Feeling your heartbeat can be an unusual and sometimes concerning sensation. It’s often described as heart palpitations, which means you become more aware of your heart beating. While it can be alarming, in most cases, feeling your heartbeat is harmless. However, it’s important to know when it might signal a need for medical attention.
What Heart Palpitations Feel Like
When you experience heart palpitations, your heartbeat might feel different or uncomfortable. You can feel these sensations in your chest, throat, or neck. People describe palpitations in various ways, including:
- Racing or beating very fast: Your heart feels like it’s speeding up rapidly.
- Irregular, with skipped or extra beats (ectopic beats): You might notice pauses or extra thumps in your heartbeat.
- Pounding or thumping: A strong, forceful heartbeat that feels more intense than usual.
- Fluttering: A sensation like your heart is fluttering or quivering.
Heart palpitations can be brief, lasting just seconds or minutes, or they can persist for longer periods.
Common Reasons You Might Feel Your Heartbeat
Feeling your heartbeat is a surprisingly common experience and is often not a cause for serious concern. Many everyday factors can trigger palpitations, such as:
- Strenuous Exercise: Physical activity naturally increases your heart rate, making your heartbeat more noticeable.
- Lack of Sleep: Insufficient rest can put stress on your body and lead to palpitations.
- Stress and Anxiety: Emotional stress and anxiety are major contributors to heart palpitations. When you’re stressed, your body releases hormones that can speed up your heart.
- Medicines: Certain medications, including over-the-counter and prescription drugs, can list palpitations as a side effect. Always check the patient information leaflet that comes with your medicine.
- Stimulants: Consuming stimulants like alcohol, caffeine (found in coffee, tea, and energy drinks), nicotine (from smoking or vaping), and recreational drugs can all cause your heart to beat faster and more noticeably.
- Menopause: Hormonal changes during menopause can trigger various symptoms, including heart palpitations, in some women.
- Pregnancy: Similar to menopause, pregnancy involves significant hormonal shifts, which can also lead to palpitations in some individuals.
Less frequently, feeling your heartbeat can be a symptom of an underlying medical condition. These conditions are less common causes but are important to be aware of:
- Iron Deficiency Anemia: Low iron levels can lead to anemia, which can sometimes cause palpitations as the heart works harder to circulate oxygen.
- Overactive Thyroid (Hyperthyroidism): An overactive thyroid gland produces too much thyroid hormone, which can speed up metabolism and heart rate, leading to palpitations.
- Heart Rhythm Problem (Arrhythmia): In some cases, palpitations can be a sign of an arrhythmia, an irregular heartbeat caused by problems with the heart’s electrical system.
When Feeling Your Heartbeat Needs Medical Attention
While most heart palpitations are benign, it’s crucial to know when to seek medical advice.
Non-Urgent Advice: See a Doctor
It’s advisable to see your doctor if you experience heart palpitations and any of the following apply:
- They keep coming back or they’re getting worse: If palpitations are frequent or increasing in intensity, it’s important to get checked out.
- They last longer than a few minutes: Prolonged palpitations should be evaluated by a healthcare professional.
- You have a known heart condition: If you already have a diagnosed heart problem, any new or worsening palpitations should be reported to your doctor.
- You have a family history of heart problems: A family history of heart issues can increase your risk, so it’s wise to discuss palpitations with your doctor.
Immediate Action Required: Call Emergency Services or Go to the Emergency Room
Seek immediate medical help if you are currently experiencing heart palpitations along with any of these serious symptoms:
- Chest pain: Palpitations accompanied by chest pain can indicate a serious heart issue.
- Shortness of breath: Difficulty breathing or feeling breathless along with palpitations is a red flag.
- Feeling faint or fainting: Lightheadedness or loss of consciousness during palpitations can be a sign of a significant problem.
If you experience these emergency symptoms, call emergency services immediately or go to the nearest emergency room. Even if these serious symptoms stop, it’s crucial to seek urgent medical advice by contacting your doctor for an urgent appointment or using online or phone NHS 111 service for guidance. Do not drive yourself to the emergency room; call for an ambulance or ask someone to drive you. Bring a list of any medications you are currently taking with you to the hospital.
How to Manage Heart Palpitations
The approach to managing heart palpitations depends largely on identifying and addressing the underlying cause. In many instances, palpitations do not require specific medical treatment and can be managed through lifestyle adjustments.
Often, simple changes to avoid triggers can significantly reduce or eliminate palpitations. These strategies include:
- Stress Management: Practicing relaxation techniques like deep breathing, meditation, or yoga can help manage stress and anxiety, reducing palpitations.
- Ensuring Adequate Sleep: Prioritizing sufficient and quality sleep can improve overall health and minimize palpitations.
- Limiting or Avoiding Stimulants: Reducing or eliminating caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and recreational drugs can have a positive impact on palpitations.
- Reviewing Medications: Discuss any medications you are taking with your doctor to see if they could be contributing to your palpitations and if alternative options are available.
To determine the cause of your palpitations, your doctor may recommend an electrocardiogram (ECG). This is a painless and quick test that involves placing small pads on your skin to record the electrical signals of your heart. The ECG helps to identify any irregularities in your heart rhythm.
If your palpitations are found to be caused by an underlying heart condition, your doctor may prescribe medications or recommend procedures to help correct your heartbeat and manage the condition effectively.
Feeling your heartbeat can be unsettling, but understanding the potential causes and knowing when to seek medical help can provide reassurance and guide appropriate action. In most cases, palpitations are harmless and manageable, allowing you to maintain a healthy and active life.
