Stress Center Peer Support

This typically happens to me at night in bed, usually when I am just about to fall asleep, my heart would start racing like I was running or doing some form of exercise and I'd have to get up out of bed to stop it, But I have also woke up in he middle of the night with it, and it totally random, it just happens out of the blue, its not that I am thinking about something scary, last night for example I was thinking about starting the program again, I was just falling over when I realized my heart is pounding here for no reason.

Do any of you get this?

yes i do it all the time,not sure why but it scares the crap out of me everytime!!

Hey Pearpickinporky,

It is a night time panic attack. I used to get them when I would be sleeping on my right side--I would wake up abruptly with a fast heartbeat and ringing in my ears.

I thought it was just acid reflux and so did my GP, wouldn't get upset, just roll over to my left side and go back to sleep. Notice, before I knew what it was, it didn't scare me!!

When I was diagnosed with panic disorder by my endocrinologist's physician's assistant, she told me they were night time panic attacks because she also had panic disorder and got the same symptoms.Obviously, you are nervous about starting the program again. I am too--we'll have to concentrate on all our bad feelings again, but it is the only way to get rid of this stuff.

I don't know about you, but when I first started the program, it did make me more anxious to listen to the CD's, just like Lucinda said it would. I suppose we are subconsciously not looking forward to that:) but we'll get through it.

Before I go to sleep, I do a relaxation tape , or a sleep hypnosis tape by Paul McKenna that I bought in a book called I Can Make You Sleep. Maybe that would help relax you. I just put it on my MP3 player so it doesn't bother anybody else and listen to it when I get into bed. It has deep breathing on it and he has you count backward and you relax. Meanwhile he is putting you into what he calls "trance". I usually fall asleep right after listening to it once or twice.

Sometimes that happens to me, too. Hate it as it gets all the wrong thoughts and chemicals and feelings ramped up at the worst time... when you are trying to get some rest!

I used to try to chase down the reason... for some reason, lying on either side seems to make it worse. But, like Jamie said, just blow it off and roll back over. Just sit with it and breathe through it. Jumping up out of bed is the worst thing you can do. I had a case of postural orthostatic tachycardia from the horrible virus I had would go from a normal resting heart rate of somewhere in the 70's while sitting or lying down to 120 - 130 upon standing. So, when you hit the "oh crap!" button in your mind which stimulates that panic response a bit (adrenaline) AND stand up (also triggering your autonomic nervous system to increase your HR) you are adding fuel to the fire.

I am actually on a beta block for it. I only take half of an atenolol at night but it helped get my HR normal. If it becomes too problematic go talk to your GP about it. Its a very mild drug and all it does it tampen the effect that adrenaline has on the heart.

Remember, this new anxiety is par for the course when we are restarting. I've been struggling with it too this week.

Yeah, beta blockers aren't bad at all. When I was hyperthyroid, my endocrinologist gave me some until she got my thyroid under control and I couldn't even tell I was taking anything. Just didn't have heart palpitations. She said lots of performers take them before they perform because they get stage fright. Believe it or not, my cat is on atenelol now for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and she seems to tolerate it just fine.