Possible causes of palpitations when falling asleep & what you can do to get the problem under control quickly.
What could be worse than not being able to fall asleep? Sometimes your mind revolves around many things that you experienced during the day.
You may be excited or worried that important things are about to happen in life.
But it can also be more than the general excitement. To name just a few triggers for the heart palpitations at night:
- Pre-existing heart disease
- Cognitive blocks, e.g. when your thoughts are in circles
- Psychological problems falling asleep, especially stress
- Eating behavior and lifestyle, e.g. alcohol, caffeine, sugar, etc.
Now you may lie awake for several hours with your heart racing before you finally go to a well-deserved sleep. A very unpleasant and exhausting thing that can be on your nerves in the long term.
I wrote this article so that you can quickly find out about the various causes of palpitations at night.
Note: For all long-term problems or if you have serious pre-existing conditions, I recommend that you consult a doctor.
They can analyze your heart rate precisely with modern technology and provide you with targeted help. So see this article as a first and general information research rather than online specialist medical advice.
Index
Why does my heart race when I fall asleep at night?
The first superficial answer is: Nobody knows that better than you.
Of course, if you have serious and long-term problems, you need medical assistance and an accurate analysis.
- Your heart beats faster than normal, at least more than 100 times per minute.
- This is very unusual for sleep mode.
- Because in the horizontal lying position, your heart should deliver between 60 to 90 beats per minute.
This is the range your resting heart rate is usually in.
But before you count your heartbeat every minute or even count the lambs before you go to sleep, analyze any possible side effects of your body.
Besides the palpitations, are there any other symptoms that occur before going to bed?
You yourself know exactly where the problem is and what exactly the problem is. Perhaps the following chapters will help you shed a little more light on the darkness.
Palpitations due to physical problems or previous illnesses
If you add anxiety attacks to your racing heart, it could be a coincidence.
Listen to your inner voice and try to mentally list whether there are any other specific symptoms besides the acute fear of going to bed.
But if there is also a sudden shortness of breath, impaired consciousness or even pain in the chest area, then none of this can be a coincidence.
Especially not in this combination, because these are serious symptoms.
Info: In this case I can only advise you to contact a doctor you trust or to consult a specialist right away.
You shouldn’t put it on the back burner, it’s about your own health after all. In the worst case, even long-term damage or even your life.
Chest pain can be a sign of serious heart disease.
Do you already suffer from cardiovascular disease? You may not tolerate the medication you are taking or you may have incorrectly adjusted the medication.
So do not hesitate if you experience the secondary symptoms described above in addition to the racing heart when falling asleep. The sooner you act and get medical help, the better for you personally.
Palpitations due to psychological problems
Don’t have all of the above-mentioned side ailments? All the better! But what exactly keeps you awake if it’s not physical?
The previously described anxiety states could then be a trace.
If you have a racing heart, you are often excited or exhausted and exhausted from the past events of an overexcited day.
Unfortunately, you can’t sleep either and you are actively rolling around in bed. You are much more likely to suffer from the following additional features:
- Difficulty concentrating
- Slight irritability
- Depressive moods
- Burnout or boreout
In all of these cases, psychological stress is what causes your heart racing as you fall asleep.
The longer you have been suffering from the above symptoms, the more problematic these psychological sleep problems become . Lack of sleep can result, weakening and damaging your body.
Of course, from my perspective, that’s easier said than done.
But some worries and concerns can be tackled and eliminated quickly. A phone call is made quickly, help is requested quickly and an outstanding bill is easily settled.
Tip: You are also welcome to try sleep and nerve teas . They are considered natural home remedies and ensure a healthy sleep.
Whenever these simple solution approaches no longer work and the actual problem seems to be buried much deeper in your psyche, professional help cannot hurt here either.
Tip: The best thing to do is to contact your family doctor or a specialist in psychiatry.
First of all, it must be clarified whether your mental disorder might not have physical causes.
This is the case, for example, with a disease of the thyroid gland. An irregular metabolism can be attributed, for example, to the racing heart when falling asleep.
