heart anxiety

I’ve been dealing with a wave of health anxiety again, especially centered around my heart. A few months ago I went through something similar, and it’s starting to come back. I keep getting scared that something could suddenly be wrong with my heart rhythm, like SVT, even though I know I’ve been checked before.

What set it off this time is a memory I had from one night where I think I woke up suddenly with chest discomfort and feeling short of breath but I genuinely can’t tell if it was a dream or not. The confusing part is that I only remember sitting up quickly and gasping, and nothing after that. I feel like if something that intense had actually happened, I definitely would have reacted more, gone to my parents, or at least grabbed my phone. The uncertainty is stressing me out more than anything.

Earlier this year I was checking my heart rate and blood pressure obsessively, and it feels like I’m slipping back into that pattern. I spotted an old heart-rate reading on my Health app that showed a high number, but I wasn’t even wearing my watch that month, and there’s no sleep data from that night so now I’m spiraling wondering if I was awake all night checking it and just don’t remember. I also sometimes wake up from naps with a fast heartbeat that settles down in a minute or two, but it still freaks me out.

I’ve been to the ER before when I had a really fast heart rate (around 185), and they did an EKG and chest X-ray and said everything looked normal. I keep worrying they might have missed something, even though I know that’s unlikely.

I know I can’t keep going to doctors every time my anxiety spikes, and I’m starting to think OCD might be part of what’s going on. I’m planning on getting help for it soon, but I’m just feeling really overwhelmed and unsure how to handle these thoughts right now. I’m not looking for a diagnosis just looking for support or to hear from anyone who’s experienced something similar.