My heart beats fast when I go to bed: possible causes, symptoms, treatments and preventive measures

Normal heart rate and signs of increased heart rate

Most patients determine increased heart rate by the following signs:

the heart beats loudly and seems to be trying to jump out of the chest;
noise and response of the heartbeat in the temples and back of the head;
darkening of the eyes, a feeling of imminent loss of consciousness;
twitching of the little finger on the left hand;
a pinching sensation in the area where the heart is located.

With a normal heart rate, such sensations never occur. This pathology signals chronic diseases of the cardiovascular system, which are most often psychosomatic in nature (i.e. associated with anxiety, excitement, fear).

Treatment

It is a common situation when cardiac pathology is the basis of the nightly “pranks” of the pulse. In this case, treatment aimed at getting rid of cardiac pathology will help. The main goal of therapy is to reduce the number of attacks and their severity. Indeed, in the presence of myocardial pathology, a violation of the rhythm of contractions gradually turns into a factor aggravating heart disease.

When the cause of night attacks is high blood pressure, the doctor prescribes antihypertensive drugs and determines the dose individual for the patient. As a rule, the evening dosage of the medication is increased. If the issue is sleep apnea, then everything is more complicated. Therapeutic measures in relation to it have a weak effect.

In all cases, doctors advise sleeping on your side. But sleeping people usually do not control the position of their own body in their sleep. For this reason, the only effective method is the use of special devices for ventilation. Such gadgets pressurize oxygen through a mask into the lungs of those sleeping.

To prevent your tongue from closing your windpipe at night, you can lose excess weight and cure ENT pathology. One hundred percent option: the doctor selects a gadget that fixes the position of the lower jaw while you sleep. Straining, changing body position, and taking a hot-cold shower will help quickly (but not for long) make tachycardia disappear.

Psychotherapy

The trigger for an increase in heart rate at night can be a mental injury, after which the patient wakes up for a long time, attacked by panic attacks. A qualified psychotherapist will help eliminate this problem. Beta-blockers and sedatives are indicated as medications.

General recommendations for nocturnal tachycardia - normalize sleep, increase the overall tone of the body

For what reasons does a rapid heartbeat develop?

Factors that contribute to the appearance of arrhythmia and tachycardia:

physical activity (jogging, anaerobic exercise, climbing stairs);
taking certain drugs that cause heart palpitations;
surges in blood pressure for one reason or another;
mental problems, neuroticism, fear, anxiety, excitement;
increased consumption of caffeine (it is found not only in coffee drinks, but also in Coca-Cola, Fanta);
conditions and diseases in which the diaphragm rises upward.

These are all standard causes of palpitations. Before bedtime, they may differ in specificity. Not all patients with diseases of the cardiovascular system may experience problems at certain times of the day - this condition says a lot.

When I go to bed - strong heartbeat: reasons

Most often, this pathology is psychosomatic in nature. The appearance of tachycardia and arrhythmia at night or in the evening more than once a month should alert the patient and encourage him to consult a cardiologist, who, in turn, will most likely refer him for examination to a neurologist.

Complaints like “when I go to bed, my heart beats strongly” are most often caused by the following diseases and conditions:

hypochondria;
dysfunction of the vestibular apparatus;
vegetative-vascular dystonia;
blood pressure surges;
hot flashes and menopause in women after forty.

True tachycardia and arrhythmia develop arbitrarily, at any time of the day. If a patient complains that the heart is beating strongly before going to bed (or at any other stable time of day), then you need to look for the roots of the problem in psychosomatics.

Symptoms

Sinus tachycardia often feels like a palpitation. But the feeling that the heart is beating too fast can be accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms. For example, psychogenic extrasystoles or chest pain, which frighten an anxious person even more and convince him that he is seriously ill. A real heart attack is about to happen.
The feeling of palpitations can occur only against the background of obvious nervous tension, and then disappear completely. Or he can accompany you almost constantly. An anxious neurotic person may feel as if their heart is beating faster even in their sleep – all night long.
The true heart rate can be quite high - 140 and above. Or it may not exceed 90 beats per minute. Some riders complain of tachycardia even when their pulse is 68-72 beats per minute.
The severity of sensations can vary significantly from day to day, from month to month. Moreover, changes can occur not only against the background of some obvious stressful events, but also simply “out of the blue.” It was really bad in May. And in June it’s better. In July, my “heart broke” again.
The cardiogram usually shows normal sinus tachycardia. But at the peak of panic, episodes of ventricular tachycardia, bundle branch block and other changes can be observed, which again wildly frighten suspicious people, although they do not indicate any serious health risks.
Feeling your heart pounding may actually be the only physical symptom of anxiety. But much more often it complements other bodily manifestations of anxiety - a feeling of shortness of breath, nausea, abdominal pain, etc. and so on.

Methods to normalize the heartbeat without the help of medications

Increasing arrhythmia frightens many patients (especially the elderly). They begin to panic, gasp for air, choke, and make unnecessary body movements. This behavior contributes to an even greater increase in the number of heartbeats per minute.

There is a set of simple tips and rules approved by official medicine (some of them are borrowed from hatha yoga) to normalize heart rate:

try to take a comfortable position so that there are no creases in the body, and the spine is straight and relaxed;
monitor your breathing: take deep breaths and exhales, trying to contract the diaphragm;
concentrate on the point on the bridge of your nose and close your right nostril with your thumb, take a slow, deep breath in and out. Then close your left nostril with your index finger and take a few more deep breaths in and out through the right.
in some cases, relief comes from gargling with cool water or applying a damp, cold towel to the chest and neck area;
You should drink a glass of cool water, take a sedative tablet (in no case should you take alcohol tinctures such as Corvalol or Valoserdina) or a heart medication.

If after all these manipulations the strong heartbeat does not subside when falling asleep, you need to call an ambulance. In some cases, tachycardia can provoke many complications, which can lead to death.

Symptoms

Sinus tachycardia often feels like a palpitation. But the feeling that the heart is beating too fast can be accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms. For example, psychogenic extrasystoles or chest pain, which frighten an anxious person even more and convince him that he is seriously ill. A real heart attack is about to happen.
The feeling of palpitations can occur only against the background of obvious nervous tension, and then disappear completely. Or he can accompany you almost constantly. An anxious neurotic person may feel as if their heart is beating faster even in their sleep – all night long.
The true heart rate can be quite high - 140 and above. Or it may not exceed 90 beats per minute. Some riders complain of tachycardia even when their pulse is 68-72 beats per minute.
The severity of sensations can vary significantly from day to day, from month to month. Moreover, changes can occur not only against the background of some obvious stressful events, but also simply “out of the blue.” It was really bad in May. And in June it’s better. In July, my “heart broke” again.
The cardiogram usually shows normal sinus tachycardia. But at the peak of panic, episodes of ventricular tachycardia, bundle branch block and other changes can be observed, which again wildly frighten suspicious people, although they do not indicate any serious health risks.
Feeling your heart pounding may actually be the only physical symptom of anxiety. But much more often it complements other bodily manifestations of anxiety - a feeling of shortness of breath, nausea, abdominal pain, etc. and so on.

Taking sedatives and sedatives

Since rapid heartbeat before bedtime is most often provoked by psychosomatic causes, specialists often prescribe tranquilizers and sedatives as auxiliary or primary therapy:

"Atarax" belongs to the group of new generation tranquilizers. Promotes quick fall asleep and sound sleep. Reduces anxiety, excitement, hyperactivity.
"Adaptol" is ideal for patients whose problems with heartbeat are provoked by a difficult life situation and constant anxiety. This is an excellent sedative, the effect of which begins already on the third or fourth day of use. The patient stops worrying about trifles and quickly falls asleep.
"Fitosedan" is a completely natural product based on plant components. It has a sedative, sedative and hypnotic effect. has virtually no side effects. In rare cases, may cause allergic reactions.

Why can't you take Corvalol?

A common mistake many patients make is to take a few drops of Corvalol alcohol tincture if their heart beats strongly when falling asleep. Doctors have an extremely negative attitude towards this method of overcoming heart palpitations.

Firstly, Corvalol contains the strongest old-generation tranquilizer, phenobarbital, which causes drug dependence. The habit of old women to treat ari is not only useless, but also harmful.

Secondly, taking even small doses of ethanol has a depressant effect on the central nervous system. This not only does not reduce the heart rate, but in some cases it can provoke a mini-stroke.

Thirdly, Corvalol is an obsolete drug that should not be taken by any patient.

Taking antiarrhythmic drugs

These medications are aimed primarily at bringing the heart rate back to normal. If a patient comes to a cardiologist with the complaint “when I go to bed, my heart beats strongly,” then with a high degree of probability he will be given a prescription for antiarrhythmic drugs.

The following medications stop an attack of arrhythmia:

potassium channel blockers (amiodarone);
sodium channel blockers (procainamide);
propafenol (class IC antiarrhythmic);
and calcium channel blockers (verapamil).

These drugs have many side effects, some of which can lead to the development of toxic hepatitis. Therefore, the dosage should be increased gradually, starting from the minimum. The total duration of treatment should be prescribed by a cardiologist based on the patient’s individual medical history.

Prevention

To prevent attacks of nocturnal tachycardia from occurring, the best way out is to reduce the load from both physical labor and emotions, adhere to an active lifestyle that can enhance the reserve capabilities of the human body and bring the pulse back to normal.

You need to take control of the number of hours spent motionless (at the computer), remove all “nicotine poisoning sessions” from the regime, and avoid drinking 8 cups of coffee a day, especially before going to bed.

It is better to avoid heavy meals before bedtime and reduce the amount of quickly digestible carbohydrates. The body should receive almost the entire daily dose of calories in the first half of the day. Before going to bed, you should not engage in physical activity; it is better to take a walk or take a relaxing shower.

Preventive methods

If you are worried about a strong heartbeat before going to bed, you should consult a doctor and start taking medication.

What to do if the patient does not experience much discomfort and feels a very slight arrhythmia in the evening? Here are simple but effective ways to avoid it:

an evening walk in a quiet, peaceful place (park, forest belt, field, botanical garden), during which you need to wander in silence and breathe fresh air;
give up coffee and black tea;
perform simple breathing exercises alternately with the right and left nostrils (it was described just above);
do not do any physical exercise five to six hours before bedtime, do not run or jump under any circumstances, do not even walk quickly - all this provokes heart rhythm disturbances;
exclude from your social circle people whose communication causes anxiety, excitement and other neurotic problems;
try not to eat fatty meat foods four hours before bedtime: dinner should be as light as possible so that the gastrointestinal tract rests at night.

How to get rid of it?

First of all, you need to undergo a medical examination. And make sure that everything is fine with your heart and other organs, for example, the thyroid gland. And your heartbeat actually occurs due to nervousness.
Once you are convinced that your heartbeat is psychogenic in nature, seek help from a professional psychologist or psychotherapist who works with anxious patients. And start treating your neurosis.

Quick help measures

True recovery from an anxiety disorder is a complex, usually costly, and lengthy process. It can take months or years. Therefore, in this article we will list only what you can do to quickly alleviate your condition.

Walk around. It is best to take a leisurely walk in the fresh air. If this is not possible, at least just walk around the room. Just don’t rush around in a panic, but take a leisurely walk.
Slow down your breathing. To do this, inhale. Count to 4 and only then exhale. Count to 4 again and inhale. Repeat 4-6 times.
Wash your face with cool water.
Drink some water. Cool and without gas. Small sips.
In moments of relative calm (not during an acute panic attack), practice Jacobson's progressive muscle relaxation technique, as well as other relaxation exercises, which are described in detail in the section of this site, “Relief of Anxiety Symptoms.”

Which doctor should I see and what tests should I undergo?

With the complaint “when I go to bed, my heart beats strongly” you need to contact a cardiologist directly. This is a doctor whose specialization is diseases of the cardiovascular system.

If a patient complains of increased heartbeat, the doctor will first determine the reasons - whether it is of physiological or pathological origin. For this purpose, laboratory and instrumental studies may be prescribed, including ECG, echocardiography (ultrasound of the heart), and radiography of the heart. If the cardiologist diagnoses pathological changes in the heart, appropriate treatment will be prescribed. If no pathologies are found, and the arrhythmia continues to haunt the patient in the evenings, you should contact a neurologist.

A neurologist or neuropathologist will prescribe sedatives and sedatives. In the absence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system, most often the cause lies precisely in nervous disorders. A course of well-chosen tranquilizers in the required dosage will help completely relieve symptoms of anxiety, which most often take the form of insomnia, tachycardia and arrhythmia.