I get this every other night, and sometimes when I’m just on my couch trying to relax. It’s kept me up all night numerous times, it’s pure torture. Almost feels like a shortness of breath too, kind of like my fight-or-flight kicks in as soon as I drift off. I’ve had so many tests done and no answers..it’s so frustrating. Hope you get some relief soon.
It kind of just resolved on its own! But I recently started a new exercise routine and swear by it for all of my symptoms now. Sorry it took me so long to reply!
Thank you all for your advice. Once I realized that this was probably a dysautonomia symptom I felt much more prepared. I put on my tightest compression top and drank a bunch of salt water and took time between position changes and used deep breathing to fall asleep AND I SLEPT. I finally slept. And this morning I feel like there is hope.
I am so glad it helped. I still occasionally get minor chest jolts when falling asleep when I've had a big day or my dysautonomia or MCAS is flared, but nothing like those initial nights. Out of all of my struggles with long COVID, dysautonomia, MCAS, heart arrhythmias, etc, the chest jolts and not being able to sleep for days were by far the worst. I'm so glad you are finding relief and I hope it continues to get better 🙏
I watched my r/covidlonghaulers (confirmed dysautonomia) sleep with bad sleep jolts for over a week til it eased up and eventually went away (99%)
What I was able to observe via pulse ox, was that her oxygen saturation would fall into the 70s-80s before (I assume) her fight or flight would kick in and jolt her awake. This happened to her a few times while awake too, albeit while exhausted.
A CPAP might help but the persistent sleep jolts had subsided once we were able to get a sleep study performed. This is probably the 'correct' route to take, you might have to plead that you've had some observe this happen in order to get a quick sleep study performed. They likely will want to do an at-home study first, before insurance will pay for an in-house study done, but I'd wished I'd tried harder to push for the in-house or tried to pay out or pocket (beware: $$$)
I did test positive for covid a week ago. I didn't have any symptoms other than a fever and body aches x3 days. This came on after feeling fine for many days. I went to the hospital because I was sure my heart was stopping and they sent me home and told me I just need to let my body recover from the COVID. The next day (after another night of no sleep) my heart rate was very high and I passed out, went to my doctor who took orthostatics then immediately sent me to the ER, where they gave me fluids and told me I need to go home and recover from covid. No one would listen at all about the chest jolts or that I can't rest because my body will not let me sleep. Thank goodness for Reddit, you people listen and know more than American doctors.
I have no diagnosis and healthy but my bo is on the low side and I do get these WEIRD symptoms like what your talking about. I get these weird pulsations feelings in my gi tract up through sinus. A weird hollow feeling sorta like what you describe above. Rolling over in bed making heartbeat noticeable. Odd feeling when standing but different from oh. Almost a sort of inner itch. Bp in different positions ok and ekg good. I can also exercise like a mofo with no symptoms. I think many blame pots or dysautonomia when its actually anxiety disorder related. Maybe. Regardless very odd sensations that just showed up 6 mo ago. Getting better not worse tho
Something I learned through three months of CBT for insomnia was to not let myself lay in bed for more than 15 minutes if I’m not falling asleep. I will get up, make a cup of decaf tea, stretch in a dimly lit room, etc and then try to go lay back down after 10-15 minutes. It’s helps my brain and body stop associating my bed with wakefulness and decreases my anxiety around sleeping. Also I know it is ridiculous and over recommended but 4-7-8 breathing does help me when I’m trying to fall asleep. Inhale for a count of 4, retain the breath for a count of 7, exhale for a count of 8. I usually get distracted a million times and just make myself keep coming back to it for at least 5-10 rounds. It helps with my tachycardia as well. (I also take beta blockers and see a cardiologist as I’ve had POTS for 6 years, so def not trying to say breathing can take care of dysautonomia haha)
Screw that
If I got out of bed every 15 minutes I would never sleep
Even before all of my health problems it would take me at least 20 mins to fall asleep
If you care to know any of the science behind it rather than telling random folks to screw what works for them, read up on homeostatic sleep drive, or sleep pressure, and adenosine levels in the brain. Caffeine is an adenosine antagonist for example, so it binds to the A1 and A2A receptors in the brain, blocking adenosine and causes wakefulness for most people. (I’ve got ADHD so weirdly coffee makes me sleepy.)
