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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Why Does One Have A Heavy Breathing & A Thumping Sensation?

Last two out of the last three nights i have woken from my sleep in a huge sweat with my body feeling really cold and breathing really heavy, my heart thumping quickly and loud enough for me to hear or maybe just feel comfortably, each time this has been followed by my heart seeming to stop for a good 5 or 6 seconds making me feel how i can only really describe as numb, then it seems to kick back into a fast beat and slowly settles back to normal once i've got up. This has happened each time a total of five times over the two nights. I've also started having heart papiltations whenever i'm lying lying down, i smoke about 10-12 cigarettes a day and don't drink much caffeine, and have had no problems like this in the past and take no medication.
posted on Thu, 13 Mar 2014
Twitter Tue, 27 Jun 2017 Answered on
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Cardiologist,  's  Response
Your problems may be related to abnormality in sleep, particularly rhythm disturbance. The concern is sleep apnea. It is often present in people who are overweight, particularly those who snore. If you are very tired in the morning, sleep easily during the day and snore loudly, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea may cause or worsen high blood pressure and is a common cause of abnormal heart rhythm requiring treatment.

This is a great excuse to stop smoking. Call your doctor to discuss these symptoms and report on any of the above if present. If you can skip cigarettes until the appointment, you're on track.
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Why Does One Have A Heavy Breathing & A Thumping Sensation?

Your problems may be related to abnormality in sleep, particularly rhythm disturbance. The concern is sleep apnea. It is often present in people who are overweight, particularly those who snore. If you are very tired in the morning, sleep easily during the day and snore loudly, you may have sleep apnea. Sleep apnea may cause or worsen high blood pressure and is a common cause of abnormal heart rhythm requiring treatment. This is a great excuse to stop smoking. Call your doctor to discuss these symptoms and report on any of the above if present. If you can skip cigarettes until the appointment, you re on track.