-Mommy with Chest Pounding, Anxiety at Bed Time

My trouble sleeping started a couple of years ago. I went to doctors who asked am I anxious, nervous, depressed- my answer- only about not being able to sleep! I was given a couple of different prescriptions- both I felt were not worth the side effects. I've also used Melatonin which worked pretty nicely but started causing dizziness after about 6 weeks of use. For me the best thing was to have a good book on hand, go downstairs to my comfy couch with my favorite quilt and read until sleep came. After accepting that sometimes I would get more sleep than others (and read more books), I stopped being anxious and started sleeping more.

Sorry you're going through this, it sounds terrible! I have a similar problem, only not as severe. I'll be SOOOOO tired with 3 kids under 4, but like you, I'll be awake in bed at 2:00am freaking myself out because I cant sleep and I know I need to. I too don't take drugs, and I've quit the coffee after 10am, I don't drink any other caffiene and I quit having my favorite 2 squares of dark chocolate at night, I dont' eat much sugar, but it still happens. I know if I would read I'd fall asleep, but I'm too tired to read, but I'm still awake. Nightmare! And At night, my negativity sets in and I get scared of tragedies that could happen to the kids etc...car accidents family ilnesses, you name it. If it's the middle of the night-I'm paranoid.

With me, I notice it happens on days when I haven't had time to exercise. Even on the busiest, most full, stressful days, I may not actually "exercise" much-as in move my body, get my heart rate up and use my muscles. You know what I'm saying. On days when the kids and I run around a park and I play with them, or I go the the gym or get out for a long fast walk/jog and do some exercises, I always pass out early at night and sleep well. The challenge is making the time EVERY day. On days where I can't make it to the gym I now do lots of stairs and laundry and home aerobics to make up for it. I'll tell myself I can't watch an hour of Law and Order unless I exercise through half of it. It always works.

I haven't seen a doctor, because I don't want meds, lots of my friends have this problem too, but yours is a little more severe so it wouldn't hurt you to go get yourself checked out. Just beware of the "try medication before exercise" attitude at the doctor -which you already know. Good luck!

Hi J.,
Try exercising in the morning even if just walking in place while your daughter is playing or
watching a kid's program. If you don't have any exercise equipment you can march in place and swing your arms with elbows at an angle. Even if you can't do it all at once due to
distractions with your daughter, just keep at it and perhaps keep a diary that adds up the
smaller segments and you can be proud of your accomplishment each day.
Even better would be going outside and taking your daughter for a walk or with a stroller, or you can combine the indoor / outdoor efforts
Don't exercise later in the day or it will actually keep you awake, but early in the day exercise should help you fall asleep quickly. GOOD LUCK !!! Jane (mom, grandmom,teacher

Upon scrolling through the responses - most relate this to anxiety. With me - my brain is always on overload. I wan't going to respond to your request, but after last night I pulled this back out of the deleted folder.
I went to bed at 10 PM, and at midnight I woke up with a burning in my chest and my heart pounding. I knew my acid reflux was acting up again. I took 1 nexium, and within 30 minutes everything had calmed down, no pain in chest, burning in my throat and my shoulders quit hurting. Over the last few years, this has happened. I don't take nexium on a regular bases - as I don't have insurance, so a prescription of 30 pills sometimes will last me 6 months. I only take them when I know that I have eatten something really spicy or fried foods, (had a piece of link sausage for brunch)
I also tried the pepcid over the counter - and it helps but not nearly as much as the nexium. Good Luck.

my son will b 2yrs at the end of this month and i have been experiencing this type of thing too. i actually hardly ever see my primary care doc - i prefer my chiropractor who treats all of my issues naturally and i have had a ton of success w/her! she thought it might b anxiety with me also and treated me for that with supplements. it helped some, but i found huge relief when they found out my hormones were out of balance - i had too much estrogene! she gave me supplements for that and it was like a whole new world!! i felt so much better in sooooo many ways! my anxiety was just a symptom of my estrogene problem! i feel like if i had gone to my primary doc, he would have just given me a pill! if ur interested, my chiro is dr. blossic at hockessin chiropractic and shes amazing!! i also do a lot of work w/ a woman named lorelei who is also there! best of luck!

