Anybody here like me and had problems with bad adrenaline through the night? Its making my anxiety worse. I get women up from sleep heart going crazy 140-170bpm. It lasts about 5 to 10 minutes and goes back to normal again but it will happen each time i wake up. It doesnt happen through the day normally but it sometimes happens when i wake up from an afternoon nap. The doc doesnt seem too concerned as they have tested me for a heart attack and because it came back negative they are not bothered but I am im scared to fall asleep!
Adrenaline rush during the night: Anybody here... - Thyroid UK
Adrenaline rush during the night
Written by
magsyh
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
Read more about...
60 Replies
•
Hello,
Do you have Graves’ disease or are you hyperthyroid? Have you ever been diagnosed with a thyroid condition?
Im hypothyroid. Gp wants to take me off levo. Private doc wants me to stay on it. This problem has been happening on and off for years long before i was on levo but lately its got much worse now im on levo. So gp is using it as an excuse to take me off it.
This is a tough question. I have Graves and had the same symptoms as you with awful anxiety rushes at night and when I woke up in the morning. It may be that your levo dose is too high- I just had a TT and when the levo dose was too high I felt the same way again . I am having my dose lowered. Check with the private doc about that - also, others on this forum are more experienced than me and will also have good advice. I’ve gotten lots of good help from people here. Good luck and hope you feel better!
I have low t4 and t3 but with only 75mcg my thyroid was suppressed but t4 and t3 were still low? Something is going on but no one seems to know. Articles by Ray Peat is the closest ive ever seen to describing my problems but no real answers
I wish I had better info for you, but I am not experienced enough with hypothyroidism to advise here. I will defer to others and wish you all the best. Sorry I couldn’t be more help.
A slightly edited version of a post I wrote for someone else a few days ago...
...
I get tachycardia (very fast heart rate) occasionally. I have a few things I do to try and resolve the issue.
1) If my iron levels drop my heart rhythm suffers and I can develop a very fast heart rate. So I keep my iron-related levels as close to optimal as I can without going over-optimal on any of them. I test my iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation %, a couple of times a year. Obviously fixing a low iron problem is not an instant solution, it could take months, or even years if it is very low. This test is a good one :
medichecks.com/iron-tests/i...
2) I take a magnesium supplement. I don't take it every single day, but if my heart rhythm goes nuts I will take a dose immediately. Do a search for "best and worst forms of magnesium supplement", check 2 or 3 links to see if they all agree on any that interest you and then buy it online.
3) If I haven't had any relief with the magnesium within 10 - 15 minutes, then I take a potassium supplement. I use potassium gluconate 99mg tablets, and the dose on the bottle suggests that up to 4 a day can be taken. I will usually take 2 at a time. If potassium works for you then it would be a good idea to investigate how to incorporate more potassium into your diet, rather than supplement.
4) If I get no relief from potassium then I will take a tiny dose of a beta blocker I'm prescribed. It usually works within 20 minutes. You might want to ask your doctor for a prescription for a low dose of beta blockers. But I would recommend that you read up about beta blockers and their risks before asking for a prescription. You might decide that they aren't worth it. And anyway, improving your iron, taking magnesium, and improving your potassium levels might be all you need. Your body can become dependent on beta blockers, so keeping the dose as low as possible and only taking them very occasionally might be a workable idea. But do research them. They might not be suitable for you, and the other suggestions I've made might work for you.
5) Another possibility is that you have cortisol levels which are too high or too low. It isn't possible to guess which you have, it must be tested. The best test is a 4-part saliva test which also includes a DHEA test. The best one I know of is the Regenerus Labs test :
thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...
regeneruslabs.com/shop/prod...
Good luck. 
I have done cortisol and dhea and came back normal. I take magnesium glycinate, drink coconut water and have been using more pink salt. I havent had my iron tested for a while last year ferritin was 118. So im mystified?
Have you tried potassium?
Edit : I have read that coconut water has potassium in it but I'm not sure how much.
It is possible under some circumstances to have good levels of ferritin and low serum iron. But testing would be necessary to find out if this was true.
Low serum iron and high ferritin in the same body would suggest that you have a problem with inflammation or infection somewhere. The problem is finding where that is and fixing it.
