Heart Palpitations Can Feel Concerning But Usually Are Not Serious
If you often have the feeling of your heart beating out-of-control or pounding against your chest while you are doing little or no activity, you might be experiencing heart palpitations.
While it’s normal to feel your heart beat faster while exercising, you should not experience the same feeling at other times, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP).
Heart palpitations can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck. They can cause you to be aware of your own heartbeat in an unpleasant way or to feel like your heart has either skipped a beat or stopped beating, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Though most of the time heart palpitations are not serious, they could be a sign of an arrhythmia – an abnormal heart rhythm, according to the NIH.
If you repeatedly experience palpitations, talk to your doctor, especially if you have been diagnosed with heart disease, significant risk of heart disease, an abnormal heart valve, or an electrolyte abnormality in your blood.
Heart palpitations are usually caused by:
- Anxiety
- Caffeine intake
- Cocaine or other illegal drugs
- Diet pills
- Exercise
- Fear
- Fever
- Nicotine intake
- Panic attacks
To reduce heart palpitations, you will have to make lifestyle changes to limit or avoid actions or behaviors that trigger them, according to the NIH.
You can also add deep relaxation, yoga, tai chi, and meditation to your routine to help reduce anxiety, fear, stress, and panic attacks, according to the NIH.
Source: American Academy of Family Physicians; National Institutes of Health
