Strong chest pains while lying down or sleeping. What is it?
I am 30 years old. For the past year or so, I have been having what I can only describe as "attacks". Approximately, 1 or more times a week and they last about 5-15 minutes. They commonly occur while laying down or sleeping (usually early morning). It's such a deep deep pain. If anyone saw me having one, they would describe me as out of breath. However, I'm just trying to regain my strength. It feels as though a 400 pound man is stepping on my sternum. I also occasionally, (but not as often) have heart palpitations. As a child, I had a heart murmur. I am guilty of not making a doctor appointment b/c I'm haven't found a general physician yet, but I will do very soon. In the meantime, does this parallel any certain disease?
Hello,I wouldnt mess around with this,I have the same problems at times during my sleep i get severe chest pains up the right side of my heart at times the whole way up to my neck and 1 time into my jaw so severe it made me yell,these episodes wake me up at night out of my sleep,but during the day I get periods of chest pains,in the bottom and around the left side into my arm pit and into my arm.I was diaganosed years ago with cardio-myapathy,enlarged heart and possible mild heart attack,my VA DR.has ignored everything,so im going to a Heart Doctor outside the vA on july 2,I get dizzy spells,heart pounding thru my chest walking up 14 steps at times,blood pressure drops Very low then will go back up later on.I would get to a Heart DR.Immediately.Jim
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Thanks so much for posting. It really is crucial you seek a doctor out to be examined and evaluated. If you are having trouble finding a doctor, you migh tconsider seeking out an urgent care facility who could run preliminary test and make recommendations as to where to go afterwards.
You amy also want to check your symptoms with some of those we have listed as heart disease related issues.
Hope this helps, sue
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hello again. on further review of the site I found this and thought you woudl like to see it.
New onset chest pain always requires evaluation by your doctor. If the pain is severe, you should seek immediate medical care.
Even if the chest pain is not severe, emergency care is needed if the chest pain is crushing or squeezing or is accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms
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shortness of breath
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discomfort or tingling in the arms, especially the left arm
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pain in the back
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tightness or pain in the lower jaw
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profuse sweating
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lightheadedness or loss of consciousness.
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I have been having similiar symptoms off and on for about 3 years now. Right around the time of sleep onset I am awoken by intense chest pain. For me it lasts about 10-15 seconds and resolves when I fully awake. Has anyone experienced something like this and received a disagnosis?
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marie
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 04:07 AM
This does not sound like something you should mess with. you need to see a doctor. Any chest pain that last more then a few seconds even could be trouble. I would rather find out that it is nothing then to take a chance and have a heart attack. I don't want to give you false hope but it could also be hiatal hernia. It tool causes chest pain. It too can cause chest pains up to 30 minutes. The best way is not to guess but to ask a doctor. That way they can make the right diagnoses and then the right treatment. Please don't wait long. Take care, I hope this helped, Sue
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I started having this just 4 days ago. Last nite I checked myself into a hospital and told the docs about all the symptoms, cold sweats, chest pain only when lying down, tingling and numbness of my left fingers, shortness of breathe. I also told the doctors that it goes away if I get up off the bed and stand up and start pacing around. It only happens when I lay down in bed. The doctor made a lot of sense. It can't be a heart attack or a heart disease solely because a heart attack and heart disease don't just go away or stops happening simply because a person is standing up. Heart attack strikes people when they're standing too. If you went to see a doctor and had your blood work done, the doc should find that we all have extremely high triglyceride levels in our blood. The average person should be 150-200, but mine was 635. High triglyceride over a long period of time, if left untreated, will develope into a full blown heart disease. Luckily for me, I only had this issue the past week or so. I was prescribed gemfibrozil and I've started taking it, along with a new regiment of a strict diet and exercise and the whole chest pain issue will go away in time, not over night. Hope this helps some of you.
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I have this too, and was wondering what it was. It only happens occasionally, and always while I'm sleeping. I wake up with a tightness, or pain in my chest, and it takes about 5 minutes or so for it to go away. This never happens while I'm awake, and has been going on for approximately 18 years. If you hear anything, please let me know. Thanks!
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Ashley M
Monday, October 26, 2009 at 10:19 PM
I have had this pain for a few years already. Everytime I lay on my back though, is when it starts. feels like a heavy person sitting on my chest. Even when I roll over it will still stay there until I get up and take a few deep breaths. But once it comes I keep getting it. I just had surgery and having to lay on my back has been killing me. I would really like answers. So im heading in to see a specialist shortly!
bob
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 03:08 PM
What I get sounds exactly like what roadrunner gets. I've noticed it for a few 2-5 years. It seems like some kind of sleep apnea, sometimes I'll have a dream that gets more intense (involving physical activity) then I wake up with my heart pumping hard. Other times I just wake up (without anything noticeable in my dream) and my heart feels sore (and I can barely feel it beating). After a few minutes awake it goes away. I went to the doctor and have slept with the EKG three times and 24 hour blood pressure monitoring once. None have shown anything significant (I sleep more lightly when wearing them), and when I wore the EKG while running it was also fine, so my heart/blood are fine when I'm awake. I worry that my crappy bed, which forces me to sleep on my back is causing occasional apnea. It's more likely to occur on days when I drink alcohol, and I'm wondering if days when I eat shortly before bed increases the liklihood of it happening. Does anyone know what's going on? and how to fix it? the cardiologist didn't find anything significant, the next step would be a sleep study, but if I barely sleep during that then it probably wouldn't occur anyway.
roadrunner
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 05:54 PM
Yes, it sounds like we have the same thing. I wish I had some answers. Stress related? Sleep Apnea? Bad dreams? Eating too late? Maybe it is something like that. Let me know if you discover anything.
roadrunner
Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 05:54 PM
Yes, it sounds like we have the same thing. I wish I had some answers. Stress related? Sleep Apnea? Bad dreams? Eating too late? Maybe it is something like that. Let me know if you discover anything.
Hello, did you ever find out what this was? I am 32 and this has happened to me twice in the past 2 weeks. I am making a doc appointment but in doing preliminary research found your description.
Thanks
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I have similar problem for at least 1 year. Sharp pain in the middle of chest area which then radiates to the back. Often in the night while sleeping but strange enough often after a few sips of water, it disappears. I have been for tests, such as xray of the lungs, gallstones, ultrasound of the abdomen, endoscopy, but nothing was found. However I will be seeing my doc to find out more what else can be done.