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Learn how doctors clinically diagnose one of twelve kinds of anxiety disorders...and which doctors you should see for an anxiety diagnosis....
Anxiety disorders can affect anyone. But do you know the common signs and symptoms of anxiety disorders? Learn more now....
Anxiety is a normal, healthy emotion when experienced during specific moments. But do you know the signs that anxiety has gotten out of control? Read more here...
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Q: Heart Pounding
asked by: asdfjkl on July 14th, 2005
New User
Ive noticed this recently and was wondering if it happens to anyone else. Ill just be lying down and ill notice my heart pounding much harder (not faster) that normal, and I can actually hear and sometimes feel it in my head and in the tips of my fingers
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Jamesab
replied on July 16th, 2005
Experienced User
Happens to me buddy... All day every day... I can always feel it in my head and that is the worst...

James
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Wendell Scott
replied on December 13th, 2005
New User
Pounding Heart At Night
When I lay down to go to sleep it takes awhile to finally fall asleep. I can hear my heart pounding in my inner ear. It really bothers me!!

Its an unatural pounding thats been going on for several months now. It happens mostly at night, however there are a few episodes where I might be doing something in the middle of the day and out of the blue my heart will start to race.

Freaked out I went to an emergency room swearing I was about to have a heart attack. They kept assuring me I was fine while they gave me an ekg? And also took blood. They found no evidence of a heart problem and told me I should see a cardiologist.

I haven't taken that step, most of my nights are spent laying in bed watching tv or playing on the computer trying to tire myself out.

I push a rolling chair on the boardwalk in atlantic city so I get alot of exercise almost daily. I'm 32 years old, male with a history of athletics and sports participation. I know the feeling of having my heart want to jump out of my chest after chasing a ball up and down the field. Thats why I get really spooked when I get a similar feeling while i'm just laying down.

I have been under alot of stress. My girlfriend keeps getting pregnant. Lol I have 3 kids like outta nowhere in a period of like 3 years. Stress. I wonder if its the woman thats causing me this pain. If she is just sucking the life outta me and draining my will to live. Just kidding. (but wondering)

i don't know. I do have a casual history of "light" drug use. I mean I don't seek out pot or other drugs, however when its been offered to me i've been known to take the occasional hit. I mention this because there were a few isolated occasions when I was smoking with a people that I just for no reason just freaked out. My heart would start racing and i'd be pretty sure I was about to die for whatever reason.

I don't have a prolonged history of alcohol use, but i've been drunk a few times. I don't smoke cigs, but i've bought a pack or two (in 32 years)

my point is why does it feel like i'm dying. I keep thinking about it and checking my pulse constantly. I hate this feeling
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ChrisEaton
replied on December 14th, 2005
New User
Wow. It's nice to see that there are others out there like me. I also get the pounding heart. Pretty scary. I hope its my anxiety causing it. Lately it's been good, though.
I'm constantly monitoring my heart and taking my pulse. I've become obsessed with it. Its worse at the gym. I can't work out like I used to because my heart seems to beat harder than usual, and I sometimes get dizzy at the gym too. I might just be really aware of it now, and everything's normal, but I still fear there's something wrong.
I had blood work and everything was fine there, and monday i'm having an ekg. I hope that checks out too. Of course, being the way I am, even if everything checks out, i'll worry that the doctors missed something.
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charmedwitch
replied on July 23rd, 2007
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Hi
hi there it could be anxiety
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prdel
replied on November 2nd, 2007
New User
My heart pounds away whenever I get anxious, which is most of the time these days. It just thrashes away and I can't think straight or focus on what's going on.
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Chix
replied on November 4th, 2007
New User
Yup, I used to have this. It was just after I graduated from uni, and again when I was relocating to London with work. I used to get a pounding heart at random times, but also palptations like a flutter or missed beat. I went for a ECG at the Dr's and they said everything looked fine so I tried my best to ignore it, and now it's much much better. I still get the odd missed beat or flutter when I'm tired but now I know it's just stress so find it much easier to ignore it.
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Marikallees
replied on November 8th, 2007
New User
This is actually something that I've gotten through, though it took a couple of years. Just like some of you, it started with a racing heartbeat (I thought). That started the anxiety about my heart. I was obsessed with checking my pulse and such, and eventually went into a panic attack that sent me to the emergency room. I was told everything looked normal and to see a cardiologist. I saw a cardiologist and was told I'm fine.