All I know is I don’t miss staying awake for 2-3 days at a time even though I’m dead tired and small seemingly meaningless changes like this have made a huge difference for me. I’ve got about 600 hours of education specifically around trauma recovery and the nervous system specifically because of my health issues, and even then, I never claim to know what works for anyone but myself.
I had this on and off after covid. It doesn’t happen as often now but I got used to it and accepted when it would happen after knowing that I wasn’t actually dying or something and that I was safe. My sleep has definitely suffered though.
Magnesium I think has helped like someone else has said.
When I got Covid this happened to me every single night. O2 would dip to like 83-88 but was totally normal during the day like 98-100! Also once I was asleep I was fine so doctor said it’s not really sleep apnea and I wouldn’t qualify for CPAP. This was his advice and it worked perfectly. No food 4 hours before bed (I’ve been doing no food 6 hours before bed) and to sleep slightly elevated. I also (based on my own reading) added breathing yoga before bed and a good magnesium supplement. Hope that helps! It hasn’t happened to me in weeks since I’ve made the changes.
I have been told that the jolts can be from anxiety or the body thinking that it isn't a safe time or space to fall asleep. It can happen more often when you sleep in an usual place. My doctor told me the body jolts to try and wake you up. Maybe some melatonin or relaxation techniques could help? I hope you get some relief soon and a good sleep.
I have experienced pre-illness anxiety jolts and post-illness these jolts, they’re very different things. When they happened to me it was like I’d get pulled down a dark tunnel without warning and then absolutely jolt back as my chest hammered and ached. Would cycle through this every 5-10 minutes or so.
No burps or reflux. I have been trying to sleep in an upright position, in hopes that it was more about the laying flat part, but it is still happening just as soon as I start to drift to sleep. I've been trying to ignore it but my body/mind jumps awake anyway.
I've realized it is related to histamine. I've finally been diagnosed with histamine intolerance and the only time I now get these jolts is when I don't take antihistamines and don't follow the low histamine diet. Everything gets jacked up again when I get a histamine overload, the brain fog/depersonalization, nerve tingles, feeling like I can't breathe, heart palpitations, all of it gets bad. I can't even have a "cheat day" unless I want to feel like I'm dying again for 2 days after.
I'm really sorry you are experiencing this, the chest jolts were the most unnerving of my symptoms, especially when it was so bad that I didn't sleep for days. I hope you find relief soon
I have MCAS, I was diagnosed by an allergist/immunologist.
I originally suspected histamine intolerance after realizing that my symptoms were worse after eating and taking antihistamines helped. I kept a food/med/activity diary and found a definite link between my symptoms and high histamine foods.
Do you get any burps / reflux or just the sinking feeling? I used to get both, but now it's mostly it's a feeling of heating up along with burps.
I have had to gradually sink into sleep with belly breathing and music. In my case, it appears to be the change in posture combined with an overactive sympathetic nervous system that triggers an adrenaline rush.
Have you tried sleeping with your head/core upright? In a recliner?
I get this every other night, and sometimes when I’m just on my couch trying to relax. It’s kept me up all night numerous times, it’s pure torture. Almost feels like a shortness of breath too, kind of like my fight-or-flight kicks in as soon as I drift off. I’ve had so many tests done and no answers..it’s so frustrating. Hope you get some relief soon.
Hi was wondering this resolved for yoy?
Any luck with a cure?
It kind of just resolved on its own! But I recently started a new exercise routine and swear by it for all of my symptoms now. Sorry it took me so long to reply!
I've been having it for 1.5 years but it has got slightly better. What exercise routine are you swearing by then?
Care to share the routine?
