Waking up with a fast heart rate after a nap, known as tachycardia, often happens due to stress, anxiety, or vivid dreams, triggering adrenaline; but can also signal sleep apnea (brief breathing pauses), dehydration, low blood sugar, or even your body's natural morning circadian rhythm, making the heart temporarily more sensitive. While usually temporary and related to lifestyle, frequent episodes warrant a doctor's visit to rule out underlying issues like thyroid problems or heart conditions.
How do you lower your heart rate immediately?
Stress, dehydration, and sleep apnea are common triggers for waking up with a racing heart. Certain medications, like decongestants and stimulants, can elevate the heart rate during sleep. Medical conditions such as hyperthyroidism and arrhythmia may cause nighttime heart palpitations.
As well as activating the sympathetic nervous system, water drinking also enhances cardiovagal tone in young healthy subjects. This is demonstrated by a reduction in heart rate and an increase in heart rate variability (20).
Be Mindful of Your Breathing:
On the topic of medication, another quick and easy way to lower your heart rate is to practice mindful breathing exercises. Inhale slowly for five seconds and then exhale slowly for 15 seconds. Try dedicating five minutes to this each day.
“Even in moderate amounts it can cause jitteriness and anxiety,” said Dr. Kilgore, noting that caffeine “can also increase respiratory rate, heart rate and blood pressure, which is most often fine in normal people, but if they have a health condition it should be under consideration.”
Three early warning signs of heart failure include persistent fatigue/weakness, shortness of breath (especially with activity or lying down), and swelling (edema) in your legs, ankles, and feet, often accompanied by rapid weight gain from fluid buildup, all signaling your heart isn't pumping efficiently enough. Other key indicators are a chronic cough (sometimes with pink mucus) and heart palpitations.
In many cases, a panic attack triggers a fast heart rate, also known as tachycardia. The heart rate may speed up to 200 beats per minute or even faster. A fast heart rate can make you feel lightheaded and short of breath. Or you might feel fluttering or pounding in the chest.
Another vitamin deficiency that can lead to heart pal- pitations is vitamin B12. Similar to a folate deficiency, a lack of vitamin B12 can lead to anaemia and thereby result in heart palpitations, per the ODS. Vitamin D is another supplement that can cause heart palpitations when taken in large amounts.
Such maneuvers include the Valsalva maneuver, stimulation of the diving reflex (for infants), and unilateral carotid sinus massage. Other children may need pharmacologic therapies to restore normal heart rhythm, which usually consists of a rapid intravenous injection of adenosine under monitoring.
How to Stop Heart Palpitations
Physical signs of stress
The 3-3-3 rule is a simple grounding technique for anxiety that brings you to the present moment by engaging your senses: 1) Name three things you can see, 2) Name three sounds you can hear, and 3) Move three parts of your body (like wiggling fingers/toes, rolling shoulders). This helps shift focus from overwhelming thoughts to your immediate environment, offering quick relief during panic or stress.
Heart-healthy drinks (other than water)
“When stress hormones are elevated, your blood pressure may rise and you may feel heart palpitations, a racing heartbeat, shortness of breath, or even chest pain. In extreme cases, stress can also cause the heart to temporarily weaken, a condition called stress-induced cardiomyopathy.”
What foods can cause heart palpitations after eating? High-carbohydrate foods, which can spike blood sugar levels, particularly if you have low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). High-sodium foods, such as processed or canned foods. Spicy or rich foods, which can cause heartburn and sometimes a quickly beating heart.
Morning anxiety often comes with heightened symptoms right when you wake up, driven by elevated cortisol levels and stress. These feelings can be intense but typically subside as the day progresses.
Some forms of tachycardia can lead to serious health problems if left untreated. Such problems may include heart failure, stroke or sudden cardiac death. Treatment for tachycardia may include specific actions or movements, medicine, cardioversion, or surgery to control a rapid heartbeat.
Adenosine is the first-line medication for acute supraventricular tachycardia, especially if atrioventricular node involvement is suspected. Synchronized cardioversion is indicated for hemodynamically unstable patients with supraventricular tachycardia.
Supraventricular tachycardia is suspected when a doctor or nurse counts a very rapid heart rate (usually>200 in infants and >160 bpm in older children and teenagers) during an attack. To confirm the diagnosis, your child's pediatrician might perform an electrocardiogram (ECG – also known as EKG).
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.
Stage 1 hypertension.
The top number is between 130 and 139 mm-Hg or the bottom number is between 80 and 89 mm-Hg.