It sounds like anxiety. Anxiety can come in many different forms. My fiancee had such a bad anxiety attack,I took him to the hospital. He thought he was having and heart attack. He was put on antidepressants for a while and it seemed to help except for the wierd dreams he had from them. Sometimes,it is hard going from working everyday to being at home with your child. It has nothing to do do whether or not you love your child or not. When you finally relax and go to sleep you probably start to think about everything so you feel anxiety and can not sleep. If you have someone to watch your child why not go back to work a few days a week.? May be it would be good to get out of the house. When I get really stressed out I go to the gym and work out. Sometimes a nice workout will relax me and I seem to sleep better. Good luck

This has actually recently happened to me. I thought maybe I was having a heart attack or anxiety. Went to the doctor and had an EKG and my heart was fine. The doctor put me on Atavan as needed to see if it was anxiety and sure enough it was. The medication made it stop. Funny, once I figured out that it WAS anxiety the attacks stopped. I only had to take one pill! I think it might have been a vicious cycle of the attacks then making me more stressed about having attacks in the first place.

I totally get not wanting to "medicate" but truly sometimes it is necessary. If the alternative is having these attacks I think the choice is clear. I bet the stress put on the body by these symptoms is probably so much worse in the long run than taking a pill. Also-there are sleeping pills out there that are OTC that I have used and they work great and are absolutely not addictive and do not have side effects. I think Simply Sleep is what I currently use. (Not all sleeping pills are like Ambien or the others that you hear of crazy stuff like sleepwalking.)

You should get to the Doctor to discuss as soon as possible.

PLEASE see your doctor now. I went through this in 2001. When all tests were done, it ended up being stress. BUT, our local fire department told me that had I not done something about it, it could have been a real heart attack. Please feel free to email me for more details and how I pulled out of it. It took a while; I persisted because I love life.

I have found Magnesium to be very important in all nerve disorders. Please see the article below for a full explanation about the importance of magnesium in the diet (it is from the JMercola website - GREAT for all health issues):

The Miracle of Magnesium
Posted by: Dr. Mercola
August 07 2004 | 23,355 views

By Carolyn Dean, MD, ND

Magnesium deficiency triggers or causes the following 22 conditions; the introduction of magnesium, either by a high-magnesium diet, with green drinks, or magnesium supplements, can help alleviate these conditions:

1. Anxiety and panic attacks
2. Asthma
3. Blood clots
4. Bowel disease
5. Cystitis
6. Depression
7. Detoxification
8. Diabetes, Syndrome X,
and Metabolic Syndrome
9. Fatigue
10. Heart disease
11. Hypertension
12. Hypoglycemia
13. Insomnia
14. Kidney Disease
15. Liver Disease
16. Migraine
17. Musculoskeletal conditions
18. Nerve problems
19. Obstetrics and Gynecology--premenstrual syndrome, dysmenorrhea (cramping pain during menses), infertility, premature contractions, preeclampsia, and eclampsia in pregnancy, lessens the risk of cerebral palsy and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
20. Osteoporosis
21. Raynaud's Syndrome
22. Tooth decay

Science and medicine have both turned their backs on magnesium. Science opts out because the scientific methodology is defined by being able to test one thing at a time ending up with one result. Science finds magnesium too difficult to corral, partly because it is responsible for the correct metabolic function of over 350 enzymes in the body. The creation of ATP (adenosine triphospate) the energy molecules of the body, the action of the heart muscle, the proper formation of bones and teeth, relaxation of blood vessels, and the promotion of proper bowel function are all under the guidance of magnesium.

Why Don't We Hear More About Magnesium?

Medicine has turned its back on magnesium because most of the funding for medical research now comes from drug companies. Magnesium is not a patented drug and therefore will not be studied by drug companies, except to try to disprove its action.

While researching my book, "The Miracle of Magnesium," I found that doctors have been prescribing magnesium for heart disease since the 1930s. A review of seven major clinical studies showed that IV magnesium reduced the odds of death by more than half in patients suffering acute myocardial infarction (heart attack). One study, LIMIT-2, developed a protocol for giving magnesium as soon as possible after onset of the heart attack and before any other drugs. If those criteria were followed, heart muscle damage was greatly reduced, and neither hypertension nor arrhythmia developed.

