What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
What is palpitations? What does palpitations look like?

You may feel heart beat and tremble, which feels very strong, palpitations, and precordial area is a little stuffy, and duration is very short (a few seconds), you can call these sensations heart palpitations. . Sometimes people with palpitations feel scared, but most are not serious and rarely require treatment.

(Palpitations are not same as angina pectoris. Angina pectoris is angina pectoris and tingling in precordial region, accompanied by chest pain, chest tightness, intense pressure, and even difficulty breathing.)

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?

So, what causes heart palpitations?

1. Stress and anxiety

Strong mood swings cause release of hormones that speed up heartbeat. Even if nothing threatens you, your body is ready to face threat. Chronic overwork stress (life stress, work stress, family stress, etc.) or severe anxiety can cause heart palpitations.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
2. Sudden physical activity

Exercise is good for your body, running or vigorous rotation naturally raises your heart rate, and doing it helps your heart pump more blood to fuel your muscles. However, if you have not been exercising for a long time, and with sudden and strenuous exertion, your heart may not “adapt” and you may experience tachycardia, arrhythmia, etc., and then palpitations.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
3. Caffeine

Caffeine is a stimulant that raises your heart rate whether you get it from coffee, soda, energy drinks, tea, chocolate, or another source. A study found that caffeine in coffee, tea, and chocolate does not cause heart palpitations in people with healthy hearts, but it can cause heart palpitations in people with heart problems.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
4. Smoking (nicotine), alcohol

Nicotine, an addictive chemical in cigarettes and other tobacco products, raises blood pressure and speeds up heart rate. Quitting smoking is one of best things you can do for your heart, although it may not immediately slow down your heart rate. Other nicotine replacement products can also cause an increase in heart rate. A rapid heart rate can also be a symptom of nicotine withdrawal (such as rapid heart rate when you quit smoking).

If you suddenly drink a lot of alcohol, you may feel that your heart is beating faster than usual. Alcohol excites nerves, increases heart rate, and even causes heart to palpitate.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
5. Changes in hormone levels

Women may notice that their heart beats faster when they are menstruating, pregnant, approaching menopause, or going through menopause. Reason: hormone levels. This change in heart rate is usually temporary and nothing to worry about. And if you're pregnant and anemic, heart palpitations can also occur because "you don't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen."

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
6. Fever

When you have a fever due to any other medical condition, your body burns "calories" faster than normal, meaning your metabolism speeds up, which can also cause your heart to race.

7. Some drugs

Some prescription and over-the-counter medicines can cause heart palpitations as a side effect, such as: antibiotics, antifungals, antipsychotics, asthma inhalers, cough and cold medicines, diet pills, high blood pressure medicines and much more.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
8. Hypoglycemia

Have you ever noticed that when you skip a meal, you feel very uncomfortable, such as irritability and fatigue, weakness, etc., because your blood sugar is too low, which can also cause heartbeat. When blood sugar levels are low, body releases stress hormones such as adrenaline in preparation for an emergency food shortage. Adrenaline speeds up heartbeat.

9. Hyperthyroidism

The thyroid gland also produces hormones that help control metabolism. An overactive thyroid gland (called hyperthyroidism) produces too much thyroid hormone, which can speed up heart. So taking too much thyroid hormone to treat an underactive thyroid (called hypothyroidism) can also speed up your heart rate and cause heart palpitations.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
10. Heart problems (for example, arrhythmias, extrasystoles, etc.)

Sometimes, a fast heartbeat can be caused by an irregular heart rhythm called an arrhythmia. The most common causes of palpitations can be atrial fibrillation, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, etc., as well as premature ventricular contractions.

What is palpitations? What causes heart palpitations?
11. Cocaine and other drugs

Illicit drugs such as amphetamines, cocaine and MDMA are also bad for heart. Cocaine raises blood pressure, increases heart rate, and damages heart muscle, while amphetamines stimulate nervous system, making heart beat faster. MDMA causes release of a chemical called norepinephrine, which makes heart beat faster. All of these can cause heart palpitations.

Finally, if periodic physiological heartbeat lasts for a short time (a few seconds), you do not need to worry about it. However, if symptoms are severe, long lasting and do not bring relief, it is recommended to go to hospital for examination.

Common examination methods include: electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, 24-hour ECG monitoring, etc.