Heart Question

I had a scare last night.  I woke up in the middle of the night and my heart was just pounding. I could literally feel it when I put my hand to my chest. I had been having bad dreams during the night, but even once I woke up it took a bit of time for my chest to stop pounding. Is this a "bad side affect" of my low weight right now or could it just be from my bad dreams. I am so scared right now of something bad happening physically because I have let my weight get so low for so long.  I never know what is a normal physical symptom vs a symptom of my eating disorder.

i would suggest seeing your doctor ASAP bc yes, it may be a symptom of something serious related to your weight, it can hurt to check it out.

good luck

it was most likely anxiety... anorexia will cause that bc it lowers your blood pressure so much.

i did have a heart attack as a result of my anorexia so it is not out of the question.. so i would check with a dr.  but i was also a drug addict so chicken or egg...  i dont know.

be careful.  this is motivation to stay eating and healthy.  but breathe and talk to a dr.  if it happens again try to calm yourself and take deep breaths and focus on something else... watch tv... read a book.... meditate...  do a crossword puzzle... if you distract yourself it will go away when it is anxiety.  and it is common!

it is very very very unlikely for a young woman to have heart issues even with anorexia but it is not impossible so getting checked by a dr is never a bad idea.  but after they tell you that you are ok, and i am sure honey that they will... then you can take steps to rid yourself of the anxiety part.

there may be something else you dont want to focus on (like food or weight gain) that is keeping you up and making you anxious... happens to the best of us!

More likely the fast heart rate caused the nightmares before it woke you up.  Be sure to have your doctor check your heart for any irregularities.