No problem, happy to help when I can.
I’d like to address the issue of your ‘heart racing during sleep’. There are probably lots of possible causes but here’s a couple that spring to mind:-
1. Could it be a dysfunction ? – Autonomic dysfunction.
I too had this problem of seemingly inappropriate nocturnal tachycardia and I wondered if it was related to head position. I would wake up with my chin right down on my chest – a position I don’t ever recall being able to achieve before my accident and my heart racing. I’d also be cold, yet clammy. So, if you do wake with your head in flexion, could it be the retroflexed odontoid putting subtle pressure on your brainstem and causing autonomic nervous system problem ? A Philadelphia collar should help alleviate this. If you don’t wake up with your head in flexion, could it be a full bladder or something causing an autonomic dysreflexia type problem? or
2. Could it be a reaction ? –
I know venous drainage (from the head) takes a different path when you are laid down, imagine that this is not working properly and drainage is poor, it would raise intracranial pressure, thus making it more difficult to deliver oxygenated blood to the brain, the body’s other mechanisms for addressing this problem are, increasing blood pressure, or increasing heart rate.
I have to sleep sitting up