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What Are Heart Palpitations—And What Causes Them?

Heart palpitations feel like your heart has skipped a beat or added an extra beat. They’re typically harmless and resolve on their own without treatment. But, they may indicate a more serious underlying condition. If you experience a heart palpitation, you may become overly aware of your heartbeat. It may feel like your heart is racing, pounding, or fluttering. You may feel this sensation in your chest, neck, or throat. Your heart rhythm may also change during the palpitations.

A heart palpitation happens when someone becomes aware of their heartbeat, which may feel too fast, slow, or irregular. The heart pumps blood automatically, so people may usually be unaware of individual beats.

This pumping allows the blood to circulate throughout the body, delivering oxygen and other essential components. The heart has four chambers attached with one-way valves.

A heartbeat is a pumping action that happens in two parts:

  • Part 1: As blood collects in the upper two chambers, an electrical signal causes a contraction that pushes blood to the lower chambers.
  • Part 2: One side of the heart pushes blood to the lungs, where it mixes with oxygen, and the other side circulates oxygenated blood around the body.

What causes heart palpitations?

The heart skipping a beat can be the result of several factors, including:

1. Lifestyle triggers

Strenuous exercise, dehydration, not getting enough sleep, or drinking too much caffeine or alcohol can lead to heart palpitations. Smoking tobacco and using illegal drugs such as cocaine or stimulants such as Sudafed can also cause the heart to skip a beat.

2. Psychological or emotional triggers

Strong emotions such as stress or anxiety can cause heart palpitations. They may also occur during a panic attack. Other symptoms of a panic attack include:

  • nausea
  • feeling weak or dizzy
  • numbness in the extremities
  • chest pain or tightness
  • trembling
  • shortness of breath
  1. Medication

Some medicines can trigger heart palpitations. These include:

  • asthma medications
  • medications for high blood pressure
  • antihistamines
  • antibiotics
  • antidepressants
  • antifungal medicines

Anyone who has frequent heart palpitations and is taking medication should check the list of possible side effects on the label. A person will need to talk with a doctor before stopping any medication. Heart palpitations may be a harmless side effect, but it is best to check.

4. Hormone changes

Periods, pregnancy, and menopause can all cause hormonal changes, which may lead to heart palpitations. An overactive thyroid can also cause heart palpitations.

5. Arrhythmias

Arrhythmias are changes in the usual pattern of electrical impulses from the heart, causing irregular heartbeats. Some arrhythmias are harmless, but others can be serious and require medical attention.

The following are examples of arrhythmias:

  • Atrial fibrillation: Can cause a fast, irregular heart rate and increase the risk of stroke.
  • Bradycardia: A slow heart rate.
  • Tachycardia: A fast heart rate.
  • Supraventricular tachycardia: A rapid heartbeat that can cause dizziness.
  • Ventricular tachycardia: A potentially serious condition that causes a fast, regular heart rhythm and is sometimes associated with dizziness or blackouts.

6. Heart conditions

In some cases, palpitations can indicate problems with the heart. Examples include:

  • Mitral valve prolapse: Which causes blood to flow inefficiently through the heart.
  • Heart failure: This happens when the heart cannot pump blood effectively, and heart chambers can dilate.
  • Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: Refers to an enlargement of the heart muscle and its walls.
  • Congenital heart disease: Refers to abnormalities that are present from birth.

7. Other medical conditions

The following issues can also cause palpitations:

  • anemia
  • hypoglycemia, which refers to low blood sugar levels
  • low blood pressure
  • thyroid storm
  • electrolyte abnormalities

Treatment for heart palpitations

Treatment depends on the cause of your palpitations. Your doctor will need to address any underlying medical conditions.

Sometimes, doctors aren’t able to find the cause. Heart palpations usually don’t require treatment unless your doctor finds they’re caused by an underlying condition.

If your palpitations don’t have a medical cause, you may be able to reduce symptoms by:

  1. Managing stress and anxiety. Including relaxation techniques in your weekly routine may help reduce heart palpations caused by stress or anxiety. There are many options, but some popular options include:

 

  1. physical activity
  2. breathing exercises
  3. yoga
  4. tai chi
  5. meditation
  6. biofeedback

 

  1. Avoiding stimulants. Try to avoid or minimize your intake of caffeine. Some illegal drugs like cocaine and ecstasy are stimulants that can cause heart palpitations. Also ask your doctor whether any of your prescription medications contain stimulants that could cause heart palpitations.
  2. Watching your diet. Low blood sugar can increase your risk of heart palpations. Replacing sugar and other simple carbs with complex carbs may help keep your blood sugar levels stable. For instance, try to swap sugary sodas, baked goods, and fruit juice concentrates with whole grains and fresh fruit and vegetables.
  3. Changing medications. If you think your medications are contributing to your palpitations, talk with your doctor about alternatives. However, don’t stop taking any medication without first talking with your doctor.
  4. Quitting smoking if you smoke. People who smoke are at an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, the most common cause of arrhythmia.

Heart palpitations are a common condition. Most of the time, they’re harmless and don’t require medical attention. However, in some cases, they can indicate a potentially serious condition.

If you have an underlying heart condition, it’s important to talk with your doctor about your heart palpitations. If you’re not sure if you have a heart condition, but your heart palpitations happen often or seem to be lasting longer or occurring more frequently, be sure to visit your doctor for a proper diagnosis.

Resources

Becerra-Tomás N, et al. (2019). Legume consumption and cardiometabolic health. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6855964/Trusted Source

Giosue A, et al. (2022). Consumption of dairy foods and cardiovascular disease: A systematic review. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8875110/Trusted Source

Guasch-Ferré M, et al. (2017). Nut consumption and risk of cardiovascular disease. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5762129/Trusted Source

Hu Y, et al. (2022). Intake of whole grain foods and risk of coronary heart disease in US men and women. https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-022-02396-zTrusted Source

Li D, et al. (2021). The effect of phased written health education combined with healthy diet on the quality of life of patients after heart valve replacement. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8229384/Trusted Source

Miller V, et al. (2017). Fruit, vegetable, and legume intake, and cardiovascular disease and deaths in 18 countries (PURE): a prospective cohort study. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32253-5/fulltextTrusted Source

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