Symptoms
Tachycardia at night is manifested by a number of symptoms. Usually the tachycardia begins in attacks and lasts for 20-30 seconds, sometimes it lasts only a few minutes. If it does not limit itself after a short time, a quick medical examination should be carried out.
The tachycardia itself is described as throbbing and beating, sometimes the heartbeat is felt in the chest or neck. Tachycardia at night often causes the affected person to wake up. Depending on its duration and severity, additional symptoms such as nausea, sweating, hot flushes and nervousness may also occur.
In severe cases, breathing difficulties and clouding of consciousness may occur. Then a visit to the doctor for clarification is unavoidable, especially if pain is added. Tachycardia can also be accompanied by nausea.
Nausea is caused by the complex interconnection of the nerve cords that go away from the heart. It can be an expression of a serious heart disease, but is usually considered a harmless side effect. The nausea occurs with tachycardia especially at the beginning of the attacks.
It is also not uncommon for nausea to accompany tachycardia caused by stress or anxiety. This does not usually lead to vomiting, however, but is limited to a weak, nauseous feeling in the stomach area. Tachycardia, especially at night, as the sole symptom is unpleasant and can be very worrying.
In many cases the cause is harmless. However, if certain other symptoms occur, a doctor should be consulted urgently to rule out a possibly serious illness. These include first and foremost shortness of breath.
If tachycardia and shortness of breath, possibly in combination with chest pain, occur together and suddenly, this may be a heart attack, which can be potentially fatal. Especially if the symptoms occur at night and at rest, they are of concern. Emergency services and emergency doctors must be alerted immediately to check the need for hospital treatment.
If shortness of breath and tachycardia occur over a longer period of time and preferably during exertion, this can also indicate heart disease. Here too, a physician should be consulted in good time in order to stop the progression of the disease as early as possible. As already explained in the previous sections, tachycardia and sweating occur together under certain circumstances.
For example, hyperthyroidism results in increased secretion of the thyroid hormones triiodothyronine and thyroxine, which increase the basic metabolic rate of the organism. This leads to an increase in heart rate, blood pressure and sweat secretion. Seizure-like tachycardia and sweating, in conjunction with restlessness and heat intolerance, can indicate hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid gland.Sudden sweating and palpitations can also occur during the menopause.
Here, the symptoms are an expression of the hormonal changes to which the female organism is subjected with the transition to the menopause. Psychosomatic illnesses are illnesses in which organic causes for physical complaints cannot be identified. Certain symptoms occur here in the context of the psychological coping with stress factors.
In addition to abdominal pain, nausea, digestive disorders and headaches, those affected often complain of palpitations and sweating. These symptoms occur preferentially when confronted with acute stress situations such as during exams, when speaking in front of large groups of people or completely unfoundedly in the context of panic attacks. They can lead to a pronounced avoidance behavior in which the affected persons increasingly withdraw and do everything possible to avoid the fear-triggering situation. Sweating and palpitations can occur as a side effect of many medications or their overdose.
