This Month In Health
- Skipping a BeatCould you have a heart problem that needs immediate attention? While most heart palpitations are harmless, some are cause for concern. Here’s what can cause palpitations, when to seek medical care, and how palpitations are treated. Read >>
- A Healthy SkeletonWhile you can get a new pair or shoes or a fancy new computer any time you want, you’ve only got one set of bones. And while some of them can be replaced, life is a lot easier if you’re able to keep your bones in tact and in your body your entire life. Make it happen by avoiding seven bone-crushing habits. Read >>
- Women, Pay AttentionOvarian cancer is a quiet, dreaded diseases that can sneak up on you without warning. Read on to learn more about this quiet disease and how you can spot it before it’s too late. Read >>
- Sugary Wake-Up CallMillions of people have prediabetes, and 90 percent of them don’t know it. The good news is that a prediabetes diagnosis means an individual can make lifestyle changes that will help delay or even prevent a lifetime of disease and the health complications the come along with it. Read >>
Health and Fitness News
- What causes coronary heart disease? Who’s most at risk and treatment
- Maye Musk was a dietitian for 45 years—why she doesn’t believe in fad diets like keto or intermittent fasting
- What Your Resting Heart Rate Says About You
- Sport can protect us from developing serious mental health disorders
Skipping a Beat
Should you be concerned about heart palpitations?
Feeling an abnormal beat in your heart isn’t easy to ignore. When your heart’s been beating at the same rhythm day in and day out and all of a sudden feels like it’s skipping a beat, fluttering, racing, or pounding, you can’t help but fear the worst. Heart palpitations may happen anytime, whether you’re at rest or just finishing a workout. Besides your chest, you may also feel the abnormal rhythm in your neck or throat.
Could you have a heart problem that needs immediate attention? While most heart palpitations are harmless, some are cause for concern. Here’s what can cause palpitations, when to seek medical care, and how palpitations are treated.
Why They Happen
In some cases, the cause of abnormal beats can’t be determined. Other times, they’re the result of intense exercise, depression, anxiety, stress, or panic attacks. Fever can cause palpitations as can hormonal changes that come with pregnancy, menstruation, or menopause. Stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine, amphetamines, and cocaine are also culprits. Medications that contain the ingredient pseudoephedrine used to treat colds and coughs, asthma inhalers, or diet pills could be to blame. Sometimes, foods high in monosodium glutamate, sodium, or nitrate can trigger palpitations.
But the root cause isn’t always so benign. More serious conditions that cause heart palpitations include thyroid disease (hyperthyroidism), dehydration, anemia, low blood sugar, low blood pressure, or an electrolyte imbalance.
Additionally, palpitations may indicate an underlying heart condition that requires treatment. An arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm that makes the heart beat too fast, too slow, or irregularly), coronary artery disease, prior heart attack, heart failure, heart muscle conditions, or heart valve problems can all cause palpitations.
When to See the Doctor
Unless your palpitations can clearly be traced to one of the harmless causes listed above, make an appointment to see your doctor to rule out any more serious conditions. Regardless of the suspected cause, if your palpitations are accompanied by dizziness, chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting, seek emergency medical attention.
Tests to Diagnose a Heart Condition
To diagnose the cause or severity of heart palpitations, your doctor will order one or more tests. Sometimes all that is required for a definitive diagnosis is a simple blood test. Other times, you may need an electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram (an ultrasound of your heart), or a holter monitor that records your heart’s electrical signals over a period of days.
How to Prevent Palpitations
Sometimes, palpitations come out of nowhere and go away on their own. If your doctor finds no underlying medical cause, there are normally lifestyle changes you can make to reduce the occurrence of palpitations. When stress or anxiety are at the root, practice relaxation exercises, get regular exercise, do tai chi or yoga, or work with a therapist to do biofeedback or guided imagery. You’ll also want to avoid medications, supplements, foods, drinks, or illegal drugs that may be triggering your palpitations.
In cases when lifestyle changes don’t stop palpitations, your doctor may prescribe medications. Calcium-channel blocker or beta-blocker medications are frequently used to treat palpitations. If an underlying heart condition is diagnosed, you will be treated for that condition.
Risk of Complications
Untreated heart palpitations caused by a heart condition can lead to health complications down the road. A rapid pulse can cause your blood pressure to drop and make you faint. Dangerous arrhythmias can lead to cardiac arrest. Palpitations due to atrial fibrillation can cause blood clots to form and increase your risk of stroke. And chronic arrhythmia can lead to heart failure. For these reasons, never ignore heart palpitations, but make an appointment to see your doctor.
Worst Cause Ever.
Love chocolate? Eating a lot of it can cause heart palpitations.