosage of iron tablets are you on OP?

My symptoms were exactly the same as yours. GP prescribed 210mg ferrous fumarate x 2 daily and I only started noticing a difference after about 3/4 months. Went back for blood test after 3 months and he said my levels were only just in the normal range and to keep taking them. This was a few years ago now and I can always tell when I’m getting low on iron now as my palpitations/ breathlessness start.

7 weeks is really early days, try to relax (easier said than done with ha I know).

Yes, the breathlessness, palpitations and fatigue are gone. The insomnia returns the last week of my cycle, and that's a perimenopausal symptom which I can live with. It took about two months until I was clearly better.

My BP is normal and has always been in the normal range.

@HebeHerbivore I'm also on 210mg but sometimes I take it once a day rather than 2 as it can give me heartburn. I will keep taking, I just can't help but worry. Was your bp low or normal during these symptoms?

I can’t say as I’m not sure what my BP was at the time and GP didn’t seem concerned. But my DD has very low BP (often gets dizzy when standing up etc) and she also has low iron so there maybe a correlation?

They do cause awful stomach problems, also I read on here that iron is only absorbed if you take it every other day, and any more is chucked out by the body anyway, don’t know how true that is though?

Make sure you take your iron pills with a glass of orange juice/some kind of vitamin C as it helps the body to absorb it better.

Also reading your updates, when I was taking the iron tablets originally I definitely had good days when it wouldn’t happen and I thought it was getting better but then I’d have them again. It was only after 3/4 months when they stopped completely. And as I say I order the ferrous fumerate (direct from the chemist now without a prescription) whenever I feel a slight skip in my heart as I know it’ll be the iron.

Have you had an ECG yet? I bet that will put your mind at rest.

@HebeHerbivore thank you for sharing your experiences, maybe I should try to take the iron every other day. I wasn't told that by the GP but worth giving it a try.
When you say "originally I definitely had good days when it wouldn’t happen and I thought it was getting better but then I’d have them again" are you referring to palpitations, or all the symtoms? At the moment I have good days when I don't have breathlessness/palpitations, then other days I have them.
I've had the ECG, I was told all was fine, but can't shake off thoughts that I have something more serious, my HA is terrible

I have this too and have done for a while but didn't know what they were , I feel a bit relieved .