Magnesium and the Heart

During and after a heart attack, people can suffer the following:

* Extension of the area of heart damage as calcium floods into the muscle
* Blood clotting, which blocks blood vessels in the heart muscle
* Decreased blood flow as blood vessels go into spasm
* Arrhythmia as the areas where muscle contraction in the heart originate are damaged

Magnesium is able to:

* Dilate blood vessels
* Prevent spasm in the heart muscle and blood vessel walls
* Counteract the action of calcium, which increases spasm
* Help dissolve blood clots
* Dramatically lessen the site of injury and prevent arrhythmia
* Act as an antioxidant against the free radicals forming at the site of injury 1-4

One of the main reasons that heart drug digoxin becomes toxic is because there is not enough magnesium in the body. 5

A drug trial called ISIS sought to disprove the effects of magnesium. In the ISIS trial the protocol was not followed in that magnesium was not the first drug given, and often it was not given for many hours or days after a heart attack was well established, causing widespread damage and blood clotting. Yet, drug reps can dutifully tell their doctor clients that ISIS proved that magnesium is worthless for heart disease! 6 Since the LIMIT-2 and ISIS trials, another smaller trial with only 200 people who were given IV magnesium at the onset of a heart attack, experienced a 74 percent lower death rate. 7

In spite of the fact that heart drugs, mainly diuretics, have the bad habit of depleting magnesium--along with potassium and even though magnesium is absolutely required for stabilizing heart muscle activity--magnesium is not utilized properly by conventional medicine.

Magnesium's Role in a Healthy Body

A small group of international magnesium researchers, however, have continued, against all odds, to prove the importance of magnesium not only as a nutrient for thousands of body processes but also as a medicine to treat magnesium-depleted health conditions. Drs. Bella and Burton Altura are two hard-working magnesium heroes! They have performed laboratory research and clinical research to the tune of about 1,000 studies over the past 40 years. The Alturas personally confirmed that the 22 magnesium-related conditions, listed at the beginning of this article, have a solid basis in science.

Dr. Burton Altura said that during his 40 years of research he was appalled at the lack of attention given to this life-saving nutrient. He has all but given up on conventional medicine recognizing the need for magnesium in its protocols for dozens of diseases and welcomed books such as mine to help spread the word. Without million-dollar marketing budgets that drug companies have for their latest drugs, nutrient research plods along--proving over and over again their worth but never being able to get that information out to the public.

Up to 80 Percent of Americans are Magnesium-Deficient

Another reason that Dr. Altura felt magnesium was not given its due is because there has been no lab test that will give an accurate reading of the magnesium status in the tissues. Only one percent of magnesium of the body is distributed in the blood, making a simple sample of magnesium in the blood highly inaccurate. That's why most doctors who rely on blood tests for magnesium and not magnesium deficiency signs and symptoms and realization that up to 80 percent of the population is deficient, will miss an important diagnosis.

There's even more to the actual way magnesium works. It exists in the body either as active magnesium ions or as inactive magnesium complexes bound to proteins or other substances. A magnesium ion is a group of atoms that is missing an electron, which makes it excitable as it searches to attach to something that will replace its missing electron.

Magnesium ions constitute the most physiologically active fraction of magnesium in the body; they are free to join in biochemical body processes and are not attached to other substances. 8 Most clinical laboratories only assess total "serum" magnesium, which mixes up both active and inactive types.

The Alturas took it upon themselves to develop and research a method that would test specifically for magnesium ions. It came about in 1987 and is called the Blood Ionized Magnesium Test. Its accuracy has been confirmed countless times with sensitive digital imaging microscopy, atomic absorption spectroscopy and the magnesium fluorescent probe. With this test it is now possible to directly measure the levels of magnesium ions in whole blood, plasma and serum using ion-selective electrodes. 8 The Alturas have used the ionized magnesium test in hundreds of research trials on dozens of different conditions proving, for example, that the 22 conditions listed above are related to magnesium deficiency. 9-15

Unfortunately, I'm not able to tell you that the ionized magnesium test is readily available. The Alturas do ionized magnesium tests at their laboratory at SUNY in New York and the testing equipment is available through an outside manufacturer to interested labs. (I've included the Altura contact information, below.)

How to Get Enough Magnesium

How do I get enough magnesium is a question that I'm frequently asked. If there is enough magnesium in the soil where green leafy vegetables, nuts, and seeds are grown then we have a chance to obtain magnesium from our diet. Organic foods may have more magnesium, but only if farmers replenish their soil with magnesium-rich fertilizers. Most fertilizer used on factory farms relies heavily on nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium to make plants grow and appear healthy.

However, if magnesium and other minerals and micronutrients are not introduced the plants may look good but are not packed with the nutrition we need. Growers should be required to use top-quality fertilizers and should test their crops for the long list of nutrients we need to stay healthy.

