Palpitations & Arrhythmias
The sensation that your heart is pounding in your chest or that your pulse is racing, is called palpitations. There are a number of reasons that range from the benign to the life threatening. They may develop after you exercise strenuously, they can accompany the hot flashes that often occur during menopause, and they can be one of the signs of an anxiety attacks.
You may also feel palpitations after drinking coffee or tea, taking cough medicine, smoking a cigarette, taking cocaine, and even eating chocolate. All these substances are stimulants, which can prompt the heart to beat faster and more forcefully.
Palpitations can also be a sign of an arrhythmia--an irregular heartbeat. Some arrhythmias are harmless and people live with them for decades without trouble. Other arrhythmias can signal a serious underlying condition such as coronary artery disease, heart valve disorders, or heart failure, which can all impair the heart's ability to pump blood adequately.
Most palpitations are not signs of a serious medical problem, but if you do notice frequent heart rate or rhythm changes or feel pain, get in touch with your doctor promptly. Doctors can perform a number of different tests to determine the exact cause. If you or someone you are with has palpitations and is short of breath, losing consciousness, has chest pain, unusual sweating, dizziness, or lightheadedness call 911 right away. These can signal a heart attack.
Statsatistics
1. A normal resting pulse rate for an adult is about 60 to 100 beats per minute. A heartbeat that is faster than normal is called tachycardia; a slower-than-normal rhythm is bradycardia.
2. Arrhythmias are caused by a disruption of the normal electrical conduction system of the heart. Normally, the 4 chambers of the heart (2 atria and 2 ventricles) contract in a very specific, coordinated manner. According to the government health information service Medline, problems can occur anywhere along this conduction system, causing various arrhythmias. Tachycardia that originates in the atria is called supraventricular tachycardia, and ventricular tachycardia when it originates in the ventricles. The most common supraventricular tachycardias are atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and atrioventricular nodal reentry tachycardia.
3. In as many as 1 in 7 cases, the causes of palpitations cannot be found, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians.
Causes
Heart palpitations are a feeling that your heart is pounding or racing, skipping beats, flip-flopping in your chest, or you may simply be unpleasantly aware of your own heartbeat. You may feel palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck.
If you or someone you are with is having palpitations with chest pain, dizziness, shortness of breath, and sweating, though, call 911. Emergency intervention may be necessary to restore the heart's normal rhythm.
Palpitations that are not related to deeper heart arrhythmias can often be controlled with lifestyle changes: If you smoke, try to quit. Try to manage your stress levels by exercising regularly and practicing relaxation techniques such as those taught in yoga. Avoid caffeine, chocolate, and other stimulants that could be triggering your palpitations, and cut down your alcohol consumption. Avoid over the counter medicines that contain stimulants such as decongestants, diet pills, and herbal supplements.