If you are physically fit and symptom-free, then psychotherapy is an option for you. It will then be found out whether the psychologist in the therapy session or the psychologist can help you with medication.
Palpitations due to gender-specific causes
All people are equal. From a medical point of view, this is not entirely true and there are also certain differences to consider when it comes to racing heart.
At least if the causes are gender-specific.
Palpitations in women
It’s not easy for women. Writes a man. However, I am right without wanting to appear bossy.
Palpitations in women can have some sexual causes that cannot occur naturally in men.
- Hormone fluctuations can occur during pregnancy or your period and lead to a racing heart.
- Your gynecologist can certainly help you with these complaints.
- Please have a thorough check-up to check your health and that of your child.
Palpitations can also occur in women when falling asleep if they are going through menopause.
Tip: You can find more detailed information on this in the article Sleep disorders during menopause . Perhaps this article can help you.
How does it look with the lords of creation?
Palpitations in men
It has been proven that men also experience menopause and a changed hormone balance.
The consequences for the “strong” sex are much less than for women.
In fact, palpitations can also occur during masculine menopause. Even if only “indirectly” and as a result of taking medication. Perhaps that’s where the cause of your palpitations lies when you fall asleep?
- Testosterone levels drop, libido drops and erection problems can occur.
- You may have already seen a doctor about this and been prescribed a medication.
Perhaps the rapid heartbeat before going to sleep is because you usually take this potency-increasing medicine in the evening? Read the package insert carefully and report any possible side effects to your doctor.
Important: Do not take any self-prescribed sexual enhancers. All those deceptive and untested products on the internet can cause you serious side effects if taken without medical supervision.
In particular, these side effects appear with cardiovascular problems.
How Diet & Lifestyle Affects Sleep
Do you remember the list at the beginning of the article that your diet and lifestyle also play an important role in sleep?
Alcohol, in particular, has many negative effects on your sleep .
The active ingredient caffeine contained in coffee and many types of tea also remains in the body for up to four hours on average until it is broken down and excreted. So it’s better to drink hop tea , for example . It promotes your sleep.
So think about when you want to have the last cup of those hot beverages. In too high a dose or too shortly before bedtime, it not only causes palpitations, but of course also keeps you awake.
You can expect even stronger heart palpitations or staying awake by consuming energy drinks. It doesn’t just give you wings.
- If you consume more than two cans a day, energy drinks can seriously disrupt your cardiovascular system.
- If you mix in inferior vodka during the long night at the disco, you will only enjoy it for a short time.
Until you lie on the mattress with your heart pounding and you can’t turn a blind eye or you can’t get a deep sleep.
Not only drinks have a negative impact on your body when consumed incorrectly or too late and rob you of sleep.
The last meal before going to bed or foods that are too spicy also affect your sleep behavior . It may be worthwhile to take a look at this topic of diet and lifestyle first.
Extra tips to help you fall asleep quickly
You have come to the end of the article. Perhaps in conclusion a few more questions will help you to get rid of the racing heart with simple measures when falling asleep.
- Did you drink enough fluids?
- What is the room temperature in the bedroom ? Are you too hot and sweaty when you fall asleep ?
- Is your bedroom well ventilated ?
Even if all of these things seem trivial, they can affect your sleep behavior and keep you awake at night with a racing heart.
I would also like to recommend other articles so that you can fall asleep better and faster:
Hopefully one of the following articles can help you.
Further tips and things worth reading
Would you like to learn more about sleep disorders instead? On the pages of Sleepwithjoy you will find many interesting articles specifically on this topic.
Take a look:
- Sleep Disorders: Comprehensive Guide & Helpful Tips
- Sleep Disorders: The Best Home Remedies
- The most common causes of insomnia
I hope this article has helped you.
Fast heartbeat when falling asleep can have many causes, sometimes difficult to identify. Hopefully you will soon feel better and go back to sleep as usual and find rest in your sleep.
I created Sleep Knowledge to share my interests and experiences on healthy sleeping with others. On this page I am therefore dealing with interesting questions about the optimal night’s sleep & everything else that goes with it.