M NOCTURNAL CORONARY SPASM

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Nocturnal coronary spasm (also called night-time coronary artery spasm) is a condition where the coronary arteries suddenly tighten during rest—often at night or in the early morning—reducing blood flow to the heart.

🔑 Key Features

• Occurs at rest, commonly during sleep or just before waking

• Causes chest pain (angina) that can wake you up

• Pain may feel like pressure, tightness, or burning in the chest

⚠️ Symptoms

• Chest pain at night or early morning

• Pain may spread to arm, neck, or jaw

• Shortness of breath

• Sometimes accompanied by palpitations or sweating

🧠 Why it happens

• Temporary spasm (narrowing) of a coronary artery

• Often linked to:

  • Smoking

  • Stress

  • Cold exposure

  • Certain medications or stimulants

• Can occur even without significant artery blockage

🩺 Diagnosis

• ECG changes during an episode

• Sometimes detected with stress tests or coronary angiography

• Doctors may use medications to provoke and confirm spasm

💊 Treatment

• Calcium channel blockers (to relax arteries)

• Nitrates (to relieve spasms quickly)

• Lifestyle changes (e.g., quitting smoking, reducing stress)

🚨 When to seek help

If you have chest pain at night, especially recurring or severe, it’s important to get medical evaluation—it can sometimes lead to serious complications like arrhythmias or heart attack.

If you want, I can explain how this differs from a typical heart attack or how to recognize warning signs quickly.