Fast heart beat and blackout after bending over

Oh my gosh! This worked! I had been short of breath with that odd heart-beating-fast sensation for two hours, since I bent down to start the dishwasher this morning.
I tried bearing down as if to poo and in less than 10 seconds the feeling is gone! Thank you!

This exact thing started happening to me about 15 years ago. First time it happened I thought I was having a heart attack. WASN ' T !  ALWAYS happens when I bend over to pick something up..usually heavy things. DON'T PANIC !!! Every time it happened I just stood up, kept mostly still and it went away. Also ,  A paramedic friend of mine said what a lot of other people said on here. Hold your breath , act like you're poopin' and relax. It won't hurt to go see your doctor just to make sure though. If your visit comes back clean then just relax and act like you're poopin' when it happens...hahaha... I don't like these episodes and now I try to be careful and go slowly when picking things up. Good luck. John

Orthostatic Hypotenstion or Orthostatic Intolorance.....Both are not life threatening but can cause serious issues! I have OI and my life is hell! You should ask for an MRI just to play it safe and to rule out anything serious going on in the brain. Good luck!

I have also had these episodes intermittently from age 19, and I am 39 now.  I happen to be a nurse on a cardiac tele floor and was fortunate to be at work when the last one happened.  I was hooked up to the monitor and the cardiologist present told me the heart rhythm was reentry atrial tachycardia with a rate between 160 and 220 bpm.  I was successful in stopping the rapid heart rate by submerging my face in iced water for as long as I could hold my breath.  There is medicine, rhythmol, that will help but because it is very intermittent and so far controllable, I chose to just live with it.  The cardiologist said it is relatively harmless and recommended that I stay HYDRATED as it is directly triggered by dehydration. 

I REALLY needed to read your post. Its NOT just me. I suddenly became out of breath when bending over a few months after the birth of my son. I have had Ekgs, holters and ultrasounds of the heart but nothing! Its so frustrating because we want answers. If you get answers please share!

Mine happens randomly...not even if I bend over. Sometimes I feel it when I am laying down, sitting, stsnding, whenever. My heart beats hard like I can feel the thumps in my throat. My face gets cold and I get everything spins plus I feel nauseous. I pass out as well, one time fallig so hard I busted my face up. I had EKG's before years before while I was pregnant (when it all started) but the doctors said all was well...I just dont see how all is well when I can pass out at any moment, maybe while driving...it is so scary. Wish there was an answer and hope that something underlying does not cause any detrumental effects.

I have had this for years when bending down and most recently when riding a road bike and sprinting in a drop bar position (very similar to a bent over position if you can picture it). I was wearing a HR monitor and my rate spiked to approx 188 and would not come down for about 30 minutes, I did however keep cycling at a slow pace but did not stop which would have helped slow my HR quicker. I don't get blackouts or dizziness just the quick HR and maybe a light feeling in my chest.

Reading about the dehydration point is very helpful. The day of this cycling incident, which happened nearly an hour into the ride, I had also done running sprints about 6 hours beforehand so I was probably a bit dehydrated from that also.

 

As a side note I have a slightly large quadrant in my heart caused by glandular fever as a teenager, I was cleared as being fine as it has no affect on my health, but maybe because of the larger part my heart cannot pump to the required pressure when in a bent over position so I get this accelerated HR?

Bending over compresses your abdomen, decreasing the volume of your body. Fluids do not compress well, and so this increases blood pressure upon the other parts of your body. ALSO, when you bend over, you are placing your head in a lower position relative to your heart, which additionally increases the blood pressure in your head. These changes are so pronounced, that some patients are told not to bend over to tie their shoes, sleep with their head at the same level as their heart, etc. It is not uncommon for some people to develop anxiety reactions to these sensations. Treatment consists of learning to avoid compressing the abdomen, and also learning to reassure yourself using _coping statements_ about the benign nature of your symptoms.

 

I am 55 and have had this for over five years. I believe it is caused by a weak valve, thus the onset when you bend over. I believe my case was caused by prolonged high blood pressure and frequent dehydration. I have a friend who had this and passed out when he was driving and ended up in a cornfield. He later passed out walking in a mall and fell backward and got a scull fracture, went into a coma and later, sadly, died from his brain injury. I don't want to scare everyone but when you feel this you should pull over or kneel or sit until it goes away. Play it safe. I try to when I can. My doctor also can not find anything wrong either, it never does it when I am being checked out. I now drink lots of water and take medication for high BP.

Please get checked out. I passed out one evening and my husband calling the ambulance was taken to the Er and found out that I have an irregular heart beat and had to stay and be monitored with a heart monitor on. 

It happens to me at least every two months. I bend over to pick something up and when i get back up my heart is racing like 150-180 i get lightheaded, heavy in the chest, muscles feel weak, i cant talk, i feel like i'm choking sometimes, blurry vision,  weakness it hurts sometimes and scares the c**p out me. After i feel so tired and weak and exhausted. I have tried a heart monitor and i pressed play and they said they didn't see anything. I have been to so many doctors and they have gave me different answers. Thyroid problems. SVT. Now POTS. I go to the doctors every six months for blood tests and ultrasounds. Still they have not found anything and its been 3 years.

My husband had this problem and the cardiologist has no clue what causes it but they put him on a calcium blocker and it stopped it.

I have been noticing lately the rapid heart beat and I nearly black out but it leaves pretty quickly.

I have had this all of my life. Took many trips to the Er and hole monitors to find out that u had a very healthy heart...but also atrial fibrillation (intermittent) and tachycardia. I have researched the symptoms and triggers for years. Guess what? Do the research on the vagus nerve. When you bed over and change position, your vagus nerve actually sensed mixed up signals to your heart, thus the symptoms. It tookntwenty five years for me to realize my own stuff, as doctors and cardiologists dont believe that these little things are actually medical triggers. They are...so many people experience this..we can chat anytime!

First, thank you to all that have posted something here. I hope it has helped people. I have only blacked out 3 time now in the past 8 months. They have only happened when I was sitting or bending over and all 3 times I had to be woken up by someone. Most recently, my girlfriend found me on the bathroom floor and I cannot explain it to her because I cannot make sense of it myself so it has put a strain on our relationship. Is there anybody out there that has some insight on this or should I just go see a doctor? I work the night shift and get fairly exhausted and stressed. Possible trigger? Any help I could get I would appreciate it greatly! And thanks to everybody for sharing!