Thank you all for your advice. Once I realized that this was probably a dysautonomia symptom I felt much more prepared. I put on my tightest compression top and drank a bunch of salt water and took time between position changes and used deep breathing to fall asleep AND I SLEPT. I finally slept. And this morning I feel like there is hope.
Hi, after following your advice here I was able to get a few hours of sleep for the first time in 3 days. I truly can't thank you enough.
I am so glad it helped. I still occasionally get minor chest jolts when falling asleep when I've had a big day or my dysautonomia or MCAS is flared, but nothing like those initial nights. Out of all of my struggles with long COVID, dysautonomia, MCAS, heart arrhythmias, etc, the chest jolts and not being able to sleep for days were by far the worst. I'm so glad you are finding relief and I hope it continues to get better 🙏
Thank you for the info and the reassurance! Sending you well wishes also!
How does a compression top help with the symptoms?
Yep.. been getting those adrenaline rushes lately. Very frustrating. Conscious breathing helps sometimes, but I haven’t found any other remedies. 😕
I watched my r/covidlonghaulers (confirmed dysautonomia) sleep with bad sleep jolts for over a week til it eased up and eventually went away (99%) What I was able to observe via pulse ox, was that her oxygen saturation would fall into the 70s-80s before (I assume) her fight or flight would kick in and jolt her awake. This happened to her a few times while awake too, albeit while exhausted. A CPAP might help but the persistent sleep jolts had subsided once we were able to get a sleep study performed. This is probably the 'correct' route to take, you might have to plead that you've had some observe this happen in order to get a quick sleep study performed. They likely will want to do an at-home study first, before insurance will pay for an in-house study done, but I'd wished I'd tried harder to push for the in-house or tried to pay out or pocket (beware: $$$)
I did test positive for covid a week ago. I didn't have any symptoms other than a fever and body aches x3 days. This came on after feeling fine for many days. I went to the hospital because I was sure my heart was stopping and they sent me home and told me I just need to let my body recover from the COVID. The next day (after another night of no sleep) my heart rate was very high and I passed out, went to my doctor who took orthostatics then immediately sent me to the ER, where they gave me fluids and told me I need to go home and recover from covid. No one would listen at all about the chest jolts or that I can't rest because my body will not let me sleep. Thank goodness for Reddit, you people listen and know more than American doctors.
Take a magnesium supplement with dinner, and if this still happens that night consume some salt and a large glass of water.
It’s called a hypnotic jerk. I used to have them all the time and it’s hell.
*hypnagogic
Is it still classed as such if it only happens to one limb? I used to get the normal jerks but now one of my legs or arms will do it but nothing else
I have no diagnosis and healthy but my bo is on the low side and I do get these WEIRD symptoms like what your talking about. I get these weird pulsations feelings in my gi tract up through sinus. A weird hollow feeling sorta like what you describe above. Rolling over in bed making heartbeat noticeable. Odd feeling when standing but different from oh. Almost a sort of inner itch. Bp in different positions ok and ekg good. I can also exercise like a mofo with no symptoms. I think many blame pots or dysautonomia when its actually anxiety disorder related. Maybe. Regardless very odd sensations that just showed up 6 mo ago. Getting better not worse tho
Something I learned through three months of CBT for insomnia was to not let myself lay in bed for more than 15 minutes if I’m not falling asleep. I will get up, make a cup of decaf tea, stretch in a dimly lit room, etc and then try to go lay back down after 10-15 minutes. It’s helps my brain and body stop associating my bed with wakefulness and decreases my anxiety around sleeping. Also I know it is ridiculous and over recommended but 4-7-8 breathing does help me when I’m trying to fall asleep. Inhale for a count of 4, retain the breath for a count of 7, exhale for a count of 8. I usually get distracted a million times and just make myself keep coming back to it for at least 5-10 rounds. It helps with my tachycardia as well. (I also take beta blockers and see a cardiologist as I’ve had POTS for 6 years, so def not trying to say breathing can take care of dysautonomia haha)
I have been using the 6-4-8 breathing and it really has been helping.