The good thing is that through all of this I learned what the normal behavior of my heart is and how my actions can change what it does. Here are some tips:

1) Your breathing controls your heart rate. If you breath in, it beats faster. If you breath out, it slows down. Don't expect a constant heart rate, because *that's* abnormal. Wink

2) Palpitations are when you can feel your heart beating. It's normal to become aware of it every now and then, and you'll probably notice that it only happens when something draws your attention to your heart.

3) When you feel your heart skip a beat, it feels like it's going to stop. You get a little lightheaded and that can easily scare you. But you can jump start your heart back into the normal routine by forcing yourself to make a good cough.

4) By all means take your pulse. Learn how your heart normally works. After weeks or months of normal operation, you'll realize that everything is okay and you'll also be confident that you can notice when something not normal happens. That feeling of control is key to getting through it.

5) When your heart beats fast, you feel faint, but you won't pass out. You only pass out when your heart beats too slowly, not when it beats too fast.

6) When your heart beats too slow and you feel faint, lie down so that the slower beats move more blood to your brain. This only happens to me when I hurt myself and the pain slows down my heart (your body does this to get you prone so that blood can circulate more easily).

I don't worry about my heart anymore, so it's possible to get through the fear. I hope that makes you guys feel better. Smile
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hilbil11192
replied on January 26th, 2009
New User
This happens to me too. Im in high school and run cross counrty. In the beginning of the year, I started worrying about getting enough sleep so that I could perform to the best of my ability at practices. Well, worrying made it get out of hand. I would try so hard to fall asleep and when I realized I wasn't falling asleep, that would send me into a panic attack and pounding heart. I would look too far into the future and think that if I didn't fall asleep soon, tomorrow would be a terrible day, and I would perform poorly at practice because of my tiredness.

This happened to me almost every night until cross country ended...then it spiraled into something totally different. Now my biggest fear isn't that I won't fall asleep, but the root of it now is that I am totally aware of my heartbeat, which hinders me from falling asleep. I always feel it and am aware of it, and now THAT keeps me from falling asleep. It usually takes me about 2 hours to finally fall asleep out of complete exhaustion. It's horrible. I'm not sure what to do :/
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charissa88
replied on March 2nd, 2009
New User
This has happened to me, i have sever socail anxiety and this happens to me only during the night when i lay to fall asleep when u have time to your self mostly...my heart will pound then sweat n then u can hardly sleep..i was put on meds for social anxiety then it had faded away then later on more symptoms came about here i had been diagnosed with bipolar n here my heart pounding is back so i think it is anxiety. i only fall asleep on exhaustion about 2 to 3 hours later:(
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myrissa_erika
replied on June 23rd, 2009
New User
Heart Pounding when I lay down for bed
Same thing is happening to me also! I have this HUGE fear of having a heart problem so I'm CONSTANTLY monitoring my pulse and heart beats. I'm on meds for anxiety and at first it was really helping me but now when I'm about to fall asleep at night my heart starts pounding I hate it I always wonder will I live with this forever? Sad I hope not!!
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summeri56
replied on July 1st, 2009
New User
I have had heart symptoms since I was 14 I am now 53.I have had ekgs,heart echo,was told I had mitral valve prolapse then told another time I didn't they said I had a heart murmur,I think my weird heart pounding and fluttering causes me anxiety.Not the other way around.I learned not to worry about it anymore.I also take synthroid which probably causes the pounding heart occasionally.
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clintxy
replied on August 20th, 2009
New User
Finally, a thread that goes along with I experience also.
every single day, i'll just be laying on my bed and my heart will start racing. like super fast, and then it starts pounding really really hard.

i can hear it, and sometimes even feel it in my head.
my doctors all swear up and down it's just my panic disorder. I've seen a cardiologist, worn a halter monitor, countless ekg, ecg, you name it i've had it done.

They say im perfectly healthy, but i can't help but think that there is more to this, you know? cause it's like even when im not having anxiety and panicking, it will beat super fast. I'm on klonopin, buspar, and effexor and it seems to help a lot but im just so scared theres an underlying heart condition..


But a few days ago when i went to the ER, I asked the nurse about my heart 'giving out' one day because it constantly beats fast.. and she told me that if your heart beats fast, it actually makes it stronger! Because it's a muscle, you know? Imagine that.

I hope that piece of information helps, your not dying or anything, it's called panic disorder.
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