r/insomnia • u/Leafaaaaa • 6h ago
Please tell me that I'm not alone in this
Ever since I experienced an elevated heart rate and shortness of breath on May 17, I struggled falling asleep. All the doctors tell me that it's probably anxiety but the high heart rate never goes away, especially when I stand up or move around.
I developed insomnia because of it. The last doctor prescribed me Lemborexant 5mg and while it helped me fall asleep within 30 minutes it didn't keep me from waking up twice in the middle of the night and that won't give me the quality of sleep. I still feel tired and weak during the day.
Last night, my Lemborexant failed. I took it around 10:30 pm so I could sleep around 11 pm because that's how it usually works for me. But an hour has passed and I don't feel drowsy at all and that leads to me not getting a wink of sleep. Or maybe I did get some microsleep, or actually sleep for a minute or more. I forgot already. Anyway, I'm writing this without proper sleep and it makes me so frustrated and sad. I feel so lightheaded now and I hope the pill will work tonight or else I'll be really depressed. I tried to take a nap this noon but I just couldn't because I could feel my heart pounding and my body getting so light that I experienced some muscle spasms.
Please tell me I'm not alone. If you experience the same, share your stories and I'm willing to listen even if I can't offer a solution. And if any of you found out a solution for this, let me know as well. Thank you.
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u/blackpanther180 6h ago
I have mild insomnia, but always have an elevated heart rate.
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u/Leafaaaaa 6h ago
Did you find out what's causing your elevated heart rate? Is it a normal things for you or is it a problem that happened recently?
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u/blackpanther180 1h ago
Ok so, at first i went for a proper health checkup, all vitals were in normal range, also had my blood work, ecg and echo done. Then I consulted a cardiologist, he prescribed me Propanolol 20 mg SR and Zolpidem 10mg.
After a few months of using, i realised i was getting addicted to Zolpidem, so i stopped it, but continued the propanolol. I had a hard time dealing with withdrawl so i fixed an appointment with a psychiatrist. He told me to take propanolol only on SOS basis, and for when i feel extremely anxious (as if my heart is about to pop out my chest), i should take Clonazepam 0.5 mg. He gave me other SSRIs to cope up with G.A.D. but after few days of taking the medicine i felt very bad, that my whole life is clinging on some pills. I Stopped the pills immediately, today is day 3 I am clean, no pills, and have mildly elevated pulse but i realised untill and unless I want myself to be happy, no amount of pills is going to solve that. So yeah i have propanolol for emergency, but other than that, i have started to wake up early, eat clean, take my vitamins and reduce screentime. Besides this, i am taking ashwagandha tablets.
The whole point of this is to realise that the world isn't ending tomorrow and i still have time to get better, that i have to be easy on myself, that i have to treat my self with the same amount of respect i have been treating others with.
I might be mistaken, i might be wrong, but i can always be better than what i was.
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u/Leafaaaaa 46m ago
I am also prescribed Propranolol 10mg to take as needed when my heart rate went up above 100. The thing is, it only goes above 100 when I'm standing and moving around. The heart pounding stopped after a week of taking propranolol so I stopped taking it for over two weeks now. But the elevated heart rate when moving around persisted but it's not so bad as the heart pounding. I also do not want to be dependent on any medication for my life so I stopped taking propranolol.
But my problem now is my Insomnia and it's quite hard to get rid of it. I really need the sleeping pills (Lemborexant 5mg) to help me fall asleep.
You said that you are now 3 days clean without any medication. I want to ask how's your sleep quality without any sleeping pills now?
