Posted 5/1/2017 4:57 PM (GMT 0)
As a high anxiety person myself I can relate. I often wake up the same way. How badly do you snore? I get shortness of breath very easily and have become hypersensitive to that sensation. I suspect that I have sleep apnea and with my high anxiety a rush of adrenaline kicks in even when I am sleeping. Even a dream can cause this too, (I dream that I am running or something). I started to record myself sleeping to figure out a pattern. Sometimes my sinuses drip and I start coughing badly. I wake up not realizing what happened only know my heart is racing. Often it is impossible to fall back asleep without getting up and walking off some of that adrenalin. Usually a very slow walk at that because with my heart racing at 160 I am already out of breath.
In my case though my heart rate will jump to 130-160 for no reason during the day also. Usually it is when I exert myself and I am at this point unable to exercise. I found the techniques learned for anxiety useless and also wonder if something else is going on. I have a tendency to self monitor my feelings though.
Recently I was diagnosed with a PFO. My understanding is that a big enough one can cause symptoms like shortness of breath and rapid heart rate but it is not common? I am trying to get answers myself and am not sure of this. My doctor downplayed this finding, the size of mine is unknown and I don't trust her. I would suggest that you get a bubble study done if you get your heart checked out. I was to the ER many times over years. Stress tests, EKG's, 48 hour monitors, echo for years, even as a child in elementary school to now at the age of 44. All that testing over the years and I just found out a few months ago that I have a hole in my heart all my life thanks to my first bubble study.
I don't know if I have an anxiety problem that makes me feel like crud or something underlying that shoots my anxiety up because I notice everything that feels wrong. If I find out though I will shout it out loud on these message boards. I have been searching for a long time for answers and only getting worse as time goes by.
I suggest you let the doctors do tests, just make sure they are thorough because test done half way don't give correct answers. I don't think mine have been thorough. They tell me "your heart is great and healthy" all these years. I tell them I feel like crud. I finally find out about a PFO and they say it's nothing. Well I am making an appointment to find out how big it is because why suffer if it can be fixed. If it's small and insignificant why worry about it? The size matters so tell me what is going on. This has always been my luck with doctors. I was told that I was fine, it's anxiety, and the next day they set me up for emergency removal of my gallbladder.
Good luck. Don't be a spaz like me though. Don't overthink things. Trust is important in your doctor's or your anxiety will make things worse. Unfortunately I have been unlucky with my choice of doctors.