[pngindreamr]

I have had a few times here recently where I get a fluttering feeling in my chest and it kind of takes me breath, its not painful just alittle scary because it feels so odd. I get it mainly at night when resting, or sometimes when driving. Didn't know if this was caused by anxiety/stress or if any of you have experienced it before? I am not too alarmed by it, it has just made me wonder and obviously be anxious. Thanks for any replies!

[sundog]

Hi SJ. I get something similar to this. With me it's not so much in my chest, it's higher up. It's almost like I can feel my heart beating/fluttering in my throat. It happens randomly and not when I'm anxious necessarily. It does feel really odd and I was alarmed the first time I experienced it. I spoke to my doctor about it and was it's a common anxiety symptom (though I did ask for some heart tests, just in case).

When I'm anxious, I get other chest/breathing issues too, especially a sense of tightness in my chest. And that makes me feel as though I can't take a deep breath. I then end up breathing really faintly and that freaks me out. Usually if I get up and walk around it gets better. It's much worse when I'm just sitting or lying in bed.

These physical manifestations of anxiety sure do suck!!

Hugs to you

[Ambrosa]

Hi SJcart86. I get them too. I spoke to my doctor about them years ago. It feels sort of like you've skipped a heart beat or something. Apparently everyone gets them. But people that suffer from anxiety tend to notice it more. Like we notice noises more. we are just more aware of things. It's nothing to worry about my doc said. When it happens sit or stand up, laying down does make it worse. Hope it u feel better

[Sunshine1992]

I get these also...And i cant stay sitting or laying down ...I have to move around and focus my mind on something...Sometimes i call my sister to talk ..Its scary and if my anxiety really kicks in then i have to take one of my pills...I take Buspar for the anxiety.That usually helps..

[missbelle]

Yes, good old anxiety......at night when you are in bed your might start thinking of all the "stuff" in your life. Thats when anxiety rears its ugly head. I have a bedtime routine I stick with and that helps me. Find a way to try and de-stress before bed...Like no CSI or scary shows etc...
Driving can cause anyone anxiety with all the traffic etc. Find a good radio station, or CD that plays some good music. That might help.
Hope you feel better.
Hugs;

[Cyran0]

sj, yup, I get those. Once they wouldn't stop and I went to the ER where I learned a couple things: I wasn't dying, these flutters are common but very prevalent in anxiety sufferers, and these can also be caused by too much caffeine.

They don't hurt but to this day they freak me out.

When I get them now I sit down and take slow deep breaths. That usually does the trick and stops them.

Cyran0

[Emotionally Dead]

I get them occasionally too. They can be caused by many different issues. One thing you should be careful about is your caffeine intake. Caffeine is the cause of this a lot of times. I drink it quite often, and I get the flutters and heart skipping a beat a lot from it. Stress can do it too. It is uncomfortable, but unless you already have a heart condition it's harmless. Try not to let it get to you. Get in a comfortable position, and if you do drink caffeine try to cut down. It should help.

[pngindreamr]

Thank you all for your replies! They certainly make me feel better :-)

[Cyran0]

((((sj))))

[lachrymose]

I call it 'swallowing the butterflies'. It starts just above my tummy and they try to fly up my chest out of my mouth. I just take a deep breath, focus, and swallow them up!

[lynn P.]

Yes I get the occasional irregular hearbeat too and sometimes it does make me cough slightly/affecting my breath for a second. When I was younger I used to get worried about this and even went to the ER once and sure enough I could see it on the EKG. I even had the test called a 'Halter monitor' which is a portable heart measuring device. After all this it was determined mine are the harmless kind. There is a more dangerous one.

I recently went for a stress test, unrelated to this problem and happened to mention this to the technician. She said we all get the occasional skipped beat or irregular beat, but most people aren't aware of it. Hopefully yours is the harmless kind and just to be on the safe side you could request an EKG.

[sundog]

Originally Posted by lachrymose

I call it 'swallowing the butterflies'. It starts just above my tummy and they try to fly up my chest out of my mouth. I just take a deep breath, focus, and swallow them up!

That's a great way to put it!! I can really relate to that because I tend to feel mine at the base of my throat. Thanks!