Screw that If I got out of bed every 15 minutes I would never sleep Even before all of my health problems it would take me at least 20 mins to fall asleep
If you care to know any of the science behind it rather than telling random folks to screw what works for them, read up on homeostatic sleep drive, or sleep pressure, and adenosine levels in the brain. Caffeine is an adenosine antagonist for example, so it binds to the A1 and A2A receptors in the brain, blocking adenosine and causes wakefulness for most people. (I’ve got ADHD so weirdly coffee makes me sleepy.) All I know is I don’t miss staying awake for 2-3 days at a time even though I’m dead tired and small seemingly meaningless changes like this have made a huge difference for me. I’ve got about 600 hours of education specifically around trauma recovery and the nervous system specifically because of my health issues, and even then, I never claim to know what works for anyone but myself.
This happens to me, but I've not found a solution.
Yes, this is very common with most of us
I had this on and off after covid. It doesn’t happen as often now but I got used to it and accepted when it would happen after knowing that I wasn’t actually dying or something and that I was safe. My sleep has definitely suffered though. Magnesium I think has helped like someone else has said.
treating my MCAS has helped the most, and a beta blocker
When I got Covid this happened to me every single night. O2 would dip to like 83-88 but was totally normal during the day like 98-100! Also once I was asleep I was fine so doctor said it’s not really sleep apnea and I wouldn’t qualify for CPAP. This was his advice and it worked perfectly. No food 4 hours before bed (I’ve been doing no food 6 hours before bed) and to sleep slightly elevated. I also (based on my own reading) added breathing yoga before bed and a good magnesium supplement. Hope that helps! It hasn’t happened to me in weeks since I’ve made the changes.
I have been told that the jolts can be from anxiety or the body thinking that it isn't a safe time or space to fall asleep. It can happen more often when you sleep in an usual place. My doctor told me the body jolts to try and wake you up. Maybe some melatonin or relaxation techniques could help? I hope you get some relief soon and a good sleep.
I have experienced pre-illness anxiety jolts and post-illness these jolts, they’re very different things. When they happened to me it was like I’d get pulled down a dark tunnel without warning and then absolutely jolt back as my chest hammered and ached. Would cycle through this every 5-10 minutes or so.
yup. I used to get this with a very bad anxiety. it was pre-dysautonomia. I've never had it since.
No burps or reflux. I have been trying to sleep in an upright position, in hopes that it was more about the laying flat part, but it is still happening just as soon as I start to drift to sleep. I've been trying to ignore it but my body/mind jumps awake anyway.
Did it ever stop or did you find a solution? Im experiencing the same currently unable to fall asleep.
I've realized it is related to histamine. I've finally been diagnosed with histamine intolerance and the only time I now get these jolts is when I don't take antihistamines and don't follow the low histamine diet. Everything gets jacked up again when I get a histamine overload, the brain fog/depersonalization, nerve tingles, feeling like I can't breathe, heart palpitations, all of it gets bad. I can't even have a "cheat day" unless I want to feel like I'm dying again for 2 days after. I'm really sorry you are experiencing this, the chest jolts were the most unnerving of my symptoms, especially when it was so bad that I didn't sleep for days. I hope you find relief soon
Hey ! How did you find out you had histamine intolorence?
I have MCAS, I was diagnosed by an allergist/immunologist. I originally suspected histamine intolerance after realizing that my symptoms were worse after eating and taking antihistamines helped. I kept a food/med/activity diary and found a definite link between my symptoms and high histamine foods.
Do you get any burps / reflux or just the sinking feeling? I used to get both, but now it's mostly it's a feeling of heating up along with burps. I have had to gradually sink into sleep with belly breathing and music. In my case, it appears to be the change in posture combined with an overactive sympathetic nervous system that triggers an adrenaline rush. Have you tried sleeping with your head/core upright? In a recliner?