In general, to get as much magnesium as possible in the diet, eat plenty of organic leafy green vegetables, nuts and seeds every day. Adding green drinks to your menu will help you achieve a higher magnesium status. However, if you are suffering from the following symptoms you may need supplemental magnesium:
muscle twitches, tics, or spasms "Charlie horse" (the muscle spasm that occurs when you stretch your legs) insomnia or restless sleep stress back pain
headaches, cluster headaches, migraines stiff and aching muscles bones and joints that need continued chiropractic treatment weakness hypoglycemia
diabetes nervousness hyperactivity high blood pressure osteoporosis
PMS constipation angina kidney stones aging
depression heart attack irregular heartbeat attention deficit disorder aggressive behavior
chronic fatigue syndrome stroke anxiety confusion, muscle weakness hiccups
high-strung exhaustion from exercise seizures

The Calcium-to-Magnesium Ratio

Supplementing with magnesium must also take into account the balance between calcium and magnesium. Finland, which, from 1973 to 1999 had the highest recorded incidence of heart attack in middle-aged men in the world, also has a high calcium-to-magnesium ratio in the diet at 4 parts calcium to 1 part magnesium. 16-17 Americans in general have a high calcium-to-magnesium ratio in their diet and consequently in their bodies; the U.S. ratio is 3.5-to-1. Our dietary emphasis on a high calcium intake without sufficient magnesium and because of the excessive emphasis on women taking high doses of calcium for osteoporosis, we are creating more imbalance between the two minerals.

Some researchers predict that the American ratio of calcium to magnesium is actually approaching 6-to-1, yet, the recommended dietary ratio of calcium to magnesium in the United States is 2-to-1. Current research on the paleolithic or caveman diet shows that the ratio of calcium to magnesium in the diet that our bodies evolved to eat is 1-to-1. 18 In order to offset the deficiency magnesium induced by excess calcium and to treat the above 22 conditions, people may find it necessary to ingest one part magnesium to one part calcium in supplement form for a period of months to a year. Stabilization on a healthy diet including green drinks may be possible after that time.

The most commons sources of magnesium are oxide, citrate, glycinate, and malate. People use oxide and citrate if they suffer from constipation to take advantage of magnesium's laxative effect. Glycinate seems to cause little diarrhea and is the best choice for people who already have loose stools. Magnesium malate has been promoted for people with fibromyalgia to help break up lactic acid that seems to be part of the fibromyalgia picture.

Dr. Carolyn Dean is a medical doctor and naturopathic doctor. She is a writer, researcher, and health advocate. She is the lead author on Death by Medicine and a health advisor to yeastconnection.com and curesnaturally.com. She has written several health books including "The Miracle of Magnesium". Her Web site is carolyndean.com. The Miracle of Magnesium is written for both the lay public and practitioners. It is packed with hundreds of journal references that will convince doctors of the importance of magnesium and its efficacy in dozens of conditions--before reaching for the prescription pad.

Related Articles:

IV Magnesium Helps Children with Moderate to Severe Asthma

Magnesium Supplements Lower Blood Pressure

Low Magnesium A Risk Factor For Death From Heart Disease

Better Options Than IV Magnesium for Premature Labor-Prevention

Resources

Blood Ionized Magnesium Test

Drs. Bella and Burton Altura. State University of New York, Health Science Center at Brooklyn, New York, New York 11203, USA. ###-###-#### or ###-###-####.

J.,

It sounds like a panic attack. I use to get them when I would drink too much caffeine and I had a lot of stress in my life. I,too, backed off on the coffee. Are you able to get any exercise during the day? Is there anything bothering you? Exercise, especially yoga, can help. Keep that appt. with your doctor! Good luck.

I went thru the same thing a couple of years ago . Also a great sleeper. The anxiety got so bad that I went to talk to my Dr. He did not put me on any meds . So I went to a health and vitamin shop.I spoke to a guy who had the same thing.

First he said to make sure you are execising..He told me to go outside and walk every affternoon 15 minutes and early eve 30 minutes. and to walk very fast.

I bought plenty of cammomile tea and started drinking about 1/2 hour before bed.I also started taking evening primrose oil every morning and eve. There are so many benefits and no side effects.That seems to cut the anxiety down.

Then I read about the calming effects of Lavender oils. I keep it by my bedside when ever I wake up with an attack of anxiety. I put in on the inside of my wrists or just take 3 deep inhales from the bottle.

I stayed out of bed and sat on a chair near the bed and found a comforting book to read.I also planned not to go to sleep as early as I normaly would and that it was OK even if I just rested for a while but did not sleep.

It took acouple of weeks but I did this stuff every night for a few years. and go back to it when I need.
Also I tried some anxiety medicinal teas ,be careful some have ingredients that make you even more anxious.

I wish you good Luck!!You will get back on track but be patient with your body and mind.

L.

