Heart palpitations: Causes, Risks & Treatment

Palpitations are defined as those intense pounding or racing feelings in your heart. When having heart palpations, you may become suddenly aware of your heartbeat. You could also feel that your heartbeat does not feel as it used to be. When experiencing palpations, you could also feel skipped heart beats, or pauses; but you could also feel extra beats, an odd flip-flopping sensation, or even a fluttering feeling in your chest. Have you ever felt any of those unusual sensations? They are all the symptoms of heart palpitations. Sometimes heart palpitations can even be life-threatening problems and are very serious and should be taken care of.

What are heart palpitations?

Palpitations are perceived changes in the rate, rhythm, or the strength of the heartbeat. Although heart palpitations can be frightening, this phenomenon usually is not as serious as many people think.

Causes of heart palpitations

Palpitations are a common consequence of anxiety, a lack of sleep, using certain prescription medicines, excessive use of caffeine, or too much heavy exercise. They also may be a sign of heart disease or some other diseases that affect the heart or other parts of the body. Heart palpitations usually occur when something disrupts the normal electrical activity or function of the heart. They could occur when the heart is beating too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. You could also feel heart palpitations when the heart is contracting more forcefully than usual. Sometimes heart palpitations can occur for unknown reasons in people with no evidence of heart disease or arrhythmia at all. Arrhythmias may occur in otherwise healthy individuals in response to certain lifestyle factors. Arrhythmias commonly appear in situations in which people using prescription medications or other drugs. In some individuals, arrhythmias occur due to an underlying condition or illness as a previously existing problem.

Lifestyle factors that can cause palpitations include strong emotions, strenuous exercise, smoking, and consuming too much caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea, cola, or other caffeine-containing product such as chocolate. Drinking too much alcohol, experiencing stress or anxiety, using certain medications (diet pills or thyroid hormone replacement), and certain recreational drugs could provoke heart palpitations.

Some of the conditions that can cause palpitations include serious illness or fever, nausea and vomiting, thyroid gland disease, anemia (a decreased number of red blood cells), and heart disease. It is not so rare that lung disease and adrenal gland tumor, as well as hypoglycemia, provoke heart palpitations. Pregnancy is also a condition sometimes marked with heart palpitations. Patients with heart disease, rhythm problems, or valve problems such as mitral valve prolapse are very likely to have heart palpitations. Medicines, such as diet pills, some herbal supplements, and certain cold and allergy remedies are a possible cause of heart palpitations as well.

Signs and symptoms of heart palpitations

Palpitations are often felt as skipping heartbeats, fluttering in the chest, or a racing heart. If you also feel dizzy, light-headed, short of breath, or have chest pain along with palpitations, it could be a sign of a life-threatening problem, and you must see a doctor. You may feel as if your heart has extra beats, stops for a short time, or skips a beat. Heart palpitations may also be serious if you feel pain, pressure, or tightness in your chest, neck, jaw, arms, or upper back.

Care for heart palpitations

Care for this condition depends on the cause. If the palpitations are due to a serious problem, you will need to have it treated. If a medicine is causing your heart to skip beats or race, your doctor may stop or change the prescription you have. Otherwise, you will need to stop eating or drinking caffeinated food, as that might be the cause of your palpitations. You will also need to make sure you get enough rest, remember to avoid over-exercising, and try not to get too stressed-out.

Risks of heart palpitations

Without treatment, the cause of the palpitations will remain unknown to you and your doctor. Since palpitations can sometimes signal a dangerous problem, it could be a life-threatening risk. Although for most people palpitations are not dangerous, it is important that your doctor or caregiver performs a check-up, especially if you have new or worsening symptoms. Without treatment, you could have more episodes of heart palpitations then you had before. Some palpitations may come because of serious heart rhythm problems. If these problems do not receive appropriate treatment, they can increase your chance of heart failure, heart attack, or stroke. However, it is rare that palpitations are caused by serious health problems. You should call your caregiver if you are worried or have questions about your medicine or care. It is normal to feel scared, confused, or anxious because of heart palpitations. Do not hesitate to seek professional help if you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms.

What to do once you notice heart palpitations?

If you have medication prescription, you must be sure to take it as directed. If you feel it is not helping, you should call your doctor. Do not stop taking it on your own without consulting your doctor. To help keep the palpitations from coming back, drink decaffeinated coffee, tea, and soda, and do not eat chocolate. If you smoke, quit or cut down as much as you can, because it could improve your symptoms. You should also try not to get too stressed-out or upset. Biofeedback, yoga, or meditation will help you relax and prevent further palpitations. Exercise such as swimming, jogging, or walking may also help reduce stress, and therefore reduce palpitations. Excess weight can make the heart work harder, so if you need to lose weight, ask your doctor about the best plan for you.

You should know when it is important to call your doctor. Call the doctor if you continue to have a fast heartbeat, or if your palpitations occur more often. You must seek care immediately if you get a bad headache, dizziness, or fainting. It is an emergent situation if you have chest pain that spreads to your arms, jaw, or back, and you are sweating, feel sick to your stomach, and have trouble breathing, as these are the signs of a heart attack. Remember that you must not drive yourself to hospital if this happens to you.

Diagnosing heart palpitations

Once you get to the hospital, your doctor will take your vital signs. These include your temperature, blood pressure, pulse, and respirations. The doctor will use a stethoscope to listen to your heart and lungs. He will take your blood pressure by wrapping a cuff around your arm. The doctor will probably use the pulse oximeter as well. He will place it on your ear, finger, or toe, and connect it to a machine. It measures the oxygen in your blood, which is an important detail, since  your body may need extra oxygen at this time. If you need extra oxygen, the doctor will give it to you either via a mask or nasal prongs. You should tell your doctor if the oxygen is drying out your nose, or if the nasal prongs bother you. The doctor will usually take a blood sample from a vein in your arm. To examine blood gases, the doctor needs to take blood from an artery in your wrist, elbow, or groin. It helps to test for oxygen in your blood. An electrocardiograph, or ECG is valuable as well. ECG helps detect the source of the problem and determine why you feel these heart palpitations. However, it might be hard for your caregiver to find out what is causing your symptoms.

A common situation is that people see a caregiver when their palpitations have stopped. Caregivers have a better chance of finding out what is wrong if he sees you when your palpitations are happening. Your caregiver will review your medical history and any symptoms you have due to palpitations. He will examine you, and listen to your heart and lungs with a stethoscope, as well as perform other tests required for diagnosing heart palpitations. These other heart tests are necessary if your caregivers think that you may have a heart problem. A chest x-ray might also help to check your heart and lungs. An ultrasound of your heart, called an echocardiogram, can find problems with your heart that do not show up on an ECG or in an x-ray. If you have problems with fainting, you may need a tilt table test, which could show what happens to your heart and your blood pressure when you change positions.

If your doctor cannot see the cause of your heart palpitations immediately, he must do as many tests he can, because it is extremely important to detect the primary problem. Once he diagnoses you, he can prescribe appropriate treatment for your heart palpitations.

Treatment for heart palpitations

Treatment depends on the cause of the palpitations, your symptoms, and other health problems you may have beside heart palpitations. If your palpitations cause few symptoms and you are generally healthy, you may not need any treatment, but you may still need to make lifestyle changes, such as decreasing stress and avoiding alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine. Work with your caregiver to find the right exercise program for you, and do not exercise longer or harder than your caregiver has instructed you to. If your symptoms bother you or you have other health problems, you may need other treatment that will help you better.