Sorry to be a pain, Normally I have been able to get this stuff through my head , but it's like every other night now I am loosing sleep.   Over the years I have had holter monitors, ekg's, stress tests and you would think I would be happy that nothing comes back that is serious.

I wrote earlier that My PVC's are more active and that I had a chest cold...   I also had written about GI problems I have had  that would cause my heart to race or pound...  and granted although a pulse of 95-110  may not be dangerous in and of itself , when you are trying to sleep well it becomes frustrating.

I have suffered with anxiety issues on and off over my life,  so I have some 5 MG Valium tablets.    It seems that I get this faster heart rate when I am laying down to go to sleep,  now  I know what anxiety and panic are, and I am not feeling anxious at the time, nor is it a panic attack.   I have tried eating earlier and not going to bed on a full stomach.  I have had an upper GI recently with no bad report.       So what has happened I will try and and lay there and deal with it , the faster pulse, however I can't get to sleep.   So I get frustrated with it.   By 2:30 Am  I am thinking I have to get to sleep ... I have work...  So I take a half of a 5 mg valium....    within minutes I am asleep.   Last night it happened again,   So this time I took a 1/4 of a valium  ... mind you these are only 5 MG  to start with.   within minutes I am asleep..  Now this has happen this since Saturday just about every other day.       That little bit of valium sure isn't putting me to sleep, but I think it takes the edge off enough to make me sleep.  

My point of the long post is that , If this was a serious electrical problem with my heart ,   I doubt that taking a small amount of valium would make it so I could sleep.    Thus i think I am prooving to myself that this is anxiety related.    But why can't I get it through my thick skull ,   why do I continue to torture myself into thinking , well maybe this is different.

Does my logic make any sense,  if this were something more significant  a little bit of valium wouldn't let me sleep.   But why does this continually seem to happen at night.. no matter how early I eat..

Sorry to go on and on,, but I am tired and becoming frustrated with this ...

Have a great day...

KC

Thanks for your response.   Yes by the time it is 2:30 AM I do start worry  which probably doesn't help....     My normal resting pulse is 76-78  ,   I guess when that pounding starts even though it isn't dangerous , it is bothersome, and then I put worry on top of it...   I do appreciate what you are saying and hopefully soon I will have all this behind me again.  

Best regards
KC

Hi Mr. Hendrix,

Your complaint is certainly a valid one. There is nothing wrong with the electroconductivity of your heart, particularly that would permit the valium to have a positive effect. The medication you speak of does not work in that manner.

As I've explained to many people visiting the site, physical symptoms do not have to have a direct one-to-one relationship with physical disease. As early as childhood, we're all conditioned to make that association because in most cases it's true. In the case of anxiety however, the same neural circuits that are affected during times of illness or disease, are the very same ones affected by anxiety and/or panic disorder. So how do you tell the difference you might ask? Well, the plain and simple answer is that you already have done so, but can't turn off the compulsory nature of anxiety to reinsert the question of "yea, but what if it's different this time?"

Well, in the word of gambling I'd say the odds are very high that such a question is very valid. But in the world of medicine it holds no truth and you should take careful note here of that fact. As physicians, we rely upon the highly predictable nature of the human body and the imposition upon it by illness and disease in order to effectively and efficiently provide treatment and even a cure in some cases.

So you simply can't allow your mind to take control over your sense of logic and after just having undergone repeated tests to search for an underlying physical cause for your symptoms, you are nevertheless compelled to feel insecure and uncertain because the symptoms continue despite the inability to locate a physical cause. The symptoms themselves are indeed physical in nature, but in this case not associated with physical disease. It's a fact.

You'll be fine. My suggestion is to possibly consider looking into the scope and intensity of your anxiety and whether this may be an avenue to explore for ways to diminish your symptoms. I think you'll find it to be productive and yield the kind of results you may be anticipating.

Incidentally, if you find yourself experiencing mild tachycardia, you can often bring relief by immersing your face into cold water and pressing very gently on your eyes for several minutes, which produces a response from something known as the dive reflex. It will slow your heart rate and you can even place a cold compress on your forehead to help extend the effects and relief often experienced. It's important to relax as well and realize that your heart is not suffering from any type of disease and it will not suddenly run wild if you by chance wish to try and ignore it. You'll be just fine.

Also, taking drugs like valium can produce paroxysmal effects upon the nervous system when the therapeutic benefit of the drug is not available. In other words, if the half-life of the drug wears off, you'll notice the increase in symptoms from your anxiety. This is why we don't ordinarily prescribe valium and similar medications for anxiety disorder. Care needs to be taken where use of certain medications for anxiety is concerned. Discussing alternatives with your primary care physician is a good option.  

Best regards and Good Health