Go see your DR for sure!
Try to figure out what your triggers are..what you are thinking/dreaming about beforehand.
Try to write down a "to-do" list BEFORE you go to bed. This what I call a "mental dump" and it will help clear the mind of any floating thoughts at bedtime. Doing relaxing meditation or listening to spa music before bedtime helps too.

Sounds like possibly a panic attack which you should see the doctor about.

Hi there J.,
It sounds like you should definately visit your doctor. I had a lot of issues with my heart pounding too. After several tests and having to wear a heart monitor, they found that I was simply allergic to caffeine. (I understand you cut out coffeee and soda, how about chocolate?) I also noticed that strees seems to affect me as well. Do you like cherries? I just read something recently that said that there is something in cherries that causes you to realax. Also, they make caffeine free teas in different flavors. Tylenol also makes a medicine called Tylenol PM. I have heard that this works well, but have never tried it myself.

Hi J.,

First I want to say that I am sorry for your troubles. I myself had a very similar problem. I would be drifting off to sleep when I would jolt awake from heart palpitations. I did see my doctor and also a cardiologist. It turned out to be mito value prolapse, which is a minor condition. However, mine was due to too much cafffine. I know you don't drink that much caffine, but a doctors visit would be a good idea. I hope that you find a solution soon!

Best Wishes,

N.

It could be anxiety finally releasing after days end, when U finally calm down. It could also be thyroid or hormones. How much sugar is in your diet? Drink lots of water and try to do some relaxation exercises before bed. Cammomile (sp?) tea is good for calming the nerves,too.

J.,

You don't say if you are getting back to sleep after this jolt. I would call your doctor and ask to see a sleep specialist. I used to work for a sleep clinic and there are many different types of sleep problems. Anticipating the problem could be causing you to have more anxiety about falling asleep, and that sets you up in a destructive loop. I would try for some professional help at this point.
Best of luck!

Hi J.!

I'm a little behind in reading my email and just saw your post. You've received a lot of great responses and I agree that it sounds like an anxiety attack. And yes, anxiety feeds on itself.

As many have suggested, please see your Dr. You may benefit from having a sleep study done. If he/she doesn't suggest it, you may want to ask.

In the meantime, to try and ease your mind a little, I thought I'd share some info on sleep habits. For me, knowing why something happens helps me relax and accept it. My one year old is still having trouble sleeping through the night so I've done a little (and I mean little... I'm no expert) research on sleep.

When I stopped swaddling my baby, she stopped sleeping. What I learned is that everyone jolts in their sleep... even adults. I have felt it myself on occasion and have observed my daughter do it. The baby wakes and can't go back to sleep because she's conditioned to fall asleep in my arms. Adults know how to go back to sleep on their own so most of us never feel our bodies jolt. The jolt you are feeling is normal. Don't stress about it. ;) Perhaps you're not getting into a deep enough sleep before this happens so it is waking you. Now you're in the anxiety circle because you're worried it's going to happen again.

The tea and lavender oils sound great to help you relax. I don't know if you have a regular bedtime routine for yourself. If you don't, perhaps a relaxing routine would help relieve the anxiety and prevent the attack... maybe tea, lavender oil on your wrists, a good book and a rocking chair? I've had anxiety attacks myself. Once it's started, the only way I find relief is to remove myself from the situation temporarily... if I'm inside, I'll step out and sit on the porch for a few minutes, do some deep breathing exercises and the anxiety passes.

Hope some of this helps. Good luck.

Hi, J.:

Contact your family physician.

Good luck. D.

How about coming up with a bedtime routine ? Like, do some exercises, and some very relaxing stretching, then when you've stretched and relaxed, climb into bed and try thinking about all the things you are thankful for as you go to bed.

I think to some extent when we have anxiety, it feeds on itself -- because we are then worried that it'll happen again. oopsie -- guess what ? it does !

I don't know if this will help or not, but it's definately not medication. So I figure it's worth a try. And I hope this stops for you soon. It's very very frustrating, and makes it hard to sleep well, making the next day tough, too.

Hi J.
It sounds like a panic attack to me. I haven't had them but my best friend does. If you're a new mom anxiety is super normal. I have become a big believer that panic attacks are becoming more and more common. I think it is because of all of the expectations and pressure we have on moms in our culture.
Do you have somewhere you can go and talk about your worries with? It could be something as simple as a moms group or your pastor or a local family counselor if it is more serious. Local churches have MOPS groups (mothers of preschoolers). Getting around other moms and realizing that the stress of the day is quite typical and that everyone is struggling to "get it all done" can normalize our fears and help us to "settle".

I wish you the best!!
-H.