question about adrenaline surges while sleeping

[gypsy]

Hello.   I am new here, so please advise if this is not inappropriate somehow.

For four years, I have been waking up after 5-6 hours of sleep with what feels like a surge of adrenaline causing my heart to race (and sometimes accompanied by an uncontrollable need to stretch my upper torso).   I've seen multiple doctors trying to find a diagnosis.   I've been evaluated for everything from seizures to PTSD to sleep apnea to restless leg syndrome and many other conditions, but still have no diagnosis and no treatment.   It is not a panic attack.....unsettling, but no panic involved.    Could someone please describe for me what it feels like to have the adrenaline surges many POTS patients seem to have?   

I have a lot of symptoms that are perhaps related to dysautonomia (e.g., Sjogren's, Hashimoto's, and other autoimmune disorders;  PVCs and PACs and what may be short runs of tachycardia; fatigue; etc).   However, I don't really have what seems to be the hallmark symptom:  dizziness going from sitting to standing, but I do have low blood pressure; the bottom number is usually below 60, and I get woozy if I bend over and try to stand up quickly.

Does this sound like dysautonomia is is a possibility?   Thanks so much for any insight/advice.

 

 

 

 

 

[gypsy]

I probably should add that these "surges" happen virtually every night after 5-6 hours of sleep.    If I go back to sleep, they typically happen again about 1.5 - 2 hours later.   Also, in case it is helpful/informative, my resting HR is about 60.

 

[angelloz]

The first test for autonomic issues would be a tilt table test. Symptoms very quite a bit from person to person. I do sometimes get surges that wake me up. They give me a bit of a scared feeling for no reason. Perhaps discuss a tilt test with your doctor.

[StayAtHomeMom]

What is your HR during laying and standing? That is the sign doctors look for. 

[Shana]

This happens to me, and I have hyperadrenergenic POTS.  Tilt table test is the first diagnostic step.

[voxel]

I had this happen to me about 6 weeks ago but it was due to some reaction to a new med. My Fitbit detected the 160bpm spikes for a few minutes but I didn't really believe it when I first saw the spikes except I felt tired for hours after waking up and often I was sweating from the neck and face when I awoke.

[kisekis]

I read many says it related to dysautonomia. Dr Gupta also explain its because the sympathetic nerve problem and during sleep it will get triggers. I get this too a lot.

But im confused cause in POTS info they dont list this as the symptoms. So people only know that pots only happens when standing. Not supine. So if someone get it while laying down they will say they dont have pots due to it 

It confused me???

[Pistol]

@kisekis - I have hyperadrenergic POTS and get the surges both standing and supine. I used to even pass out while sitting. The way I understand it is that standing causes excessive norepinephrine to be put out which happens to every one but in dysautonomia the levels do not go back down which causes the surges. But orthostasis is only ONE trigger - there are others ( like eating, over-stimulation, heat/cold, stress …). My nightly surges are typically after 3 hours of sleep, when the bodies adrenaline levels normally begin to drop to start the REM cycle. For me the levels do not drop but go up at that time and I wake up with tachycardia and high BP. Then I have to calm myself down and distract myself by reading or something like that until the levels come down and then go back to sleep ( only to do it again 3 hours later ). This does not happen every night but it happens when I am in a flare. Normally I can sleep relatively good.