Racing heart at night

Racing heart @ night

by Dave H - 2020-03-30 11:16:02

Your pacemaker may have nothing to do with what you describe.  However, a symptom that wakes one up with a racing heart along with shortness of breath is a sign of Central Sleep Apnea.  Check it out.

racing heart

by Gemita - 2020-03-30 16:44:04

Hello Brains,

I wouldnt blame a racing heart necessarily on anxiety alone.   A higher heart rate will certainly make us feel more anxious especially if we wake up in the middle of the night with it.

When I first got my pacemaker I experienced a higher heart rate despite being on medication and it seemed to happen mainly at night.  (Sometimes it happened as I lay down to sleep;  as I was falling asleep, or when I was suddenly woken from sleep).  I felt my heart racing for several months for a couple of hours each night but it did eventually settle down as I got used to being paced and got over the trauma of implant surgery - and for some of us it can be a trauma and take us a few months to adjust.

What I would suggest is if it happens again, keep diary notes of any symptoms, like chest pain, shortness of breath, palpitations, anxiety.   Try to feel your pulse to see whether it is a regular, fast rhythm or whether your pulse feels "irregular" and fast.   Maybe check your blood pressure and heart rate if you have a good home monitor and keep diary notes of both values to report to your doctors.  I have heart rhythm problems so an intermittent fast heart rate is fairly normal for me but it may not be normal for you.  

Do you have an appointment to go back to your pacemaker clinic or do you have remote monitoring and are you able to download a report to your clinic for them to check what might be happening ?   It would at least give you peace of mind to know what is going on.  Are you on any heart rate meds, like a beta blocker to help calm everything down?  I would definitely advise speaking to your doctors about your symptoms.

Same as you!

by arent80 - 2020-03-30 20:27:10

Hi!

I would have the exact same thing happen to me. It actually happened before my PM and for a little bit after. It wasn't every night but maybe once or twice a week. For me I attribute it to anxiety. It's since stopped but I know how you feel for sure. Time almost always heals all! All the best!