Heart pounding in the middle of the night

[SnoreNoMore2005]

Hi Everyone,

I've been an APAP user since June of 05. APAP has allowed me to resume a normal life again, and I use it every night... rain or shine.

I've got a new sleep problem I wonder if anyone has experienced: I've started waking up pretty much ever night around 3 or 4 a.m. with my heart pounding. Once I wake, my heart calms down but for some reason it wakes me up fully and I can't go back to sleep. Then I lay there until time to get up in the morning. I use MyEncore software and it always shows my API to be very low like maybe around 1.2. I do have leaks in my nasal mask, but I've always had those so I don't think much about them.

I also have taken Ambien for a couple of years, but it's only been the last couple of months that I've had this heart pounding and waking problem. My wife says maybe I'm having panic attacks because I'm anxious, but I don't know.

Does anyone have any ideas what could be causing this problem and a solution?

Thanks
Snorenomore2005

[jskinner]

I've got a new sleep problem I wonder if anyone has experienced: I've started waking up pretty much ever night around 3 or 4 a.m. with my heart pounding. Once I wake, my heart calms down but for some reason it wakes me up fully and I can't go back to sleep.

Sounds to me like you are having a bad apnea? Can you look at your encore pro report and see if there are some apnea right around the time you wake up? Maybe you've got a leak or need to raise the pressure a bit.

Pounding heart is a classic sign of waking up from a bad apnea for me. The reason that you can't get back to sleep is probably because your body just gave you a big shot of adrenaline to wake you up so that you would start breathing again. Man I hate that feeling...

[Linda3032]

Just so you know you are not alone, here is the link to a recent thread. Hope you get it under control.

viewtopic.php?t=17476&postdays=0&postor ... ng&start=0

[WillSucceed]

SnoreNoMore2005:
Just curious... are you using C-FLEX?

[fidget]

Have you been tested for GERD?

The acid splashing into your system if you're refluxing can cause that rapid heartrate feeling. It actually causes metabolic acidosis, which causes a feeling very similar to panic. It dissipates when you're up, because you're not splashing acid into your esophagus like you are when you're lying down, and your blood acid level normalizes.

Might not hurt, if there isn't any reason for you to not take them, to try taking a Prilosec every day for a couple of weeks and see if that makes a difference.

[Gerald]

Snore.....

I suggest that you purchase one of those battery powered blood pressure checking machines.....You can purchase one at your local pharmacy....Then, quickly take your B/P when you wake up with one of those "heart pounding" episodes.

Chart your pressures for a week or so....and any B/P problems you have will make themselves apparent.

You may have a pretty big post nasal drip that's closing off your airway....and causing an apnea. Watch your Encore program for indications.

Finally, you might want to bump your pressure up 1 cm to see if anything changes.

It sounds to me like your system is trying to arouse you before you have a serious problem (like death!). If you have too many high adrenaline episodes each night, your system will lose its ability to regulate your B/P correctly.....and you'll wind up on B/P medicine.

Take the time....and make the effort.... to check your B/P when you experience an episode...it'll be worth the few minutes of sleep you'll lose.

Gerald

[schaefage]

Hey Snorenomore2005,

I wanted to let you know that Linda 2032 was referring to a post that I made a couple of weeks ago. It was regard to me waking up around 4 or 5 am out of a dream, then realizing my heart was pounding very hard, accompanied by some chest pain/pressure. These episodes were happening maybe once or twice per week. I went to the doctor, and I had a chest xray, and ekg, it showed everything normal. But let me tell you, it was a scary experience. Since being to the doctor I haven't had the experience again. I was on CPAP straight pressure of 8. It was moved up to 9 for a few nights, then I got APAP and I have a pressure range now of 7.5-10. The only other thing I was doing that I have since changed, is that I was exercising vigourously for about 50 minutes during the day prior to the night I had the episode. Now I'm just doing about 30 minutes of moderated exercise a few times per week.

I have since had another sleep study titration because the sleep doctor said I might be having an apnea or my pressure might not be hightenough. But I don't have the results back yet.

My take on the whole thing is that I was exercising too hard, possibly overtraining, and also I was having a bad apnea in REM ("waking up out of a dream") and that together these two circumstances caused my pounding heart. Or there is a chance that I was having gerd, that too is a possibility, because I have since started taking zantac 150.

I would say definately call both your sleep doctor and your family practice doctor ASAP . I know itmight be a pain to call them but they might have an idea what is going on.

Another thing. I didn'thave any episodes during the day where I had a pounding heart or chest pain. It was just waking up at night where I had it.

Hope this helps. Your ahi looks good, but this doesn't mean you areen't having a bad apnea somewhere along the line.

Please keep us updated and let us know what they find out.

Kent

[Wulfman]

Dreams?

Den

[SnoreNoMore2005]

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. In answer to a few questions that I was asked:

- No, I'm not using C-Flex.

- Yes I do have dreams occassionally

- No, I haven't been tested for GERD although my diet is pretty mild.

I've been running my APAP on straight CPAP of 8cm for many months. I think I'll switch back to APAP 8 - 12cm in case it's an apneac episode. I think because my API was so low (1.2) I didn't think it was a breathing issue, but I guess it could be a breathing problem. It's worth a shot. The loss of sleep has made me feel panicky (anxious) which makes it harder to sleep of course. I'm trying to figure out if this could be a breating issue or an anxiety issue (panic attacks). Or as a long term Amibien user, is that causing these problems.

I'll keep trying. thank you all so much or your thoughts.


SnoreNoMore2005

[NickZ]

I have been waking up at 3:00 pm, using the bathroom, then waking up out of a dream at 4:30 pm on my back with my heart pounding (bmp is 80). My mouth and tongue are very dry (probably breathing out of my mouth). I also have sinus problems, especially at night. I wake up every hour after 2:30 or 3:00 pm until 6:30 pm. Am I experiencing apnea episodes?

[ChicagoGranny]

Am I experiencing apnea episodes?

Signs of apneas:

waking up at 3:00 pm, using the bathroom

heart pounding

My mouth and tongue are very dry (probably breathing out of my mouth).

If you use a nasal interface and leak/breathe from your mouth, the therapeutic pressure is being lost, and you could be having apneas.

Why don't you register for the forum and let the forum members help you troubleshoot your CPAP process?

Don't forget to fill out your equipment profile after you register - https://www.cpaptalk.com/ucp.php?i=prof ... pment_info

[ChicagoGranny]

And start a new thread. This one is ten years old.