In general, the consensus seems to be that sleeping on your left side is better for most people. It may reduce GERD and sleep apnea more than sleeping on your right side. The only exception is that people with congestive heart failure or heart palpitations might benefit from sleeping on their right sides.
Heart palpitation is usually a harmless reaction of the body. However, if you are worried or disturbed by it, you can change your position or avoid lying on the left side of your body.
Try relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga or deep breathing. Avoid stimulants. Caffeine, nicotine, some cold medicines and energy drinks can make the heart beat too fast or irregularly. Avoid illegal drugs.
Sleep on your right side to protect your heart
Data has shown that when people lie on their left side during sleep, the position of their heart shifts due to the pull of gravity.
Patients may ask, "Why does my heart beat fast when I lay down?" Most often palpitations are caused by the change in position of the body. When you lay down you compress the stomach and chest cavity together, putting pressure on the heart and blood flow and increasing circulation.
If your heart is racing at night, you should: Breathe deeply: Try pursed lip breathing techniques, which involve long, deep breaths. You can also meditate and try other relaxation techniques to reduce stress. Drink a glass of water: If you're dehydrated, your heart has to work harder to pump blood.
Sustained heart palpitations lasting more than 30 seconds are considered a medical emergency. They could indicate pre-existing heart diseases such as coronary artery disease or heart valve disorders.
Palpitations can happen at any time, even if you're resting or doing normal activities. Although they may be startling, palpitations usually aren't serious or harmful. However, they can sometimes be related to an abnormal heart rhythm that needs medical attention.
Many factors can cause a person to wake up with a racing heart, including stress, sleep deprivation, sleep apnea, and changes in blood sugar levels. Sometimes, upon waking, it may feel as though the heart is beating very fast or pounding in the chest. A person may also feel shaky or anxious when this happens.
To keep palpitations away, try meditation, the relaxation response, exercise, yoga, tai chi, or another stress-busting activity. If palpitations do appear, breathing exercises or tensing and relaxing individual muscle groups in your body can help. Deep breathing. Sit quietly and close your eyes.
Stimulate the vagus nerve
The vagus nerve connects the brain to the heart, and stimulating it can calm palpitations. An individual can stimulate the vague nerve by: holding the breath and pushing down, as though having a bowel movement. placing ice or a cold, damp towel on the face for a few seconds.
But sometimes people mistake heart palpitations for a more serious condition called atrial fibrillation, or AFib. AFib occurs when rapid electrical signals cause the heart's two upper chambers to contract very fast and irregularly.
Stress, exercise, medication or, rarely, a medical condition can trigger them. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless. Rarely, heart palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious heart condition, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), that might require treatment.
Heart palpitations may also be more noticeable at night because there are fewer distractions and lower noise levels when lying in bed.
Most of the time, heart palpitations are harmless and will go away on their own. In these cases, they do not require treatment. However, heart palpitations can sometimes be a sign of a more serious heart condition.
Heart palpitations are heartbeats that can become noticeable. You may or may not develop other symptoms at the same time. For example, your heart might feel like it's pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for just a few seconds or minutes. You may also feel these sensations in your throat or neck.
When should I speak to my GP? If you're experiencing what feels like frequent or prolonged episodes of palpitations, or you're also having symptoms such as chest pain or dizziness when you have these episodes, it's a good idea to talk to your GP.
Anxiety is a common cause of heart palpitations and usually isn't something to worry about. However, it is normal for your heartbeat to speed up in stressful situations, sometimes palpitations may become more frequent, intense, unpredictable, or impact your general functioning and well-being.
An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slowly. A palpitation is a short-lived feeling of your heart racing, fluttering, thumping or pounding in your chest. An occasional palpitation that does not affect your general health is not usually something to worry about.
Palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer. You may feel this in your chest, neck, or throat. Palpitations can happen at anytime, even if you are resting or doing normal activities. Although they can be unpleasant, palpitations are common and, in most cases, harmless.
A flutter in your chest is what we call a heart palpitation, which is a heartbeat of which you're aware. Under normal circumstances, your heart beats about 100,000 times a day, and you're none the wiser as this organ quietly and efficiently delivers oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to your body.
While palpitations can be bothersome, they're usually not a sign of anything serious. There are ways to prevent palpitations, such as avoiding known triggers like stress, alcohol, and caffeine. Also, remember that everyone is different, and your triggers may not be the same as another person who has heart palpitations.
You should contact your doctor if you experience heart palpitations frequently, for longer than a few seconds, or if they are accompanied by dizziness, loss of consciousness, chest or upper body pain, nausea, excessive or unusual sweating, and shortness of breath.