why do i feel palpitation type at same hour?

for some reason when am awake at 3 in the morning why do i feel like palpitation type that last for a few seconds like a massage type in the heart but it happens only if am wake at that same hour like around 2 am

6 Comments

Simple answer

by ElectricFrank - 2011-10-11 01:10:06

Your pacemaker runs an internal self test on a schedule programmed into it. A common setting is at around 3:00AM when we are most likely to be sound asleep or at least not involved in some physically demanding activity. Another common setting is "Daily at rest" where the pacer waits til you aren't active to run the test.

The test is actually a lot like the one when you go in for a checkup. Without getting into a lot of detail the test causes your heart rate to go through several levels, like 85, and 100 bpm. It also causes it to skip a beat or two.

So this is what causes the palpitation like sensations if you are awake. I don't know why the docs don't let us know early on about this. It can really scare some people. I woke just last nite to a HR of 100, yet wasn't short of breath or anything. Then suddenly it dropped to around 60. No problem since I know what is happening.

By the way this can trigger a dream sometimes. I once dreamed of chasing a jack rabbit up a hill in the desert, and woke up with a fast HR.

hope this helps,

frank

self test

by wandoloswki - 2011-10-11 01:10:14

Mine does it every 21 hours. Tomorrow it will occur at 3:27 and thursday at 12:27.

Agree

by Sue H. - 2011-10-11 08:10:33

Frank is right on and I agree that the doctors should tell us about this self test right up front. When we get a pacemaker we are all so aware of our heartbeats anyway that anything unusual alerts us and can cause anxiety. I used to wake up between 3 and 3:30 am every night with heart racing...then it would slow down, skip beats, etc....thanks to Frank's answer sometime ago, I knew what was going on. Do you think the doctor or tech told me.....of course not. That's another reason this site is so valuable. Once I found about this test, I did have them change the test to Daily at rest mode and now I'll be just starting to nap when heart does it's thing...ha.ha...can't catch a break..........(-: Sue

ICDs too?

by ekt32 - 2011-10-11 09:10:05

Does this happen for ICDs as well? I have palpitation-like feelings at 12:57 AM every single night. I always know when its coming. It comes a few seconds before it turns to 12:58 AM. Sometimes its very mild and I barely feel it but other times it really bothers me. I haven't mentioned it to my EP because I just started paying attention to it a couple of months ago.

Sometimes I get bad anxiety about it but if its just the ICD doing it as a test, then that will be a HUGE weight off my shoulders! It does feel like when they "pace" my heart when they check my ICD and its so different from all other palpitations I get so I was wondering if it was my device. I know I'll have to clarify with EP or the ICD clinic to know for sure.

Thanks,

Emma

ICD difference

by ElectricFrank - 2011-10-12 01:10:08

Most if not all ICD's have both a pacemaker function and a restart/rhythm conversion function. My guess is that the self test only involves the pacing function. There is little risk or discomfort in skipping a beat or varying the HR for the test.

As for the ICD there isn't any real way to test it without actually inducing a risky situation so they would save that they would save that kind of checkup for the hospital setting.

Since I don't have an ICD I'm only thinking out loud.

frank

Thank you for this post!

by kate1615 - 2011-10-13 11:10:55

How timely! I have my one-year PM check tomorrow and will inquire about this. At 50, I'm not sleeping well to begin with -- I wonder if this is the source of my 1am wake up? I'd MUCH rather have a daily at rest check.
Thanks Frank!
Kate

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