No, I can usually hear my heartbeat when my head is flat on the pillow too. I find this very disconcerting (whether I can hear my 'missed' beats or even if it's just beating normally) so I sleep with my hand under my head to stop me hearing it.

It has been like this for a long time, so it is unconnected to any heart things I have going on. I remember reading it in Patrick Holfords 'Optimum Nutrition' book as one of a number of symptoms of some kind of vitamin deficiency - I can't remember which one, but he talks quite a lot of rubbish so I doubt it is significant.

It's certainly not very pleasant, but I don't think it means anything. If it was a sign of anything it would be more widely known. Generally, I don't like seeing stuff about hearts anymore - not even Flora margerine ads, to be honest.

Oh yes, I can hear my heart beating at night. Sometimes if it is really quiet I home in on it, but other times it is quite loud in my ear and unmissable... Just a thought here and probably a loopy one, but if your heart is beating a little more forcefully than usual, or if it is very quiet, it's not always your heart you hear beating but your pulse near your ear. Now I know we all have veins and arteries in roughly the same places but we are all made slightly different and if your veins are even miniscully (is that a real word?) nearer your eardrum then why wouldn't you hear it? also I do find that if I am a bit blocked up I find it more noisy probably because my eardrums not quite popping properly, and I like to think that has a knock-on effect. (I am plagued by allergies at this time of year.)

bead