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Heart Palpitations Forum >> Symptoms and other concerns >> Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
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Message started by brianbriggs on May 14^th, 2013, 7:50am

Title: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on May 14^th, 2013, 7:50am

Hi there,

Ive noticed them in the past when eating pizza, but they would usually go away. The last few weeks they have been waking me up around 5am, but usually I could drink a glass of water and they would go away. Not anymore. I am getting them a lot these days (even when eating quinoa).

Its disturbing my sleep and waking me up. It usually comes on strong when I lie down and towards the afternoon (I can feel the heavy blood rush in my ears at times). Even when I move in bed it can make them worse.

I went to a cardio recently and had blood, ecg, houlter, x-ray and all were fine. I have been taking sumial and lorazapam for the last 9 days to help me sleep. I have come off them today and hoping I can sleep tonight.

I was wondering if it was my fairly strict vegetarian diet (I do cheat and eat fish I am a vegetarian (I do cheat and eat fish). Some sort of food allergy. I really don't know anymore.
Possible things some co-workers have said might be causing it:
I was eating more than 1 tlbs of cinammon with my porridge each morning.
I was taking half a teaspoon of sodium bicarbonate each morning which Ive stopped doing.
I have two humidifiers on my desk which pump a lot of water into the air and me.
Well, I hope there might be some clues that you guys can pick up on.
Yaaawn, sorry I only had two hours sleep last night due to the palps and so am a zombie today.

Good luck everyone.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by bigcountry on May 14^th, 2013, 8:14am

Brian,

I guess the basics of what you need to understand is although these palps are uncomfortable, they are harmless. If you read back through the post you will see MAN MANY times where gastric issues are the main cause for palps and RLR gives many examples of how to cut down on this issue. The other main issue is you have now alerted your Central Nervous system to be scared of these palps and it is on alert 100% of the time which is causing the increase!!!

Look at your palps as you do a sprained ankle or any other wound..if you were to hit a sprained ankle everyday it would never heal....well the fact that you are hitting your nervous system with fear keeps your body on a high level of alert....its like a tuning fork.....if you keep hitting it it will keep vibrating and you keep hitting your central nervous system with fear!

I hope this helps some : )

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by martinpetersen on May 14^th, 2013, 9:24am

I agree with Big Country.

And I can tell you that many people have used many hours to try to find causal connection between whatever you do and whatever you eat - end the occurence of palps. I still can't help looking now and then.

There certainly can be a connection between what goes on in your stomach and intestines and palps, since the vagus nerve connects these organs and can "tranport" wayward impulses to the heart and make it beat and an extra beat or ten ...

I also sometimes get them late at night or in the middle of the night. Or late morning :-)
And I'm quite sure that a trigger for me is late eating of big meals supplied with a liter of beer (or a bottle og wine) So that I try to avoid.

Several other GI-"episodes" can probably trigger them as well: Too much acid. Air. Position (many people have written that lying on the left side is worse ...)

If you find obvious triggers: avoid them if possible. If you don't, you probably have to accept them for some time. Accepting might make them fewer. And think this: Have they EVER developed into something worse?

I have had them for 8 years - some quite bothering episodes - but I never fell to the ground and died. They always stopped at some point. Sometimes after 4-6 hours. Sometimes more quickly.

Good luck!

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on May 16^th, 2013, 1:19am

I had some sweet potato yesterday and the palpitations.

Ive been eating a lot of quinoa and millet recently. I guess I wasn't getting enough carbs in my diet?

Cheers,
Lee

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by martinpetersen on May 16^th, 2013, 1:22am

I don't believe that would have anything to do with it. And searching for details in what you eat as a trigger of palps will drive you crazy! :-)

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on Jun 5^th, 2013, 12:59am

>I don't believe that would have anything to do with it. And searching for details in what you eat as a trigger of palps will drive you crazy!

You are right it is driving me crazy! But I have noticed that certain foods trigger palpitations.

For example having a tuna salad for lunch gives me no palps, whereas adding some crabs to that meal does give me palps.

Does anyone have any relevant or useful links based on my situation?

Many thanks!

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on Jun 7^th, 2013, 12:34am

ok, another night without sleep. I ate some white potatos and drank a small amount of alcohol and the palpitations came on instantly. Could not sleep at all.

So high gi food definitely affects them.

Not sure what I can do? Any help would be very much appreciated.

Thanks.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on Jun 7^th, 2013, 1:19am

646F616569736872747F060 wrote:

Bigcountry,

I tried searching for 'gastric' in this forum, but only your thread came up.

I was wondering if you could elaborate some more on 'gastric issues' and point me to any relevant RLR? threads?

