Woke up in the middle of the night with what felt like heart pounding out of my chest. What was that?

[Anonymous]

A panic attack? It was scary. I swear I could see it making my chest go up.

[Anonymous]

Probably a panic attack. Are you perimenopausal, by chance? That happened to me.

[Anonymous]

Sleep apnea should be a top consideration here.

[Anonymous]

It could be either a panic attack or sleep apnea, unfortunately. It can be hard to tell the difference and you should ask for an at-home sleep apnea test.

I have anxiety and a panic disorder that produces the symptoms you describe. I've had too many to count, OP! But I also suspect I have apnea episodes, because sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a gasp, and the sensation I can't breath (which then often turns into a panic attack, but only afterward - complicated!). I've gotten checked for sleep apnea. The problem is, since I'm anxious, every time I'm strapped to the little sleep wiring apparatus, that's the night I can only doze... so of course the machine can't record a breathing event, since I'm not deeply asleep at any point! Stupid anxiety.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It could be either a panic attack or sleep apnea, unfortunately. It can be hard to tell the difference and you should ask for an at-home sleep apnea test.

I have anxiety and a panic disorder that produces the symptoms you describe. I've had too many to count, OP! But I also suspect I have apnea episodes, because sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a gasp, and the sensation I can't breath (which then often turns into a panic attack, but only afterward - complicated!). I've gotten checked for sleep apnea. The problem is, since I'm anxious, every time I'm strapped to the little sleep wiring apparatus, that's the night I can only doze... so of course the machine can't record a breathing event, since I'm not deeply asleep at any point! Stupid anxiety.

I have sleep apnea. Before getting my cpap I would wake up terrified with my heart racing. I would stop breathing in my sleep and my body would react -- my heart would be pounding out of my chest and that would wake me up. Felt like an anxiety attack. I mean ... it sort of is, if you were being smothered you would be freaking out, heart pounding, and trying to gasp for air. Physically it ends up being pretty much the same thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could be either a panic attack or sleep apnea, unfortunately. It can be hard to tell the difference and you should ask for an at-home sleep apnea test.

I have anxiety and a panic disorder that produces the symptoms you describe. I've had too many to count, OP! But I also suspect I have apnea episodes, because sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a gasp, and the sensation I can't breath (which then often turns into a panic attack, but only afterward - complicated!). I've gotten checked for sleep apnea. The problem is, since I'm anxious, every time I'm strapped to the little sleep wiring apparatus, that's the night I can only doze... so of course the machine can't record a breathing event, since I'm not deeply asleep at any point! Stupid anxiety.

I have sleep apnea. Before getting my cpap I would wake up terrified with my heart racing. I would stop breathing in my sleep and my body would react -- my heart would be pounding out of my chest and that would wake me up. Felt like an anxiety attack. I mean ... it sort of is, if you were being smothered you would be freaking out, heart pounding, and trying to gasp for air. Physically it ends up being pretty much the same thing.

PP you replied to. Not everyone wakes up, though. Many people just sleep through it. My son has mild sleep apnea and never realized it. I noticed when I was in his room one day and heard him stop breathing for like a full minute.

[Anonymous]

This is a common symptom of sleep apnea. When you are in your deepest sleep and your oxygen level plummets, your heart rate will increase dramatically until you wake up.

[Anonymous]

+1 for sleep apnea

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It could be either a panic attack or sleep apnea, unfortunately. It can be hard to tell the difference and you should ask for an at-home sleep apnea test.

I have anxiety and a panic disorder that produces the symptoms you describe. I've had too many to count, OP! But I also suspect I have apnea episodes, because sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with a gasp, and the sensation I can't breath (which then often turns into a panic attack, but only afterward - complicated!). I've gotten checked for sleep apnea. The problem is, since I'm anxious, every time I'm strapped to the little sleep wiring apparatus, that's the night I can only doze... so of course the machine can't record a breathing event, since I'm not deeply asleep at any point! Stupid anxiety.

I have sleep apnea. Before getting my cpap I would wake up terrified with my heart racing. I would stop breathing in my sleep and my body would react -- my heart would be pounding out of my chest and that would wake me up. Felt like an anxiety attack. I mean ... it sort of is, if you were being smothered you would be freaking out, heart pounding, and trying to gasp for air. Physically it ends up being pretty much the same thing.

PP you replied to. Not everyone wakes up, though. Many people just sleep through it. My son has mild sleep apnea and never realized it. I noticed when I was in his room one day and heard him stop breathing for like a full minute.

Ok? Many if not most people do wake up in a panicking feeling, and that is what OP is posting about.

[Anonymous]

Wow ok I'm pretty shocked that it could be sleep apnea. I could be in peri or in menopause, I don't know. I'm on the pill. I will look into the apnea Thanks everyone. I have been awake for hours at a time at night recently and I thought it was maybe anxiety, but my heart has never beat like that before.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow ok I'm pretty shocked that it could be sleep apnea. I could be in peri or in menopause, I don't know. I'm on the pill. I will look into the apnea Thanks everyone. I have been awake for hours at a time at night recently and I thought it was maybe anxiety, but my heart has never beat like that before.

Put a recording device by your bed to monitor you when you sleep for a few nights.

This can be VERY revealing on many levels, not just to answer the panic question.

[Anonymous]

Anyone have experience with the implant to treat sleep apnea?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have experience with the implant to treat sleep apnea?

No.

But I looked into it. After my sleep study, when I was diagnosed with severe obstructive sleep apnea, I went to my first appointment with the sleep doc ready to tell her I wanted Inspire (and I had looked up to confirm that she was a provider). A few minutes of discussion about it and I left wanting nothing to do with Inspire, and ready to try cpap. Two years later, I'm very glad for my cpap.

Inspire is very, very invasive -- the surgery is akin to getting a pacemaker placed in your chest. And if you think a mask on your face is annoying, you should be concerned that having electrical stimulation in your tongue all night will be as well. There are, of course, some success stories with it. But it is most certainly not easier than cpap.

[Anonymous]

Are you in your 40s? This is a common peri symptom.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wow ok I'm pretty shocked that it could be sleep apnea. I could be in peri or in menopause, I don't know. I'm on the pill. I will look into the apnea Thanks everyone. I have been awake for hours at a time at night recently and I thought it was maybe anxiety, but my heart has never beat like that before.

This happened to me when I was mid-40s. Perimenopause. Worst when estrogen falls during ovulation and right before menstruation.