Do you also wake up suddenly in the middle of the night? We looked for what the causes of your nightly awakening could be.
That you suddenly wake up at night can have various causes. To find out if something more is going on, you first have to exclude some things. Think about the moment when you suddenly woke up. Did you have a bad nightmare? Did you have a lot of stress, or were you very tense? Those are triggers that make your heart beat faster and that you can suddenly wake up. Usually, your nightly waking is, therefore quite innocent.
As far as the more physical causes are concerned, certain medications, such as some against asthma, can make your heart beat faster. Ask your doctor if your medication can be adjusted.
Do you regularly skip meals, or are you diabetic and use your medication to keep your blood sugar level under control? Then too low a blood sugar level can cause heart palpitations causing you to wake up suddenly.
Can you exclude all previous causes? Then maybe something more serious is going on. For example, a number of heart conditions, like an overactive thyroid gland, cause an irregular heartbeat.
So, if you often wake up awake at night without reminding yourself of a nightmare or tense, consult your doctor. It examines whether certain physical problems can be treated so that you can once again enjoy your well-deserved night’s rest.