Read Page 8 of this link :
irondisorders.org/Websites/...
If this still makes no sense in your situation then I'm afraid I've run out of ideas.
Hi is there a possibility it’s linked to your blood sugar levels? There is a lot online about high or low blood sugar levels causing cortisol responses which would be linked with heart rate. For example if you wake between 1 and 3am and can’t get back to sleep it’s usually low blood sugar. The body’s response is to produce cortisol to raise blood sugar. Good luck.
Marymary7• in reply to
Yes I wondered if eating something like protein before bed would stop the rush of anxiety hormones.
magsyh• in reply to
Yes i have discussed low blood sugar with gp but i just got a blank look. I think that is a big possibility. One morning my husband had yo call ambulance. When they arrived the first thing they did was check my blood sugar. It was high for me. I got to thinking that the adrenaline had done its job and had spiked my blood sugar but they didnt see it either! I have been reading up on it and Ray Peat says bring hypo causes this and progesterone and protein sorts it out. I am using progesterone too but still happening. Im down to 50mcg levo but i have no idea where to next but im due a blood test today.
Hi
Are u menopausal at all I know when I was my heart rate went very fast especially at night it kept me awake a lot. ..I'm having my thiyroid removed soon as I'm overactive and toxic..I've had 3 bouts of traciycadia which I was hospitalized for I think it's all linked to hormones but docs look at you like your mad...
I hope you get sorted soon..
Yes i went through late menopause. Im 61 and still having problems. Ive never had a hot flush and dont have any other normal symptoms. So docs say its, not my hormones but surely at my age i should have symptoms. I had very low progesterone but have brought my levels up to normal post menopausal levels. Private doc says the progesterone is propping up my adrenals making tests appear normal. If i lower the progesterone my heart racing symptoms are far worse it has also got worse since i lowered my levo by 25mcg per day.
Docs don't know much about the function of the thiyroid iv been threw 3 years of hell telling my doc I think I'm attacking my thiyroid he laughed and said it's the menopause..the symptoms were nothing like the menopause which I went threw in my 40s I'm 57..my symptoms had gone then I started with the overactive symptoms my heart was racing much of the time especially at night and if I got up to do stuff ..I'm now on beta blockers the thiyroid can be linked to hormones something to do with lowering levels when we go threw the menupause but docs and even endos won't really look in to this they go by the NHS bible...one route I'm sure mine is hormone based in have graves toxic and iv been like this for 3 years docs just didn't listen thank god I'm getting sorted now..keep pushing it's the only way to get sorted...good luck..
Similar position to you, diagnosed with Graves (now under control for last 15 years following radium therapy). At the time though my heart would pound, especially at night and I had night terrors which were very difficult to deal with. Consultant put me on propranolol which managed the heart issues (did nothing for the night terrors!) and eventually as the Graves was managed the situation was resolved. Good luck.
Have you heard of HPA axis dysregulation? It causes cortisol surges at night-among other things. I have this. I take 12.5 mgs of dhea to counteract these surges, works well for me.. theanine is also helpful but, in my opinion, not as effective.
I haven't seen HPA axis dysregulation addressed on here...its also referred to as "Broken Brain Syndrome"...and it does, I need, affect the thyroid. I have read however, that there are ways to repair a broken brain. I believe there are several books about it
Sounds interesting, how were you diagnosed? I have considered this type of thing as 7 years ago i had lupron injections. Everything has been crazy since. The main problem with my thyroid is that tsh just doesnt bother to push when my t4 and t3 are low. I also had late menopause. Have had all my hormones tested they are low normal. Cortisol is normal, dhea low normal. My gp says thyroid normal but 75mcg levo suppressed it and left me even more hypo. Im down go 50mcg now but have put on 7lb since the 25mcg reduction?
Maybe you are subclinically hypothyroid... That's what I was.
taking synthroid / t4 was a freaking nightmare for me because of the reverse t3 thing. I love the combination of desiccated thyroid and t3 it's wonderful. (and even though my TSH level is at
.0006 I have no indications of hyperthyroidism. I think that's why the doctors get all bent out of shape with low TSH; they automatically assume that that means we are hyperthyroid which is a crock.
you kind of have to go through the questionnaire as per HPA axis dysregulation it's pretty much the same thing that the doctors do.