Thanks a lot,
Brian

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by Jonp on Jun 7^th, 2013, 3:19am

Brian

Many on this site have tried to find a simple food cause for their palps but I have not read of any success. I agree with Bigcountry, the more you think about your palps, the more you will get.

I will, however, throw one idea your way as it has helped me. Many of us find that the trigger for our palps is wind. We swallow air when we eat (my wife can go to 8 months pregnant after a hasty meal) and, I understand, this pressure can cause the vagus nerve to start the palps. It is worse for me if I lie down after a meal. Also, fizzy drinks contain 3 times their volume in carbon dioxide gas, much of which must be released into the stomach. Beer and lager contain up to 1.5 times their volume in gas. Your vegetarian diet, though healthy, may produce more gas. I find that I can reduce my palps by having a good burp after meals, or massaging my stomach while lying down which can release trapped wind (up and down!).

Whether you can control them or not, the most important thing is to try not to let them interfere with your life.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by martinpetersen on Jun 7^th, 2013, 3:31am

I have had good experiences with over-the-counter anti-gas and anti-acid pills. And also with trying not to over-eat late in the evening.

This combined with a consciousness of palps not being dangerous and not coming from the inside of the heart has helped me.

Best of luck.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by sto12 on Jun 7^th, 2013, 4:32am

I also agree that the more you think about your palpitations the more they are inclined to increase. I know that if I am totally distracted with something I don't feel any ectopic beats at all. On the other hand, if I feel one and then start worrying about it I find that they start coming one after another for hours on end. I used to be able to control them but a few months ago I started finding it harder and harder to do so. Sometimes you think you aren't thinking about them but you really are. There is a difference between being truly distracted and telling yourself that you are distracted. Moreover, the very act of telling yourself that you are distracted means that you aren't distracted at all. I think the answer lies there.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by richie on Jun 9^th, 2013, 12:37am

I think both statements are correct.
When you are focused on something else you tend to feel better.
But often when we focus on work or something else , we do not eat or drink ;)
I´m 99% sure that food and drinking and swallowing air with it, causes palps. And some foods tends to give more palps. Also how fast you eat or drink.
Most of my spasms, palps and so on are related to my stomach acid and air and diaphragm hiatus hernia. Mostly any GP i visited now is convinced of that.

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on Jun 10^th, 2013, 1:08am

0F2A2B35450 wrote:

I do have a lot of wind (but always have, so no real change there).

I have been lying down a lot, usually after a meal in the evening (about an hour and a half afterwards). Could lying down too much cause palps?

Last night I could not sleep at all. Did not have palpitations, but had crazy adrenaline rushes just as I am about to fall asleep. This happened all night. I was lying down a lot that day. Could that be it?
Will exercise at 8pm tonight to see if that helps.

Thanks for the advice guys :)

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by Jonp on Jun 10^th, 2013, 3:51am

Brian

If you look at "nomorepanic" website, you will see that hot and cold sweats are a symptom of panic attacks. I had what I described as adrenaline rushes for a few nights last year, very unpleasant feeling, sweating, felt my blood pressure was up and I did have palpitations. They woke me up at about 4am and I could not get back to sleep. I did not feel panicky but I was (am) under a lot of stress which I feel is the underlying reason for all my symptoms. I am learning to control or ignore them.

Lying down definitely increases my palpitations, particularly after a meal. Also sitting at a computer (stomach squashed?) has started them.

If you are stressed, anxious etc., it may be better to tackle that rather than worry about the symptoms. There are lots of ideas on the internet (relaxation and breathing techniques, exercise, hypnosis etc.)but beware of "miracle cures" which cost a lot of money.

Good luck and relax

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by richie on Jun 11^th, 2013, 10:04am

maybe an interesting thread

http://forum.asktheneurologist.com/post-neurology-questions-f6/arrhythmia-caused-vagus-nerve-t396.html

Title: Re: Heart palps when lying down and after eating carbs
Post by brianbriggs on Jul 11^th, 2013, 1:25am

Well a little update. The palpitations aren't as bad, but I notice them come on in the afternoon.

I ate some sweet potato the other night and they went away.

Did the same last night and it helped them go away. But I still felt a heaviness in my heart as if it was struggling to pump the blood, which kept me awake because as soon as I would start to fall asleep I would wake again. Had to take a sleeping pill (really want to get off these things).

I think its diet related but who knows. Docs say Im fine, but they don't know what my diet is like (vegetarian who eats fish). No bread, pasta, dairy. Thought it might be lack of calcium magnesium, but I eat tofu, drink calcium enriched soya milk and take a calcium magnesium supplement).

Maybe its lack of iron/ anemia? But then I eat plenty of spinach, nuts, quinoa.

Don't know whats going on? Anyone got any ideas?

Thanks a lot! :)