Do I wake up at the same time at night - a habit or a symptom?

Symptoms

The complaints of people who have suffered such an attack are similar to one another: “I sleep terribly, I suddenly wake up at night from a strong heartbeat, I can’t breathe normally, I can’t sleep, I break out in a cold sweat.” The essence of the complaints is disturbance of night sleep and a feeling of a racing pulse.

Frequent interruption of night rest, when the heart beats strongly, leads to the fact that a person gets up after sleep without a feeling of freshness, broken, and unable to concentrate during the day. Insomnia often occurs.

The somatic side of the attacks - increased heart rate - is combined with the psychological - panic attacks. They frighten a person, but since they occur at night during sleep, they take the form of disturbing or nightmare dreams. Having awakened, a person does not regard dreams, even terrible ones, as a reason for concern about health.

You can do nothing if sleep is disturbed by attacks of tachycardia only occasionally. When your heart beats at a frantic rhythm from night to night, you cannot remain careless: you cannot do without the help of a competent doctor. Ignoring the problem of a strong heartbeat is fraught with aggravation of attacks.

The following signs indicate a deterioration of the situation and the transition of night palpitations to a more severe form:

• the appearance of chest compression;
• heartache;
• feeling dizzy
• loss of consciousness.

These symptoms join existing night attacks and signal the need to see a doctor as soon as possible.

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How did you sleep before?

How exactly did people sleep before? Intermittent sleep was practiced quite often. The fact is that in ancient times people slept until approximately midnight. Then they woke up. Due to the fact that it was dark, it was impossible to do the usual things. Therefore, after midnight, people usually prayed or reflected on their actions. Communication in a whisper was also allowed.

After some time, people fell asleep again. It's already until morning. And then, as a rule, they did the usual things everyone was used to. Therefore, waking up in the middle of the night was a normal occurrence. Especially considering that it gets dark early in winter. And until midnight it was possible to sleep without any problems.

It is likely that if a person wakes up in the middle of the night, then his body works exactly the same as before. Usually after some time you can fall asleep again. The dream continues until the morning.

Types of arrhythmia

The first examination performed for any heart rhythm disturbance is an electrocardiogram. Analysis of ECG curves made it possible to divide rhythm disturbances present in patients with night-time tachycardia into several types:

• extrasystoles;
• migration of the pacemaker to the AV node;
• blockade of pathways;
• sinus arrhythmia.

Tachycardias at night, accompanied by a lack of breathing (apnea), are observed strictly in a state of sleep

Upon waking up and throughout the day, the heart continues to beat at a normal rhythm, there is no discomfort. With successful treatment of sleep apnea, nocturnal tachycardia stops.

Diseases

In some cases, the phenomenon being studied becomes a clear indicator of disease. This is actually quite a rare situation. Typically, waking up at night is not dangerous. Diseases rarely manifest themselves this way.

“Every night I wake up in a cold sweat,” this is what people who suffer from a disease called hyperhidrosis may say. This is increased sweating. An explanation for this phenomenon has not yet been found. With hyperhidrosis, the body produces large amounts of sweat for no reason.

Also, the phenomenon being studied is a consequence of cancer. A small clarification - it must be accompanied by fever. For example, people with tuberculosis or AIDS sometimes wake up at night in a cold sweat. In diseases of bone tissue, a similar reaction is observed.

Causes of tachycardia

The transition of the body into a state of sleep is accompanied by the transfer of control from the cerebral cortex inward - to the department of the reticular formation. The active state of the retinal formation inhibits the sympathetic department and increases the tone of the parasympathetic part of the nervous system.

Parasympathetic has a multifaceted influence on all life processes. If there are hidden health deviations under parasympathetic nighttime influence, they become aggravated. This happens with nocturnal tachycardia.

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Low vagal tone

The vagus nerve (nervus-vagus), part of the parasympathetic division, reduces the pulse by suppressing the activity of the sinoatrial node. For this reason, at night, a healthy person’s heart beats at a slow pace and blood pressure is reduced.

But insufficient vagal tone allows the sympathetic nerves to remain in a position of dominance. The effect of sympathy on the heart rhythm is exactly the opposite - an increase in the heart rate. The smooth muscles of the intestine are affected by the vagus nerve; in response to increased vagal tone, peristalsis (movement) of the intestinal loops increases.

Neuroses, panic attacks

Frequently observed causes of nocturnal tachycardia are prolonged stress, driven inside the consciousness, and long-standing fears. Each process that occurs in the cerebral cortex and is not completed forms a focus of pathological excitation in it with stable neural connections.

In a state of sleep, the cerebral cortex tries to remove the pathological focus - and the person dreams that he is trying to cope with repressed fear. Sometimes a dream ends with victory over fear. This means that the brain destroyed the pathological focus in the cortex.

In psychiatric practice, such dreams are referred to as “catharsis” - liberation from fears repressed into the subconscious. In a cathartic state, there is a huge release of emotions - a constant sign of getting rid of the pathological focus. Night tachycardia, along with other symptoms, is the physiological side of cleansing catharsis.

In the morning, a person does not remember why he suffered from night terrors. A similar mental defense mechanism is designated by the psychoanalytic term “repression.” The specialist’s goal is, together with the patient, to find repressed thoughts and fears and help the patient destroy them in a state of consciousness.

Nocturnal hypertension

Why does blood pressure rise at night during sleep?

Attacks of palpitations at night can be caused by a rise in blood pressure in hypertensive patients, if the effect of blood pressure-lowering drugs has ended earlier than expected.

This happens when a patient misses a dose of an antihypertensive drug or takes an insufficient dose. Regular repetition of cases when the heart is pulsating strongly, closer to the onset of morning, means that it is time to see a doctor to adjust drug therapy.

After the examination, the doctor will delve into the complex pathogenesis of the nocturnal rise in blood pressure and prescribe new doses or new antihypertensive drugs. In people suffering from hypertension, a characteristic rise in blood pressure occurs in the morning and signals the need to seek medical help!

Apnea syndrome

Suspending breathing while a person is sleeping is a common cause of an attack of nocturnal tachycardia. The most banal option: the lack of breathing is caused by obstruction of the respiratory tract - the tongue simply relaxes and closes the throat.

Breathing disappears for a few seconds - minutes. Oxygen deficiency causes activation of the respiratory center in the medulla oblongata - breathing movements become more frequent and deeper, the heart beats loudly. At the moment when the inhalation force is higher than the air resistance in the respiratory tract, snoring occurs. The sleeper wakes up from his own snoring or the REM sleep phase begins.

Snoring people not only disturb their loved ones, but also harm themselves. Because of snoring, the sequence of rapid and slow-wave sleep is confused, and as a result, the person is not able to get a good night's sleep. During apnea, the heart muscle suffers from a lack of oxygen. This is fraught with the development of angina, when there is pain in the chest area and the heart is pounding.

The state of lack of breathing at night creates stress for the cerebral cortex, which results in disturbing and nightmare dreams

At the start of apnea, the heart slows down and beats more slowly. When the period of apnea has passed and the person has woken up, breathing and heart rate increase to compensate for oxygen deprivation.

Other causes of nighttime palpitations

Types of pathology that can lead to the appearance of a strong night pulse:

• organic disease of the heart muscle, pathology of the endocrine glands (diabetes, thyrotoxicosis);
• uncontrolled use of cardiac medications, alcohol and nicotine poisoning, acute viral infections;
• reduced hemoglobin content in the blood - anemia.

The reason remains unknown? Such cases are called “idiopathic”.

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Causes of physiological tachycardia

In a healthy body, the heart rate increases in many situations.

• Getting physical activity. This includes sports, physical work, muscle tension of various origins.
• A moment of emotional stress. Emotions - any - must be strong.
• Being in a threatening external environment. This is dirty air, lack of oxygen at altitude or in a stuffy room, increased ozone content in the post-storm air.
• A rise in body temperature, for example, during a cold. Surely it is angina that gives you the feeling that you are shaking. After all, there is a “10 to 1” rule: the heart rate increases by 10 beats for every rise in temperature by 1 degree.
• Overeating attacks. Excessive eating often causes an increase in heart rate.
• Allergy attack.
• Menopausal flushing of the face and upper body.
• Taking energy liquids. Heart palpitations can also increase from strong tea or coffee.

Possible problems

By being embarrassed to seek advice, you are making the problem worse every day. Lack of sleep at night has a negative impact on the functioning of the entire body:

• performance decreases sharply;
• rapid fatigue appears;
• attention is scattered;
• disruptions appear in the hormonal system;
• drowsiness is constantly present;
• the skin and mucous membranes dry out;
• deep wrinkles appear;
• loss of appetite;
• anxiety and fear of the night appear.

The longer unwanted rises at night continue, the worse it is for the body . In addition, a person subconsciously begins to wait for them and thus unwittingly sets his “internal alarm clock” at these hours. And sometimes, to turn it off, you have to resort to neuro-linguistic therapy or hypnosis.

Diagnostic methods

The main methods for diagnosing nocturnal tachycardia are:

ECG

The main method for detecting nocturnal tachycardia is to take an ECG. Performed when you first seek medical help.

An ECG helps to study the work of the myocardium during the day and exclude the presence of daytime heart rhythm disturbances

Holter cardiogram

To document the fact of nocturnal tachycardia when a person goes to bed gives a chance to take a Holter electrocardiogram. The mobile device is attached to the patient for a day. A Holter ECG will not only detect nocturnal palpitations, but will also make it possible to determine its type and severity.

Echocardiogram

Another name is ultrasound of the heart. Allows you to “see” on the screen all the structures of the heart: chambers, valve apparatus, vessels. The functioning of the endocrine glands is checked using blood biochemistry, ultrasound of the thyroid gland, and pancreas.

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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

Situation

But it happens that sleep is influenced by a variety of factors. Night awakenings are not always the norm. After all, the majority of the world’s population can now be diagnosed with “chronic sleep deprivation.” This is a state in which you want to sleep. This means that the body needs as much rest as possible.

In some cases, awakening abruptly, in a cold sweat. In this situation, it is recommended to take a closer look at the environment in which the person falls asleep. It is likely that the body feels uncomfortable. For example, the room is stuffy, hot or cold. Having a blanket that is too thick or too thin for the season is another factor that can disrupt your sleep.

Such behavior of the body can be called normal. But for humans this phenomenon is not the norm. After all, if a citizen complains: “I don’t sleep well, I wake up sweating at night,” it is recommended to normalize the situation. It is better to ventilate the room before going to bed, and select a blanket according to the season. In general, do everything so that you can fall asleep comfortably. As soon as the situation returns to normal, the interrupted sleep will go away.

Signs and warning signs

Conditions when you need to pay attention to your health and immediately consult a doctor:

• the appearance of shortness of breath (I can’t breathe);
• noise in the ears, cranium;
• dizzy;
• it becomes dark in the eyes;
• there is weakness up to loss of consciousness;
• heartache.

You must immediately call an ambulance, and while waiting for it you must:

• free the patient’s neck and chest from tight clothing;
• provide air access to the patient (open the window);
• apply cold to your forehead, rinse your face with very cold water.

Emotions

Why do you wake up at night? A frequent phenomenon in the modern world is awakening from an excess of emotions. Or there are sleep disturbances in general. It doesn’t matter what kind of emotions - positive or negative - take place. The main thing is that the brain is not able to rest and process a strong flow of information.

If a person complains: “When I sleep, I wake up often at night,” you should pay attention to his life. Any emotions, a busy day, or simply a large amount of information perceived during the day - all this contributes to sleep disturbance. It is recommended to relax before going to bed and to ventilate the room. Evening walks sometimes help too.

In some cases, you can contact a psychologist or neurologist. If the problem with sleep disturbance occurs frequently, doctors can prescribe either a sedative or a sleeping pill. Not the best, but not a bad option to combat the disease. When emotional stress disappears, sleep returns to normal.

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.

Why do I wake up at night and can't sleep?

Modern man, in principle, sleeps little and poorly. The reason for this is primarily gadgets, the light of their screens, which the brain makes to think that the day continues.

However, there are other reasons:

• Workout. If you work a lot physically on yourself, while going to work, taking care of your family and children, you become overtired and, as a result, sleep poorly. Reducing the number of workouts or moving them to the morning can help.
• Liquid. If you actively drink a lot of water during the day, it will lead to insomnia. Don't drink a lot of liquid 3 hours before bedtime. If reducing your water intake does not help, consult your doctor.
• Anxiety. Discord in the family, problems at work, conspiracy theories, universal injustice - there are things that make the brain active instead of sleeping. In such situations, before going to bed, write down all the questions on a piece of paper and briefly give the answers.