Heart effects sleep

[Westy75]

It’s been 10 years since I started getting tachy and palps. My question is, do you get it worse some months than others. These last two weeks have been hell, to the point it’s effecting my sleep. Big thuds, waking up in palp. I’ve had one unsuccessful ablation. My wife’s fed up of me moaning to her, she just says go to A and E. we all know it’s not as simple as that. Anyone got any advice on calming the palps and tachy, I really need some sleep.

[Padayn01]

Funny you mention that, but for me when summer month come along my heart tends to play up, I don't know what it is, change of climate maybe, but for me sleep a big one if I have a rubbish nights sleep than I tend to get pals the next day

[BobD Volunteer]

Try slow deep breathing. Use your stomach not your shoulders , pull down and hold, then release and compress against spine. Hold . No more than 6 breaths a minute for at least five minutes. longer if you can. Practise makes perfect.

This method stops ectopic beats . It is also used by US Navy personnel to help them get to sleep on noisy carriers. (Think F18 thumping down above your head or steam catapult howling) .

[Threecats]

Hi Westy, I’m sorry to hear about your nocturnal palps, it is a nightmare when that keeps happening and very debilitating for you and your wife!

A few suggestions that might be worth a try:

What time do you have your evening meal? Sometimes eating late in the evening causes problems for me. Try eating earlier if you can.

Also be wary of highly spiced foods, or those that might contain msg or other stimulants.

Caffeine- are you having tea/coffee during the evening? Again, a big trigger for me so might be worth cutting it out for a while.

Alcohol- another trigger, sadly!

Have you tried a magnesium supplement? Please check with your doctor/ pharmacist first if you are on medication but otherwise, magnesium can help to calm the heart, as does potassium, so make sure your diet contains plenty of fresh fruit and veggies to ensure you’re getting enough potassium.

Stress - again, a common trigger. I appreciate you’re stressed by not sleeping but do you have other stressors going on in your life at the moment that could be addressed?

Finally, have you been checked to see if you have sleep apnoea? Again, a common cause of palpitations that is very under diagnosed.

I’m sorry if you’ve already been through all the things I’ve suggested but I hope you find something that works for you..

All the best TC

[RG72]

Yes! It does change over time. There are a lot of potential triggers. For me I really think that stress and tiredness are the big causes, but also dehydration (I live in the tropics and sometimes it’s difficult to keep on top of hydration).

All of the things above really seem to work. Deep breathing (thanks BobD!) not only seems to regulate the palps, but also helps with the sleeping. I now do them every night, but I can’t say if it works because I always fall asleep 🤣. I’ve cut all alcohol and caffeine, which was a wrench to begin and I eat dinner earlier and all seems to work.

Stress can be difficult to change. Personally, when I realized what a negative effect it was having on my health, I automatically stopped caring about certain things as much, which wasn’t a choice, I think it was my body or brains self defense mechanism kicking in.

One suggestion for sleep, people that sleep on their left side often seem to say they get more palps or issues at night, so this might be something that could be a small fix.

Secondly, are you on any medication at all? Some folks have regular meds or a PiP in case they notice an increase in symptoms.

Good luck! as you probably know, most of the time when you weather the storm, it will pass in a few days/weeks, but I know this doesn’t help when your symptoms are worse.