Connect
Sleep Issues
I’m waking up at 2:00 or 3:00 am with my heart pounding, and slightly elevated every night. I use the bathroom and go back to bed. Heart still pounding. I try to sleep on my right side with the pounding, but I have stress dreams and wake up five or more times with my heart pounding. I went to a cardiologist and my heart is fine. But, this is definitely not good for my heart. My doctor says it’s Hyperarousal that then releases cortisol and adrenaline. Anyone else struggle with this? I don’t think it is sleep apnea.
Like
Helpful
HugInterested in more discussions like this? Go to the Sleep Health Support Group.
Connect
I had similar symptoms.
Turned out to be ... sleep apnea.
"About the worst case I've ever seen," said the specialist.
Please get a sleep study done.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionYou would constantly wake up with heart pounding and bad dreams?
I couldn’t sleep in the sleep study, but I do have a CPAP. I haven’t been able to use it.
You have possibly an adrenergic response, perhaps to dreams, but more likely it is due to obstructive, central, or to the dreaded combination called 'complex, sleep apnea. I say more likely because you experience it more often than you would from a troubling dream.
I developed atrial fibrillation near the end of a daily run seven years ago. No idea why, after decades of being fit and running well. Long story short, after many tests, the last one suggested by my cardiologist was an over night sleep lab, called a polysomnography. The result, which blew me away, was 'severe sleep apnea.' When I next saw the cardiologist, he looked up from the report and quipped, 'Well, I guess we know why you developed atrial fibrillation.'
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsThank you for sharing your story. This is very helpful. My Dad has afib and I believe it was caused by his untreated sleep apnea (his low oxygen variations at night 91 and 92).
@zubedude
I have sleep apnea and used to wake up with panic attacks and believe it was due to sleep apnea. When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea, I had a hard time at first to get comfortable using the mask and breathing naturally/comfortably. I now know how to put the mask on and relax when breathing so it doesn’t feel too pressured. Having the right mask and pressure can make a huge difference. It may be good to go back to the place you got your cpap to have them help you test/adjust so you feel comfortable with the equipment and find a comfortable position to sleep. I am a side and stomach sleeper and have found ways to reposition throughout the night with the hose/machine placement. I need to maneuver around my cats who live to sleep near my head which makes it a bit of an obstacle course.
Have you tried taking magnesium (like Calm) or melatonin to help you relax and sleep?
Do you use a CPAP only for both central and obstructive sleep apnea? Or do you use a supplemental oxygen mask for the central sleep apnea?
Thank you for sharing. What level of pressure are you set at on your CPAP?
If that low number is realistic, it's waaaaaayy better than my numbers, both before my PAP adventure and even NOW! My Galaxy watch routinely records low sats of 83% at least once each night. Not sure why, but my heart no longer complains...it must be able to handle that odd low nadir, which probably happened three dozen times each night previously.
Central sleep apnea, if it is a problem, can only be treated via what is called an adaptive servo-ventilator (ASV). His insurance may require him to try to be titrated successfully with a 'bipap' machine, but I can almost bet it won't work. They want to keep their costs down because an ASV, which must be replaced every five years as a regular PAP machine would, and where they're on the hook for a good chunk of the cost, is twice as costly as a regular PAP machine.