Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations can be described as a sensation where your heart appears to skip beats, race, or pound vigorously. These palpitations can be felt in various areas, including the chest, throat, or neck.
What’s intriguing is that palpitations can occur unexpectedly, whether you’re at rest or engaged in your usual activities. While they might startle you, it’s important to know that, in most cases, palpitations are not a cause for major concern. However, it’s worth noting that they can occasionally be associated with an irregular heart rhythm that warrants medical evaluation.
Heart Palpitation Causes
- Common Triggers: Heart palpitations are typically not a cause for serious concern and can result from common triggers such as strenuous exercise, lack of sleep, stress, certain medications, and the consumption of substances like alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, or recreational drugs.
- Life Stage Variations: Palpitations can occur at different life stages, including adolescence, pregnancy, and menopause, without necessarily indicating a serious medical issue.
- Medication and Substance Use: Some medications, as indicated in their accompanying leaflets, can lead to heart palpitations. Additionally, the use of substances like alcohol and caffeine may also contribute to palpitations.
- Underlying Health Conditions: While infrequent, heart palpitations can be linked to specific medical conditions, such as iron deficiency anemia, hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), or arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm). These situations may require medical evaluation and treatment.
- Menopausal Symptoms: Menopause can sometimes bring about heart palpitations as a symptom. While often not a cause for alarm, it’s advisable to consult a healthcare professional if they become bothersome or concerning during this phase of life.
What are the Symptoms of Heart Palpitation?
Heart palpitations are characterized by various sensations that may make you feel like your heart is:
- Racing: Your heart beats rapidly, as if it’s in a hurry.
- Pounding: Heartbeats are strong and forceful.
- Missing a Beat: Occasional interruptions in the regular heartbeat pattern can create a sensation as though a beat is skipped.
- Having an Extra Beat: An additional beat occurs between regular heartbeats.
- Flip-flopping: The heart feels like it’s flipping or flopping inside the chest.
- Fluttering: Rapid and irregular fluttering sensations in the chest.
These sensations can be felt not only in the chest but also in the neck or throat. While heart palpitations are often harmless, they may signal an abnormal heart rhythm in individuals with heart disease, significant risk factors for heart disease, or an abnormal heart valve. In such cases, the heart palpitation symptoms may include a heart that beats too fast, irregular flip-flopping sensations, rapid fluttering, pronounced pounding, or intermittent skipped beats. If you experience persistent or severe symptoms, it’s advisable to seek medical evaluation to determine the underlying cause and appropriate management.
References:
