Why Do I Have Heart Palpitations When I Lay Down

How Do Healthcare Providers Diagnose Heart Palpitations At Night

Heart palpitations when laying down

Your provider will ask about your symptoms and listen to your heart. They may recommend a blood test to look for anemia or infection. A blood test can also show signs of a vitamin deficiency or a problem with your thyroid.

To monitor your heart rate, they may do an electrocardiogram . This test measures your heart rate using sensors that attach to your skin. They may ask you to lie down during the test, which usually takes about 15 minutes.

Many times, an EKG doesnt detect heart palpitations. You might not have an irregular heartbeat during the test. If this happens, your provider may recommend an ambulatory electrocardiogram such as a Holter monitor. You wear this device for up to a week as you go about your daily activities. It records your heart rate and stores the information for your provider to review.

What Causes Heart Flutters

Palpitations can appear out of the blue and disappear just as suddenly. They can be linked with certain activities, events, or emotions. Some people notice their heart skipping a beat when they are drifting off to sleep others, when they stand up after bending over. Palpitations can be triggered by:

stress, anxiety, or panic
too much caffeine, chocolate, or alcohol
fever

People with certain medical conditions, such as heart disease, anemia, and an overactive thyroid gland are more likely to experience palpitations. Palpitations can be related to drugs and medications such as cocaine, amphetamines, diet pills, some cough and cold remedies, some antibiotics, thyroid hormone, digoxin, or asthma remedies.

What Are The Symptoms Of Heart Palpitations

You might feel like your heart is racing, thumping or skipping beats.

You may also feel faint, breathless or experience chest pain.

There are many causes of palpitations and its common to experience them when you feel:

nervous

This is due to a rise in adrenaline levels, which can cause your heart to beat faster.

Palpitations and irregular heartbeat can also be caused by:

exercise

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Stop Any Exercise Until A Doctor Approves

Heart palpitations are seldom life-threatening, but this does not mean they should be taken lightly. Some heart palpitations can indicate defects or abnormalities in the valves or ventricles of the heart. Increased heart rate and blood flow can exacerbate these issues and create heart attacks. Whenever an individual experiences heart palpitations, they should immediately halt any exercise or strenuous physical activity that can increase their heart rate. These types of activities also include sexual activity or entertainment pursuits that can get the heart beating more quickly.

Reveal why individuals dealing with heart palpitations might need to stop consuming caffeine now.

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Recurring Shortness Of Breath With Or Without Exertion

Why Do I Get Heart Palpitations When I Lay Down

Shortness of breath, which is also called dyspnea, is a heart disease symptom that can be easily overlooked.

For one, shortness of breath can occur without other symptoms like chest pain, particularly in women. In addition, shortness of breath can feel different for everyone and happens under different circumstances, so you may find it hard to describe. For example, shortness of breath can take the form of:

A cough that doesnt go away
Constantly feeling winded during regular activities
Not being able to catch your breath whether youre at rest or doing an activity
Tightness in your chest
Breathlessness when you lay down that improves when you sit up

From an easily managed condition to more serious cardiovascular issues like heart disease or arrhythmia, addressing breathing issues earlier may give you more treatment options, quicker relief and help prevent future problems.

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What Should I Do If I Have Palpitations

Occasionally, palpitations can be serious. In the following situations, you should call an ambulance:

If you have palpitations that do not go away quickly .
If you have any chest pain with palpitations.
If you have severe breathlessness with palpitations.
If you pass out, or feel as if you are going to pass out, or feel dizzy.
If you have palpitations and have had heart problems in the past.
If you have palpitations which began as you were exercising.

If the palpitations do not make you feel unwell, and settle on their own, you should see your GP. Keep a diary of when they happen and how long they last, as this information will help your GP.

If you have an episode of palpitations it can be useful to check your pulse. In particular it may be useful for your doctor to know how fast your pulse was during the episode. That is, how many beats per minute also, if your pulse felt regular or irregular. This information can help identify the cause of the palpitations. Your practice nurse can show you how to take your own pulse. Or you can follow the steps shown on the British Heart Foundation website, given in ‘Further reading & references’ at the end of this leaflet.

Questions To Ask Your Doctor

What is the likely cause of my heart palpitations?
Will I need to wear a heart monitor? For how long?
Would it be helpful if I kept track of my palpitations? Do I need to track anything else, such as what I ate or my physical activity?
Do my heart palpitations indicate a more serious problem?
What are some symptoms that would indicate my condition is getting worse?
Will I need to change my lifestyle, such as diet and exercise habits?

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Diagnosing Heart Palpitations With Severe Symptoms

If the patients symptoms are more severe, such as significant lightheadedness or loss of consciousness associated with palpitations, a more comprehensive evaluation is warranted. That type of evaluation might well involve an ultrasound of the heart, a treadmill test, more sophisticated blood tests including thyroid tests, and an ambulatory EKG or Holter monitor. Some patients may require invasive studies if a serious heart condition is suspected to underlie the symptom of palpitations.

How To Treat Heart Palpitations When Lying Down At Night

How to tell if the palpitations you are getting are serious or not

If ones doctor doesnt find the heart suffering from any particular ailment, then the abnormal beating of the heart rarely requires any treatment. The doctor only prescribes ways for one to stay free of the heart palpitations, but if the abnormal beating of the heart is due to ailments such as an arrhythmia. Treatment will be mainly to rectify the ailment.

The most effective ways to treat heart palpitations is by staying away from any factors that lead to cause the condition

One has to reduce stress: By using relaxing methods. For example meditation, yoga or deep breathing.
Avoiding Using Stimulants: For example Caffeine, nicotine, medicines which are cold and some energy drinks which make ones heart beat abnormally either fast or in an irregular way.
Avoiding The Use of Illegal Drugs: Drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines can cause the condition.

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What Do Experts Say

Feeling your heart suddenly and unexpectedly starting to race or pound, fluttering or skipping beats is a sensation called heart palpitations.

Heart palpitations can be bothersome or frightening, but they usually aren’t serious or harmful, and often go away on their own. Most of the time, palpitations are caused by stress and anxiety, or because of excess caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol. They can also occur in pregnancy.

Sometimes, although rarely, heart palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition. This is why it is important to see your doctor if you have heart palpitations, especially if they’re accompanied by some of the following symptoms:

Shortness of breath
Dizziness
Fainting

The cough may also occur along with heart palpitations and could indicate a more serious condition, such as heart failure.

Why Does My Heart Race At Night

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You go through the day feeling fine, but when nighttime rolls around and you lie down to sleep, your heart starts beating rapidly.

If this sounds like you, then you may be relieved to know that nighttime heart palpitations are common and usually dont signal a major health problem. If you dont think any of their common causes apply to you, it may be best to talk to your doctor.

What Is The Mechanism

The mechanism of heart palpitations when lying down depends on the reason that causes it.

In heart diseases, it is due to the inability of the diseased heart to pump properly the blood throughout the body. When lying down, it has to work much harder to properly supply the tissues with blood, and this causes palpitations.

Even dehydration causes palpitations with the same mechanism. The only difference is that the inability of the heart to properly pump blood throughout the body is due to the decreased circulatory volume and not due to an affection of the heart tissue.

Stress and anxiety cause heart palpitations when lying down, due to the stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system, which stimulates the heart to beat faster and harder.

Eating too much food causes the heart to beat faster, to pump more blood to the gastrointestinal tract, in order to digest the eaten food. This causes palpitations.

The hypersensitive electrical system causes palpitations due to the increased sensitivity of heart electrical system. It can be stimulated even by changes of positions, or by putting pressure on various parts of heart tissues, causing palpitations.

Thyroid affections can cause palpitations. This is a result of the direct effect its hormones have on heart tissue.

In certain periods of a womans life, such as perimenopause, menopause, menstrual cycle and pregnancy there are some hormonal changes in the body, which can cause palpitations.

How Does Atrial Fibrillation Cause Chest Pain And Palpitations

The heart outflow may be significantly decreased, and the coronary artery does not get enough blood to properly supply the heart tissue. The lack of blood and oxygen causes chest pain and palpitations the same way as if they were blocked by plaques. d. Mitral valve prolapse causes atrial fibrillation and decrease of the heart outflow.

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How Are Palpitations Treated

The best type of treatment for you depends on what causes your palpitations. You may not need any treatment. If the palpitations are related to certain foods, you should avoid those triggers. If you have heart disease or an abnormal heart rhythm, you may need medication, a procedure, surgery or a device to correct the problem. It is important to keep all follow-up appointments with your doctor.

If your palpitations get worse or suddenly happen more often, call your doctor.

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Sometimes Though Palpitations Might Signal Something More Serious

For example, these impulses go offbeat due to arrhythmias, which are basically short circuits in your hearts electrical system, the NHLBI explains. Arrhythmias can make your heart beat irregularly and feel strange, along with causing weakness, dizziness, feeling light-headed, fainting, shortness of breath, and chest pain, among other symptoms, according to the NHLBI.

While arrhythmias often arent dangerous and can be treated in many ways, sometimes they can be life-threatening. Only a doctor can tell you for sure, but any symptoms besides the strange heart sensations are typically a clue that your arrhythmia may be more serious, says the NHLBI. If you think youre experiencing any strange symptoms along with your heart palpitations, seek medical attention immediately.

Other times, the Mayo Clinic notes, heart palpitations can be a sign that somethings up with a different organ, like your thyroid gland. Your thyroid produces hormones like thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which influence many of your bodys systems, according to the Mayo Clinic. If your thyroid is on overdrive , it will generate too much thyroxine, which kicks up your bodys metabolism. This can lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat, along with symptoms like an increased appetite and sudden weight loss.

What Is A Heart Palpitation

A heart palpitation occurs when your heart feels like its beating irregularly. It might feel like the heart is skipping beats, or is beating faster than usual when youre at rest . Sometimes exercise can cause the palpitations to occur: the heart continues to race despite stopping exercise.

Heart palpitations often dont indicate a health problem.

Rarely, heart palpitations can be a sign of a serious medical condition, such as anemia, thyroid problems or an arrhythmia.

