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Chronic palpitations
For years now, I have had chronic heart palpitations. It's 24/7, my heart just seems LOUD and pounding. I don't notice it when I'm active but any time I'm not fully occupied, it's there. My heart rate is mostly normal, slightly high. My blood pressure is well managed with medication. My thyroid levels are normal. The 24 hr heart monitor showed nothing, and so my cardiologist simply doesn't care. I don't have significant anxiety, tho I do battle depression.
It's annoying but no big deal in the day. If it's particularly bad, I might get a tension headache. But at night, I can't stay asleep. I'm exhausted, and I initially FALL asleep quickly, but then I wake after 3-5 hours to my pounding heart and can't tune it out to go back to sleep.
We've tried sleep meds and sleep therapy but nothing quiets my heart.
Any suggestions as to what else I could test for or try to quiet my system so I can rest and relax?
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Were you tested for sleep apnea? This, to me, sounds like it may have been missed. As we cascade and climb through the several stages of sleep, our brain activity and our respiration rate and heart rates all change. However, sleep apnea disrupts those cascades and successive transitions, meaning terrible sleep, sometimes bad dreams, sometimes awakening in a seeming panic and wondering why you're behaving that way...when it's that your heart has sped up to get more oxygen to your system, and it's doing that because you're not breathing well...or at all! With no other evidence of endocrine system malfunction (including thyroxin levels and thyroid activity, no underlying or generalized anxiety disorder (from a formal diagnosis), and no problems with mattress, pillow(s), room temperature, no pathogens making you sweat and be feverish, if you're not in the habit of eating snacks within three hours of bed....those kinds of things...I think all that is left might be a referral for a polysomnography.
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1 ReactionSleepy brain forgot to say, I have been tested and do not have apnea. They were so sure that this would be it that I got both the take home sleep test and an in office one.
I too have the same sleep issues along with occasional PVC’s and NSVT. I have sleep apnea and wear CPAP without fail so apnea is not the cause of lack of sustained sleep.
The sleep difficulties began for me along with menopause. When I asked my GYN if many of her menopausal patients complained about difficulty sleeping, she replied that she couldn’t think of one who didn’t. She was not joking.
You might try l-theanine (NOT thReanine) which is a natural supplement and has helped alleviate my extra beats/palpitations.
Did I mention magnesium? It's astounding how deficient N. Americans are in Vit D3 and in magnesium. I suggest either consulting with your primary caregiver or asking for a blood assay to show RBC magnesium, a solid indicator. If it's borderline low, a modest supplementation, say 100-200 mg each day might be a good thing to consider.
My problems startled post partum. My docs wouldn't say it, but my therapist (taught me everything I know about getting back to sleep) said nursing mimics menopause and lo and behold, it got better, not great, when I weaned my son. So yeah, I'm worried the worsening is menopause