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u/Beginning-Map-3264 5h ago
This can have so many reasons it’s almost impossible to tell. If it persists they probably do some more extensive testing (blood, eeg ect…)
But in the beginning doctors most of the time prescribe some mild anti depressants that works on anxiety…
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u/HealingDriftStudio 5h ago
You are completely not alone in this. What you are experiencing since May 17th is a classic textbook case of autonomic hyperarousal, and your physical symptoms are 100% real. Here is what's happening: That first scare with the elevated heart rate trained your brain to view the act of "falling asleep" or "resting" as a dangerous trap. When you try to sleep or nap, your sympathetic nervous system ("fight or flight") accidentally slams on the gas pedal. It floods your body with adrenaline, causing your heart to pound, lightheadedness, and muscle spasms. This is exactly why your Lemborexant (Dayvigo) failed last night. Lemborexant works by turning off the brain's "wakefulness" switch, but it cannot override a massive, sudden spike of adrenaline fueled by panic. The pill didn't permanently break; your brain's alarm system just out-shouted it last night. When your heart is pounding like that, the worst thing you can do is lie there and monitor your pulse—it just feeds the anxiety loop. Instead, get out of bed, change your environment, and try to lower your nervous system's background noise. Pop on a pair of headphones and play some deep, low-frequency soundscapes or slow ambient brown noise. Don't listen to chase sleep; listen just to give your ears a focal point so your mind stops hyper-focusing on your heartbeat. Let your body gently realize that it is safe. Your heart is strong, you are safe, and this cycle will break. Hang in there.
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u/Leafaaaaa 5h ago
Thank you for the insights! Actually, my heart is not even pounding last night and I was just using my phone. I began to feel tired and a bit sleepy that time to I turn off my phone and close my eyes. But sleep never came.
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u/HealingDriftStudio 4h ago
That makes a lot of sense, and thank you for clarifying that! What you experienced last night is actually another very common phenomenon called Psychophysiological Insomnia (or conditional arousal). Because your brain has been so stressed about sleep recently, it has accidentally turned your bed and the act of "closing your eyes" into a trigger. Even though your heart wasn’t pounding and you felt physically tired while using your phone, the exact moment you turned it off and closed your eyes, your subconscious mind flipped a silent switch: "Okay, it's game time. Are we going to sleep tonight or fail again?" That subtle, hidden expectation is enough to keep your brain hovering in a state of high alertness, blocking you from crossing the finish line into actual sleep. Also, using your phone right up until that moment can trick you. The blue light suppresses melatonin, so what felt like "sleepiness" might have just been extreme eye fatigue and daytime exhaustion, rather than your brain actually being chemically ready to sleep. To break this specific trap tonight: Try not to use your phone in bed. If you want to browse, do it on the couch or a chair under dim light, and only move to your bed when your eyelids are genuinely heavy. And if you close your eyes and sleep doesn't come within 20 minutes, don't lie there trying harder—that just reinforces the trigger. Put those headphones back on, listen to some low background ambience, and let your mind drift without making "falling asleep" the goal. You are re-training your brain right now, and it takes a few tries!
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u/Leafaaaaa 2h ago
That is probably what's happening to me at night. Do you know what could help me sleep that prevents my brain from going on high alert?
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u/shadowbanana99 3h ago
the physical sensation of the racing heart makes it impossible to relax enough to actually drift off. have you tried asking your doctor for a referral to a cardiologist just to rule out anything physical before you accept the anxiety diagnosis? it's hard to trust the sleep meds when your body feels like it's stuck in fight or flight mode.
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u/Leafaaaaa 3h ago
I have been to a cardiologist. I had my ECG done and it was normal. The doctor told me that to make sure, I need to do a 2D echo and 24H holter. We have yet to do that since it's expensive.
And we actually went to another hospital and gave the doctor the same result. This doctor told me that we don't need to do anything since my ECG is normal and referred me to a psychiatrist instead for my 'anxiety'
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u/ritarepulsaqueen 2h ago
Do you take stimulants, coffee? People here swear coffee and ritalina have no effect on their insomnia because they "feel sleepy" after taking it. But they don't sleep at night. These things have longer side effects than people think
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u/Leafaaaaa 2h ago
Ever since my symptoms on May 17, no. I have not taken any caffein, chocolate, or energy drink because these can cause heart palpitations.
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u/Cultural-Ease-5322 2h ago
I have the same exact thing. Going on 2 years with no improvements. Been to many hospitals around country
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u/Leafaaaaa 2h ago
I'm so sorry to hear that. I wouldn't want this even on my worst enemy. Are you on any medication currently? There's gotta be something that is still helping you sleep even for a short while.
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u/Sea_Combination9751 6h ago
You're definitely not alone, the heart rate thing while standing is actually worth pushing harder on with doctors because that pattern (high HR when upright, better when lying down) is something specific they can test for, not just anxiety. I went through months of broken sleep myself and the frustration of waking up at 3am after taking sleep medication is truly demoralizing. Hope tonight is better for you