Dreams causing heart racing, or heart racing causing dreams?

[richard2123]

Hi. I'm being made awake from sleep by a racing heart, which quickly subsides when I am awake. My heart aches for say 15 seconds or so, then that too subsides. There is always a dream before I awake and I'm usually exerting myself physically in the dream (such as struggling with someone). Is the dream causing my heart to race, or is a racing heart causing the dream. Nurses think it's the former. And it's stress related. Thanks.

[Blearyeyed]

Do you have any diagnosed cardiac problems? Have you been diagnosed with any sleep disorders , Anxiety or are you particularly stressed in your daily life?

Stress isn't just negative things , unlike Anxiety which is just one type of Stress. It's any physical or mental activity that's just too much for your brain or body to cope with at the time .

So , it can be having a busy work schedule, overdoing it in your social life , changes in your family or home life, retirement or over exercising.

All of these things can leave your brain overstimulated or your body over exerted ( even if you can't feel physical pain) .

This over stimulation can cause the brain to race during sleep and cause broken sleep or lucid dreams that can be very physical.

Sometimes it can cause nightmares or night terrors which you might not think are a sign of you overdoing it but the brain can create weird stories to symbolise what it's trying to tell you.

So, fighting in a dream , running away , are often dreams telling you that your brain is struggling with what it is being asked to do , often the person you are fighting is yourself.

Waking from lucid dreams , particularly stress related ones, can be sudden and involve palpitations, sweating , over alertness and various " fight or flight " reactions , that is because the nervous system has been excited by the release of adrenaline during your sleep activity.

Tightness or pain in the chest that subsides quickly can be symptoms of panic.

All of these symptoms are physical but are likely to have been stimulated by the mind activity.

If you have a diagnosed heart condition , it is still more likely from your description that the dreams are causing the symptoms, but the symptoms could be more intense and they need some attention.

Was it a Cardiac Nurse you spoke to?

Try looking at your daytime schedule and work out what might be causing you Stress. Rebalance your activity, pacing your day with more rest , eating light nutritious food , drinking enough fluids , changing your social and exercise activities may all help control your symptoms.

Giving up smoking , alcohol, vaping , over the counter CBD or other high dose herbal sleep supplements and other types of recreational chemicals are also important to prevent these symptoms.

Create a good sleep routine.

Don't do very physical exercise before bed, you need to stop cardio at least 2 hours before getting ready for bed , even relaxing Yoga should be practised no nearer than an hour before bed.

If you read , watch TV or play games in bed , switch all of this off an hour before sleep. Don't sit on your phone playing and answering texts , tell your friends what time in the evening that you switch off and ask them to only text or call after that in an Emergency.

Done eat a heavy meal a few hours before bed. Sleep studies have shown a drink of warm milk with honey and hour before bed can aid sleep.

Make sure all light and devices , including music are off when you settle down to sleep.

Keep the temperature in your room comfortable and remove anything from the room that smells strong even "relaxing" scents or candles.

Ask other people in the house to turn down the noise and hour before you settle to sleep.

Give the sleep routine a month , but if you are still struggling you may have a sleep disturbance issue that requires more investigation so ask your GP to refer you to a Sleep Clinic.

Sleep Clinic tests will help to establish whether your heart races before the dreams or the dreams are causing your heart symptoms more than cardiac tests will do.

If it is heart rate related they would then send you for testing to understand why your heart is racing.

If you haven't had a heart check are you worrying about that , your GP can give you a check up.

Controlling and improving sleep is also part of good self care for the heart.

Take care , Bee

[Goonerboy6661]

if it helps this is what AI says -

This sounds like a classic case of nocturnal adrenaline surges, which can be triggered by stress, anxiety, or even the body’s normal response to dreams (especially if they involve exertion or struggle).

Possible Explanations:

1. Dream-Induced Heart Racing (Most Likely)

• The fact that they always have a dream before waking suggests the heart rate increase is a response to the dream itself.

• Intense dreams (like struggling, running, or being in danger) activate the sympathetic nervous system, causing the heart to race.

• The heart rate drops quickly once awake because the dream-induced adrenaline spike fades.

2. Heart Racing Causing the Dream (Less Likely but Possible)

• Sometimes, the body can have an autonomic nervous system imbalance, where the heart speeds up unexpectedly during sleep.

• The brain may then incorporate this into a dream (e.g., dreaming of exertion because the heart is already racing).

• This is less common but can happen, particularly in people with underlying conditions like arrhythmias or panic disorder.

3. Other Potential Causes:

• Sleep apnea – If they snore or have breathing pauses in sleep, their body might be reacting to oxygen drops.

• Acid reflux (GERD) – Can trigger vagus nerve stimulation, leading to heart rate changes at night.

• Medication or caffeine effects – If they take stimulants, some blood pressure meds, or even eat late at night, that could play a role.

• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) – If they have long gaps between meals, blood sugar dips can trigger adrenaline surges during sleep.

Should They Be Worried?

• If it happens occasionally and resolves quickly, stress or dream-related adrenaline is the most likely cause.

• If it’s frequent or accompanied by palpitations, dizziness, chest pain, or breathlessness, they should get checked for arrhythmias (like AFib), heart conditions, or sleep disorders.

What Can Help?

• Reduce stress before bed – Mindfulness, deep breathing, or a relaxing routine might help.

• Good sleep hygiene – No caffeine/alcohol late in the evening, a consistent bedtime.

• Check for other symptoms – If they feel skipped beats, lightheadedness, or chest discomfort outside of sleep, a Holter monitor or sleep study might be useful.

Bottom Line:

The nurses are probably right—it’s most likely dream-related and stress-induced, but if it keeps happening, a doctor might want to rule out underlying issues like arrhythmias or sleep apnea.

[Blackknight57]

I had wondered this myself, heart rate went to 135.

[richard2123]

Thanks for the extensive responses. Very helpful. I'm not out of breath or dizzy when I awake. I'm having a general aneasthestic Monday, and I worry that during the operation I'll have an episode which will cause me to experience the physical sensation of discomfort that I do feel during the dream during normal sleep. Of course, I won't wake up during the operation, because I'll be in a far deeper sleep. So, I'm concerned that any discomfort I may feel won't stop because I'll not awake. I think the chances of having an episode during the operation though are very slim. I was under general anaesthetic about a month ago and all went like a charm. No dreaming. I had a great sleep during the operation. I have mentioned my heart experience to the anaesthetic people.

[Cliff_G in reply to richard2123]

I'be never dreamt whilst under general. I think it's an entirely different form of "sleep", particularly judging by how I've felt when coming round from anaesthetic (ugh!)

[richard2123]

Had the general anaesthetic Monday gone and as I suspected, no dreaming.