I am a 34 yr. old female. For the past year I have been awakened at night with a numb rush over my body. Once awakened I gasp for a breath and can feel my heart stop for a couple of seconds. I even feel my blood flow in my arteries in my neck slow, almost feels like it is back flowing to my heart. It is almost a euphoric feeling, but it also scares me. I am not overweight and have not been diagnosed with sleep apnea or any heart condition. I do not take any drugs either. I have addressed this with my famiy physician who writes it off as nerves. What do you think I should do? Please Help.
Hi, Thank you for posting your query. We need to exclude a diagnosis of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND), as a cause of your symptoms. This can be done by evaluation of a cardiologist and performing an echocardiogram. If these are normal, then, the symptoms could be related to panic/anxiety. For this, you can consult a psychiatrist. I hope it helps. Please get back if you require any additional information. Best wishes, Chat Doctor. Ly/