The Kresser Institute has a lot of information as per HPA axis dysregulation vs adrenal fatigue...its Google-able
Anyone that doses with any T3 will have low to very low TSH . Most Dr/Endo's have not learned this yet . They ought to before they lower thyroid patients thyroid meds and start panicking . T3 is the best thyroid med to lower TSH if one needs it for suppression purposes .
When do you take the dhea to counteract the surges. Are you hypothyroud
Interesting to read this
I ended up in a&e last week when I was working away the hotel called the ambulance as my heart was racing for over 3 hours when I went to bed and it wouldnt stop I was in my own so called reception in the end as I didn’t know what to do they ran 5 ecgs all perfectly fine but at its highest it was 150...
Cardiologist at hospital didn’t really say much other than get my adrenals checked which I’m speaking to gp this week she also mentioned too about beta blockers
I have just reduced my dose from 150 to 125-150 alternate days but I was getting these symptoms before I was diagnosed with very underactive thyroid I feel I will start to burn up and can feel my heart racing start shaking uncontrollably too and i feel very bloated
You sound like your further along in terms of other tests than me but if I get any information that helps I will let you know
My Sympathy for you . Why doesn't your Dr try giving you a small dose of T3 to calm your palpitations . Magnesium and some fish oil can be very helpful too . If your drinking coffee try to omit anything with caffeine it can be too stimulating for you at this time . Going Gluten sugar dairy soy free is very Helpful . In addition be mindful of anything that you might have allergies to .
I wasn’t aware gps in the uk were allowed to prescribe t3? And as far as I am aware unless your very lucky you can’t get it from an endo either most have to pay for it privately on here as the nhs stopped prescribing it a few years ago due to cost!😬
However I am indeed speaking to a private clinic next week in London that will prescribe it as I feel that is an issue last testing my t4 was high tsh surpressed but t3 only mid range so I feel that could be the issue I still feel very low some days too
Thank you for replying back I will look at a magnesium supplement too x
Another postmenopause joy...
I used to have this sensation which accompanied feeling dreadfully hot without obviously sweating. It began to reduce after l had acupuncture to base of my neck and shoulders and a few other points l can't remember now. Changed my diet to low carbs and higher protein green veg and fruits only in season plus a proper neck pillow to give better support.
Maybe an acupuncturist consult could be the answer. Base of neck l understand is over the underlying structures of the Amygdala and Hypothalamus and regulation of the endocrine system. After 6 treatment for whiplash l had 2 conditions treated at once. Could be a possible considerstion. Good luck
shot in the dark here but could sleep apnea/not breathing properly during sleep be contributing?
When it happens its usually after a bout of scary dreams its usually a warning sign. Scary dreams can be a warning sign your brain is low on glucose
interesting, never before heard of scary dreams being related to blood sugar or hypothyroidism.
not at all to the degree you do magsyh, but i also very occasionally have heart racing upon waking in the middle of the night - was gasping for air the couple times it was bad enough to wake me up and was def having a scary dream. will pay attention to blood sugar too next time to see if this may be also contributing, as for past cpl years i do have symptoms of hypoglycemia through the day after eating, tho apparently the numbers are not actually low. haven’t noticed symptoms once in bed - tho i do often get insanely hungry and eat just before getting to bed.
i know hypothyroidism causes swollen/scalloped tongue which can impede breathing and oxygen to the brain at night (and as Soxie2 below talks about, this can cause racing heart) - i wonder if the swollen tongue is part of the connection of scary dreams to hypothyroidism.
i am getting a sleep study done in a couple weeks to try to suss out what’s contributing to my sleep issues, and believe that heart rate is one of the things that is monitored. not sure if they do or can measure blood sugar or cortisol at any point, but will certainly ask (update: the sleep center ill be going to does not look at this, would assume that’s prob typical but not sure)
like you i have slightly low and extremely low (but within normal range) t4 & t3 respectively and clearly poor conversion, but adding t4 gives me anxiety/racing heart. as jgellis has pointed out, lack of t3 may be the real issue. the twist is that proper sleep is essential for conversion
This happens to me when my thyroid is in hypoactive ranges. What’s your TSH?
Im not sure last test on 50mcg was 1.3. I went for test today and they couldnt get blood out of me. Was told to come back next week and make sure i had eaten!
