Diagnosis
The most important and effective element in the diagnosis of tachycardia that occurs at night is a precise inquiry into the symptoms (anamnesis). This includes information such as: When did the tachycardia first appear? How long does it usually last?
What accompanying symptoms occur? Are there any triggering factors? Are you currently suffering from great stress?
Do your relatives complain about a similar problem? Questions about stimulants such as alcohol, nicotine and other substances supplement the survey. The doctor can then carry out further examinations, with the electrocardiogram (ECG), which depicts the action of the heart, playing the main role.
This makes most sense as a long-term ECG in order to be able to record the processes of the heart and the tachycardia also at night. A stress ECG is also prepared. An ultrasound of the heart can reveal causes such as valve defects.
In most cases, an X-ray of the chest is also part of the routine for tachycardia, and long-term blood pressure measurement can make sense. In addition, other causes such as thyroid problems can be excluded by examining certain blood values. If there is a suspicion of superficial psychological causes, a referral to a psychotherapist may be made, who can work out a precise analysis of factors such as stress or anxiety.
Therapy
The therapy of tachycardia at night depends on the cause. Initially, simple measures that can be carried out by the affected person himself/herself are recommended. These are described below.
In cases of severe symptoms or organic causes, medical measures come to the fore. Antiarrhythmic medication is usually the remedy of choice. They can reduce the heart rate during palpitations or even prevent them from occurring.
These include beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers or sodium or potassium channel blockers. If additional conducting paths exist (see above), they can be sclerosed with the targeted use of electricity and thus rendered unusable. In the last step a pacemaker must be implanted.
Often, however, such measures are not necessary for simple tachycardia. Those affected often ask themselves whether they can do something about the tachycardia themselves. In the case of mild symptoms, where the tachycardia lasts only for a few seconds or a few minutes at night without serious symptoms, a number of measures can be taken.
Special maneuvers stimulate the part of the nervous system that is responsible for slowing down the heartbeat, the parasympathetic nervous system (more precisely the vagus nerve). A simple measure is to gently massage the neck on one side. This stimulates the so-called carotid sinus, and as a reflex, the pulse and contraction force decrease.
This should only be done while lying down or sitting. Drinking a glass of cold water has similar effects. You can also perform the Valsalva press maneuver.
Breathing with your nose closed against the resistance causes increased pressure in the chest and reflexively slows down the heart. It is also possible to counteract the palpitations by breathing deeper and more precisely. All these maneuvers can be performed quickly and easily at night.
What you should also do is to reduce stress. Relaxation techniques and a targeted planning of tasks help here. In addition, you can also say no if you can no longer meet certain requirements.
In order to sleep better at night and prevent heart palpitations, valerian drops and exercise in the fresh air can help. If the symptoms go beyond a certain level that cannot be controlled with these methods, the only thing to do is to see a doctor. If heart palpitations occur at night, treatment with homeopathic remedies can make sense.One should limit oneself to homeopathy only if the symptoms are mild.
Often used remedies are e.g. Crataegus or Aconitum. These are used to regulate the heart and blood pressure. Adonis vernalis is also used in homeopathy against tachycardia at night, in addition it is effective against hyperthyroidism.
These remedies can also be taken by laypersons, although professional homeopathic advice is the best way to fight tachycardia with homeopathy first. In many cases, homeopathy is also used in addition to other measures to support recovery. If one is suffering from clear symptoms, however, the orthodox medical opinion of a cardiologist should be obtained directly.
