My Heart Flutters in My Chest When I’m Lying Down: Should I See a Doctor?

Many factors affect your heart, including stress, physical activity, and medical problems. However, you never expect to have heart problems, especially when lying down.

If your heart seems to flutter at any time, especially at rest, it's essential to let a doctor evaluate your symptoms.

Heart palpitations aren't ever something you should ignore. The team at the Heart Clinic of Hammond in Hammond and Amite, Louisiana, evaluates cardiac symptoms quickly. 

Our two cardiologists, Dr. Ghiath Mikdadi and Dr. Farid Zayed, provide expert care and personalized treatment options for bothersome palpitations.

What is heart fluttering?

Feeling your heart fluttering in your chest isn't a typical symptom. Lifestyle factors and medical problems often cause it.

Fluttering is often a sign of heart palpitations, a condition where you know your heartbeat. You can feel your heart beating in your chest and may have a pounding sensation or your heart is adding or skipping a beat.

Palpitations make you feel your heartbeat when you usually wouldn't. They're not always dangerous but can sometimes signify a more significant issue like an arrhythmia.

You may experience palpitations during the day or lying down to rest at night. It's common to feel palpitations and fluttering at night when you're not busy and can rest.

Symptoms of heart palpitations at night

Laying down should be a relaxing part of your day unless you feel palpitations or fluttering in your chest. If you only feel palpitations once or twice when lying down, it may be due to too much caffeine or extreme stress.

However, if you notice other symptoms and have palpitations often when lying down, it could be a sign of a bigger problem. Some of the symptoms to look out for with palpitations at night include:

• A fluttering feeling in the chest
• Pounding heartbeat in the chest or neck
• Fast heart rate
• Irregular pulse or skipped beats
• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Feeling faint

Chest pain sometimes accompanies palpitations while lying down, and you should never ignore it. Chest pain is often a sign of a more significant issue that a doctor needs to address and diagnose.

Common causes of nocturnal palpitations

Heart palpitations at night have many causes, some more serious than others. In some cases, the palpitations are short-lived and harmless.

Understanding the cause behind palpitations is essential to know if you require treatment. Some of the common causes of palpitations while you're lying down at night include the following:

• Dehydration
• Extreme stress
• Caffeine
• Anxiety
• Certain medications
• Thyroid problems
• Anemia
• Heart arrhythmias
• Metabolic syndrome

You can reduce heart fluttering by avoiding caffeine before bedtime, staying hydrated, and managing stress and anxiety. However, if you notice that the heart fluttering continues even after making lifestyle changes, especially at night, you should seek help from our team.

Should you see a doctor for palpitations?

Although palpitations aren't always a sign of a severe problem, they're often bothersome and interrupt daily activities and sleep. It's always a good idea to seek help for anything that involves the heart.

When you come in for an appointment, we evaluate your heart and ask about your lifestyle and medications. We also perform an EKG to assess your heart rhythm.

If nothing comes up in the exam, our team may evaluate your heart rhythm with a holter monitor or exercise stress testing to ensure there are no issues with your heart.

The holter monitor provides valuable information on your heartbeat for several days when you wear it constantly. The monitor relays any irregular heartbeats to our team when they happen.

Once we get to the bottom of the fluttering in your chest, we provide customized care and treatments to ensure your heart stays healthy.

Don't let heart palpitations continue to interrupt your sleep; call the Heart Clinic of Hammond today to schedule a consultation or request an appointment on the website.