I get this sometimes if I have something caffeinated too close to bedtime (even just a rum and diet coke for a Fri night wind down). Could it be something like that?
No ive been caffeine free for years and i cant touch alcohol for that reason im hyper sensitive to most things. Have to avoid ethenol at dentist, no adrenaline, ive tried adaptogens, holy basil, ashwagandha, ginseng, all make my heart race. Im gluten and dairy free. Its a bit scary as lots of stuff food wise worries me if its something new i never know how i will react.
Hi Magshy, there is a high chance that you may have sleep apnoea. ( I happen to be a "Ventility Sleep Solutions" nurse. If you have lack of oxygen due to obstructive sleep apnoea, that can send your heart racing as your heart is trying to make up for the lack of oxygen that our organs need. Do you snore? Have you been observed stopping breathing for a while, while asleep? Dry mouth? Morning headache? Nightmares? Raised blood pressure and even atrial fibrillation can all be due to sleep apnoea. You may benefit from having a Sleep Study to exclude/diagnose this. Hope this helps.
Do you have your recent FT4 FT3 TSH values ? Check if your sugar levels drop very low and causes you to have palpitations ? Try having a tsp of almond butter before you go to sleep . Magnesium is very helpful too before going to sleep .
Hi last blood test on 88mcg was tsh 0.4 (0.4-4.5) and t4 15.1 (9-20) i do use magnesium glycinate and eat almond butter. Done a lot of reading today and i think it is most definitely low blood sugar
Hi Yes I know this one and had these pulpitations just the same! My Mum told me about Caffene and how it affects some people just like this especially as you get older,
Now I only drink Yorkshire Brew Decaffenated and it also hard to give up Alcohol and Diet Coke! Test this on a trail period to see if Caffene is the cause,hope this helps it worked for me.
magsyh• in reply to
Hi i dont drink coffee , coke or alcohol but i have done a lot of reading tonight and it seems to be hypoglycemia by what i have read. Was interesting reading
shawsAdministrator
Ask GP to give you a trial of a very small dose of bisoporol i.e. 2.5mg (I'm not medically qualified) and take 1 tablet with water just before you go to sleep. I've had the same experience as you and cardiologist was puzzled but it works for me.
I did mention this to my gp as i took small dose betablockers 3 years ago. Her reply was no that would be like putting a sticking plaster on it! This has got worse since she asked me to reduce my levo. It may be hypoglycemia due to my thyroid being suppressed and not a high enough dose? Im now down to 50 mcg. I presume my thyroid hasnt had the chance to compensate for the reduced levo? That will take quite a few weeks to balance out? My weight has risen by 7lb in 5 weeks since i started the reduction im now the heaviest ive ever been and that is scary!
I have the same issue, and it was Ray Peat’s articles that gave me an insight to the problem. One sign of being hypo is that we don’t store glycogen (sugar) like we should. When we run out of glycogen, the body releases adrenaline and cortisol. The cortisol breaks down proteins into glucose.
I keep a sweet drink beside my bed. Within seconds of having a drink, my heart rate returns to normal. This will often put me back to sleep.
Many women, especially, have difficulty converting T4 to T3, so I suggest that you do some reading on that subject, in case you’re not benefiting from taking Levo on its own.
Thank you for that. I have been reading Ray Peat with interest for a while now. To be honest he's the only guy who talks sense and he describes my problems bang on! I have increased my protein and it has helped a lot. I've been eating more often too which seems to be helping.
Hi Magsyh,
My father has a similar problem! He had a pituitary tumour many years ago and now takes Levo (T4), T3 and cortisol. His heartrate goes up at night, peaking around 2-4am at 90-120bpm. It's impossible to sleep!
He has tried magnesium, calcium, eating protein before bed, moving the timing of his cortisol dose, decreasing his Levo / T3, increasing his Levo / T3, etc. but it persists.
Do you take T3 also, or just Levo (T4)?
I read one theory that your body is trying to produce T3 around 2am and that if you don't have enough or can't produce it for whatever reason, then you'll get an adrenaline rush to compensate. Your T3 might be suppressed because you took T3 / T4 earlier that day...
