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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Shortness Of Breath And Heart Palpitations?

I am having severe shortness of breathe every time I lay down. also having heart palpitations. I can not sleep like this. also it's like being jolted awake if I start to fall asleep. Then I have to take big deep breathes to catch my breathe. I am having a hcth test in a couple days due to low cortisol blood and urine test. Is there any thing I can do tonight to sleep better
Mon, 5 Dec 2016
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi. A lot of things can cause shortness of breath, but it is interesting that you say you only get it when lying down. If you arrived to my clinic, I would evaluate you for congestive heart failure. Do you ever get swelling of your legs? Do you have a cough? Have you been using more pillows lately to sleep? Do you wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air? If you said yes to some or all of these question, I would talk to a doctor about potentially measuring a BNP level and/or getting an echocardiogram (ultrasound) of your heart.

As far as tonight, you could try to prop some more pillows under you so that you are sleeping more upright. Try to limit your fluid and salt intake, and make an appointment to see your doctor this week.
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What Causes Shortness Of Breath And Heart Palpitations?

Hi. A lot of things can cause shortness of breath, but it is interesting that you say you only get it when lying down. If you arrived to my clinic, I would evaluate you for congestive heart failure. Do you ever get swelling of your legs? Do you have a cough? Have you been using more pillows lately to sleep? Do you wake up in the middle of the night gasping for air? If you said yes to some or all of these question, I would talk to a doctor about potentially measuring a BNP level and/or getting an echocardiogram (ultrasound) of your heart. As far as tonight, you could try to prop some more pillows under you so that you are sleeping more upright. Try to limit your fluid and salt intake, and make an appointment to see your doctor this week.