What Causes Heart Palpitations at Night?

If you’ve ever felt your heart fluttering, racing, pounding or skipping beats, you’ve experienced heart palpitations. While they’re very common and usually harmless, the feeling can shock you from your rest and relaxation — especially when your heart palpitations happen at nighttime.

If heart palpitations have been a concern for you when you’re trying to settle down, we’re here to put your mind at ease with valuable information about what causes them and why they happen at night.

What Are Heart Palpitations at Night?

A heart palpitation is a type of abnormal heart rhythm, medically known as arrhythmia. A heart palpitation at night may feel like your heartbeat is fluttering, beating too quickly, or has extra beats. Heart palpitations occur when electrical signals telling the heart to beat are obstructed.

Although they can happen at any time during the day, many people experience heart palpitations at night because you may notice them more when you are resting and can concentrate on how your body feels.

Previous research has also shown that different sleeping positions — such as lying on your back or your left side — may cause a person to become more conscientious of their heart palpitations at night.

What Causes Heart Palpitations?

Heart palpitations occur when the heart beats out of rhythm or beats too soon. Nearly everyone has a heart palpitation from time to time. But not everyone feels them.

Some people get heart palpitations when they lay down because of their sleeping position. Sleeping hunched over on your side can increase pressure inside your body, which can cause palpitations. Other common causes of heart palpitations include:

• Alcohol consumption
• Anxiety and depression
• Caffeine
• Dehydration
• Drugs and medications
• Electrolyte imbalance
• Fever
• High sodium, sugar and/or fat intake
• Hormonal changes
• Obesity

While less common, heart palpitations can result from an underlying health condition or disorder, such as:

• Anemia
• Heart disease
• Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias)
• Metabolic syndrome
• Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart’s muscles)
• Thyroid problems (hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism)
• Structural problems in the heart (valve disease)

How Common Are Heart Palpitations in the Night?

Heart palpitations at night are quite common. That's because you have more time to pay attention to what's going on in your body at night. And when you lay down, your body's pressure changes, which can cause palpitations.

Night time heart palpitations may be more common in people with certain diseases, including hyperthyroidism, anemia, metabolic syndrome, and heart disease, as well as those who experience stress, anxiety and/or depression. Obesity and menopause-related hormonal changes may also be behind heart palpitations at night.

Why Do Heart Palpitations Happen at Night?

Heart palpitations can happen anytime, including at night or in the daytime. They can feel alarming, but they aren’t typically due to an underlying health condition. Many people have heart palpitations during the day that they feel at night, but don’t notice while they’re attending to their busy days. You’re just more likely to notice heart palpitations when you’re not distracted and everything is quiet. You might feel them when you’re sitting still, resting or lying down.

What Are the Symptoms of Nighttime Heart Palpitations?

When you lay down you may feel:

• Fluttering: This sensation is sometimes described as a feeling of butterflies or flips in the chest
• Irregular heart rate: It might feel like your heart is beating out of rhythm, skipping a beat, speeding up and slowing down, or stopping for a second or two
• Pounding: You might feel like your heart is beating very hard or forcefully or hear it in your ears

Some people feel the palpitations in other parts of their body like their head, neck or throat.

Can Heart Palpitations Be Stopped?

Heart palpitations at night don’t usually require treatment, especially if they only happen occasionally. You may be able to relieve heart palpitations at night yourself. If your heart is racing at night, try the following:

• Breathe slowly and deeply
• Change positions
• Drink a glass of water to rehydrate
• Focus on something enjoyable and relaxing
• Get up and walk around

Also, pay attention to your patterns when heart palpitations occur. Take note of what you ate, whether you exercised, if you took any medicine, if you’re stressed and how you felt before and after the palpitations. Identifying triggers may help you stave them off in the future.

Can I Prevent Heart Palpitations at Night Before They Begin?

The best way to prevent heart palpitations at night is by making a few lifestyle changes, including:

• Eliminating stress and anxiety during the day and before you go to bed through relaxation techniques like deep breathing or yoga
• Limiting or reducing the amount of caffeine you have during the day and at night
  abstaining from alcohol during the day and especially before bedtime
• Quitting smoking
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Make sure not to eat a very large meal right before going to sleep
• Practicing healthy sleep hygiene habits
• Trying a different sleeping position

When Should You See a Doctor for Heart Palpitations?

Get help right away if you have heart palpitations coupled with difficulty breathing, shortness of breath or chest pain.

If you’re experiencing frequent heart palpitations at night, consider scheduling an appointment with a doctor. They can conduct a review of your medical history. They might recommend a physical examination and tests, such as:

• Electrocardiogram (EKG)
• Exercise stress test, if there’s accompanying chest pain
• Holter monitor, to monitor your heart’s activity over a period of time if you might have an irregular heartbeat
• Lab work
• Ultrasound of your heart

If your palpitations are from an underlying condition, your provider will treat the condition. Treatments will vary based on what you have and to what extent.

What Is The Prognosis For People With Heart Palpitations At Night?

The good news is that the majority of people who experience heart palpitations at night do not need any medical treatment. Most times palpitations can be solved by making simple lifestyle changes.

Sometimes heart palpitations at night can be caused by certain health conditions, such as thyroid disease, cardiovascular issues, low blood pressure, overactive thyroid & other heart problems. As your doctor treats the underlying condition, the palpitations should stop. It is important to see medical attention if your heart palpation is consistent.

We Won’t Miss a Beat

At AdventHealth Heart and Vascular Care, we understand that your heart fuels every breath. And we won’t miss a beat when it comes to finding the root cause behind your symptoms and coming up with a treatment plan that attends to the whole you — your body, mind and spirit. Our cardiologists are here to treat all heart conditions including heart palpitations. Learn more about how we can help care for your heart here.