I'm not sure it makes sense in your situation, but it's one idea. It sounds like you lowered your Levo by 25mcg already and you're still having the same problem?
Keep us posted on what you figure it! I'm sorry this is happening to you, but it's good to find someone having the same problem.
RB
I'm on T4 only. It has started to calm down a bit not happening every night now but it is a mystery. I wish I knew why some nights its bad and other nights I sleep like a log. It is worse after carbs at teatime. I gave up eating white rice that set it off big time and roast sweet potato. Higher protein has helped too but eating more I'm really putting on weight quickly. The adrenaline makes me put on weight too. It's a visious circle
My dad has the same problem - he will have a good night sometimes, but no idea why! It's so hard to figure out. He has tried protein before sleeping too. Hmm.
Well I'm glad it's getting a bit better for you Magsyh. It definitely started once you went on the Levo, right? And it got worse initially when you went down from 75mcg to 50mcg, but now it's better?
Thanks, R.
It's hard to figure out why? I think it might have been something to do with the dosage as I was on 88mcg that was when it was worst. My thyroid was suppressed on that dose but the dose wasn't high enough to keep me going and I was living on adrenaline to compensate. Now that I have gone down to 50mcg my own thyroid is waking up again and making its own hormones? I think that might be why it has improved. The only other thing I have done is eat more protein at meal times and I have also been taking magnesium glycate. I hope this is of help to you x
I think you are on to something when you talk about thyroid being suppressed - I read that T3 actually slows (blocks?) conversion of T4 to T3, so maybe you're getting an initial burst of T3 that then shuts down conversion, resulting in the adrenaline rush to compensate for lower metabolism. Then it starts all over again. Maybe?
Anyway, I'm glad it's settling down for you, good luck and keep us posted!
R.
helvellaAdministrator
Have only quickly read through this thread, but I can't see any mention of when you take your levothyroxine?
If you take it in the morning, as most do, have you considered trying bed-time dosing?
Some people find that better, sometimes much better. And it would shift your blood T4 profile by however many hours - which might be an improvement.
Unfortunately, no way of knowing except to try.
The answer is simple : If you are hypothyroid then it is simple to go at night time in a hypoglycaemic state, that causes adrenaline rushes.
If you get adrenaline rushes take some sugar to lower the adrenaline
it is your blood sugar! go on a low GL Diet see what happens
My blood sugar is too low during the night I have been able to stop it by having a snack before bed
Hello,
Were you able to find out the cause?
I was hyperthyroid in 2003 treated with thiamazole, Hashimoto's hypothyroid in 2015, in 2018 TSI antibodies went up again, but I was left untreated for neither one thing nor the other. Then I started having these horrible awakenings, they got better with some thyroid hormone. It suffered them mostly with the menstrual cycle.
finally I have combined levothyroxine+thiamazole treatment but I don't get stable, I either feel hypo or hyper.
Yesterday I had one of these strong discharges, it has been a long time since I had one. I am probably in menopause (I don't have a uterus and it is difficult to know, although the hormones reflect it).
This Graves' is more complicated than the first time, because the TSI give me symptoms and the TSH goes down but the hormones don't go up like before, if I don't take it they stay near the low range. So tiamazole is hard to take like this, a lot of fatigue.
I was also diagnosed with MCAS and when in these awakenings I measured tryptase it goes up, but however I associate it with the hormones....
I would pay to know what they are and how to make them not come back 🥹.
Thanks and kind regards.
Not what you're looking for?
You may also like...
Anyone get kneck sweats during the night?
I've bee getting a lot it a lot lately. I will wake up and kneck will be sweating like made. I...
Night sweats
Hey guys was wondering if anyone ever experienced night sweats due to hypothyroidism. My Dr just...
night sweats..but not all night!
Hi, a mystery, well to me anyway...is why I am having night sweating on my neck and upper body, but...
Boiling at night then shivery- menopause or hypo symptom?
Does anyone else wake up through the night feeling on fire? Absolutely boiling even with just an...
End of my tether!
I really need some advice as I'm just about at screaming point. I'm feeling absolutely terrible and...
Dentist adrenaline disaster
Hypothyroidism and perimenopause night sweats
I'm limited to 4 Hours of Sleep every night!
Strange swallowing dream, something large that is going to choke you symptom anyone??!
