Symptoms
Cardiac arrhythmias in a lying position are experienced very differently overall. Particularly frequently, however, cardiac arrhythmias are described as a stumbling or racing heart. A palpitations of the heart, which is often felt as far as the throat, is also common.
In severe cases, shortness of breath or chest pain (angina pectoris) may also occur. If the heart is no longer able to maintain blood circulation due to the cardiac arrhythmia, fainting spells may occur. Cardiac arrhythmias that occur while lying down are often extrasystoles or a very slow heartbeat.
These arrhythmias are common, for example, in performance spotting and are usually not dangerous. In most cases, cardiac arrhythmias, which mainly occur when lying down, are not diseases requiring therapy. Nevertheless, a clarification by a physician is recommended.
The doctor should first be told when and in what form the cardiac arrhythmia is felt and how long the symptoms have been present. In most cases, an electrocardiogram is prepared in these situations to check the electrical activity of the heart during the heartbeats. In this way, dangerous cardiac dysrhythmia can usually be ruled out. There are also devices with which such an ECG can be recorded for a whole day. With this equipment it is also possible to analyze cardiac arrhythmias that do not occur during the examination in the doctor’s office or in hospital.
Therapy
In general, most cardiac arrhythmias, which occasionally cause discomfort when lying down, are harmless. They are usually harmless extrasystoles that do not require any therapy. In order that serious illnesses are not overlooked, it is nevertheless advisable to have the complaints clarified by a doctor. For example, the prognosis for serious illnesses is usually much better with an early diagnosis and the associated early start of treatment than with a late diagnosis.
Prophylaxis
In many cases, the causes of cardiac arrhythmias in a lying position are triggers that are either unknown or cannot be prevented. Some triggering factors are physical strain and physical stress as well as substances such as alcohol and nicotine and the consumption of other drugs. So a conscious relaxation and the renunciation of the triggering substances can help to prevent the occurrence of the cardiac arrhythmia.