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Rapid Heartbeat While Lying Down: Symptoms And Causes

The 4 minute natural method to stop heart palpitations fast!

Have you ever experienced a more rapid heartbeat while lying down?

Heart palpitations are quite common, and every person might experience it every once in a while. Although these sensations may come and go, it can be worrying to feel your heart racing when at rest, particularly when lying down at nighttime. Lets find out why this happens and learn on how to stop heart palpitations at night.

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Can I Prevent Heart Palpitations At Night

You may not be able to prevent heart palpitations at night, but you can lower your risk. You should:

Avoid drinking too much alcohol or caffeine, especially before bed. If you smoke, talk to your provider about a plan to quit smoking.
Dont eat a big meal right before you go to bed.
Get treatment for anxiety or depression. Talk to your provider about antidepressant medication and therapy.
Take steps to reduce stress on a daily basis. Try meditation, yoga, diaphragmatic breathing and other relaxation techniques.
Maintain a healthy weight. If you carry extra weight or have obesity, ask your provider about a weight loss plan.

How Are Heart Palpitations Diagnosed

If your heart races when you arent exercising, you should see your doctor. Your doctor will examine you and ask you about any medicines you are taking. He or she will also ask about your diet and ask if you have panic attacks. Your doctor may want you to have a resting electrocardiogram test. This test keeps track of your heartbeat over a certain amount of time. Your doctor also may test your blood.

If these tests do not show what is causing your palpitations, your doctor may have you wear a heart monitor. If so, you will wear it for 1 to 14 days. This monitor will show any breaks in your hearts rhythm. Your doctor might refer you to a cardiologist for more tests or treatment.

Heart Palpitations When Lying Down On Left Side

Some individuals are having palpitations complaints especially when they are lying down on their left side. There are some reasons that explain why people experience this and these are discussed below.

When a person feels tired and wants to lie down, the body wants to slow down but then lying down changes the demands of the heart abruptly. Especially when one has laid down on his left, the tendency is that the heart will be placed closer to the proximity which causes physical contact between the heart and the chest. Since the heart is easily irritated by only a simple touch, this would beat fast.
Another reason is that when one lies on his left side, the stomach, left lobe of the lung and the heart are compressed. The right vagus nerve will extend upward which cause the rise in heartbeat.
Lying down immediately after a meal can also result in palpitations in the heart. After meal the demand for blood circulation increases and as one lies down, one may experience some form of palpitation.

Treatment And Prevention Of Heart Palpitations

Unless your doctor discovers your heart palpitations are a result of an underlying condition that requires treatment, theres not a ton that needs to be done. That said, if for whatever reason you dont want to deal with heart palpitationsbecause hey, maybe you want to save yourself the stress of wondering whats going onthe main thing you can do is address triggers, according to the Mayo Clinic. This might mean avoiding or curbing your intake of stimulants like coffee or working on reducing your stress through deep breathing, exercise, or looking into professional help for anxiety if needed.

Beyond that, remember that most heart palpitations are harmlessas long as you keep an eye on the signs its something more serious, you can trust that your heart is doing what its supposed to in order to keep your blood pumping.

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Could Heart Palpitations Accompanied By Shortness Of Breath Be Serious

Heart palpitations can certainly be associated with shortness of breath, that is, the two symptoms together without a serious condition being present. That usually indicates that the irregularity of the heart rhythm is significant and may signal the need for a more comprehensive evaluation.

In general, the more serious the symptoms, such as lightheadedness, loss of consciousness, chest pain, shortness of breath, the more seriously one needs to take the problem.

If a patient has known heart disease such as a previous myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure , hypertrophic cardiomyopathy , and others, the symptoms of palpitations will require a thorough evaluation.

A Cardiologist Explains What Can Cause Palpitations Or The Feeling Of Skipped Heartbeats After You Lie Down

So you get into bed and are ready for the nights sleep, and only a few minutes later, your heart suddenly skips a beat or flutters.

Youve noticed that usually when you feel a skipped beat or flutteringpalpitationsits very soon after settling into bed for sleep. Why is this?

The cause of a fluttering or seemingly skipping heartbeat, soon after getting into bed, is anxiety and stress.

Image: Dreamstime Chrisharvey

After all, the minute your head hits the pillow, you may become inundated with the stress of all the things you have to do the next day.

Yes, this is usually the cause, says Robert M. Davidson, MD, a cardiologist with SignatureMD.

Also, it is easier to feel your heartbeat when lying down and it is quiet, especially if you are lying on your left side.

Now that we know its usually stress and anxiety, fretting about the next days tasks, that causes palpitations or fluttering, just what is the mechanism behind this annoying phenomenon?

It is due to an increase in both adrenaline, released from the adrenal glands at times of stress, which has a direct effect on the heart, and to an increase in involuntary nervous stimulation of the heart , which also stimulates the heart, says Dr. Davidson.

Both of these stimulants are part of the normal adaptive response to stress, the fight or flight response, which causes the heart to beat faster and harder, adds Dr. Davidson. So heres how it works:

Shutterstock/Memo Angeles

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