Why you hear so much heartbeat before bed, explained the cardiologist

Familiar situation: you go to bed, there is silence around, and suddenly you begin to clearly hear the beats of your own heart? In my head immediately flashed anxious thoughts: “What if something is wrong?” Heart attack? Arrhythmia?” This is a very common experience, and in most cases it is not associated with a real health threat. Russian cardiologist Anna Korenevich told why we hear the heart at night.

According to Anna Korenevich, there are several quite understandable physiological and psychological reasons:

Silence and reduction of external incentives. During the day, the brain is busy processing a huge flow of information: sounds, conversations, work tasks. At night, this flow decreases dramatically, and the nervous system begins to “listen” to internal signals, including heartbeats. Change in body position. In the horizontal position, the venous return of blood to the heart increases, and the heart itself works slightly differently than when we stand or sit. Because of this, sensations can become more noticeable. Increased sensitivity during relaxation. As the body prepares for sleep, muscle tone decreases and attention naturally shifts inward. This is not a pathology, but a feature of our nervous system. A slight increase in sympathetic tone before bedtime. Sometimes in the evening there is a small “remnant” of daily activity: thoughts about tomorrow’s affairs, experiences. This can slightly increase the pulse and make it more noticeable.

Anna Korenevich told when it is normal, and when to be alert:

- Feeling your heartbeat from time to time is normal. But there are situations when a doctor’s consultation is mandatory. It is necessary to seek medical help as soon as possible if the heartbeat is accompanied by pain or discomfort in the chest, expressed shortness of breath, dizziness or loss of consciousness, sharp weakness, irregular, "jumping" rhythm, which does not go away for a long time.

If you have already undergone an examination (ECG, holter, ultrasound of the heart, etc.) and the doctor confirmed that there are no serious violations, but anxiety and a feeling of a strong heartbeat persist – the problem may not be in the heart itself, but in the reaction to it, added Anna Korenevich.

- It is anxiety that often becomes the main “enhancer” of sensations. The mechanism is simple: a person notices a heartbeat, then gets scared, because of which adrenaline is released into the blood, so the heart begins to beat harder and the fear increases. It's a vicious circle. To break it, you need to switch your attention: slowly count the inhalations and exhalations, focus on the feeling of the weight of the blanket, on the coolness of the pillow. You can also use the technique "earth": name 5 things you see, 4 - that you can touch, 3 - to hear, 2 - to smell, 1 - taste. This brings the brain back from an alarming "internal scan" to reality, she said.

In addition, she added, you can try to create a “ritual before bed.” According to Anna Korenevich, a warm shower, dimmed lights, refusing screens an hour before bedtime, a calm book - all this reduces the overall level of arousal and makes falling asleep easier.

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