feeling your heartbeat throughout your body

Exercise: If you’re regularly noticing palpitations when you’re working out, Dr.Andersen says, as they can reveal underlying physical or mental health conditions that may need more targeted management or individualized treatment: You’ll also want to take extra note of the following causes of heart palpitations, Dr. You may also experience heart palpitations if you have a physical abnormality like a weaker or larger heart than usual, which you typically wouldn’t know about unless it showed up during some kind of medical exam. This can lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat, along with symptoms like an increased appetite and sudden weight loss. If your thyroid is on overdrive (meaning, you have hyperthyroidism), it will generate too much thyroxine, which kicks up your body’s metabolism. Your thyroid produces hormones like thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which influence many of your body’s systems, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Other times, the Mayo Clinic notes, heart palpitations can be a sign that something’s up with a different organ, like your thyroid gland. If you think you’re experiencing any strange symptoms along with your heart palpitations, seek medical attention immediately. Only a doctor can tell you for sure, but any symptoms besides the strange heart sensations are typically a clue that your arrhythmia may be more serious, per the NHLBI. While arrhythmias often aren’t dangerous and can be treated in many ways, sometimes they can be life-threatening.

You’re pregnant, which causes your blood volume to go up and your heart has to work harder to pump the extra fluid.Īs you can see, a lot of these really common causes are nothing to worry about-your heart is just doing its thing and you’re more aware of it than you normally would be.

You’re doing a tough workout or just finished one.

You’re taking medication that contains stimulants.You’re sleep-deprived or suffer from sleep apnea.You’re experiencing anxiety or a panic attack.According to the Mayo Clinic, some examples include: Doshi, heart palpitations are most often caused by increases in adrenaline or things that require your heart to work harder than usual. There are tons of reasons your heart can go a little wonky, and most of them are nothing to worry about.Īccording to Dr. “Most of the time when people feel palpitations, their heart is not doing anything bad,” Dr. Haythe says she’s even heard people describe palpitations as a “squirrely” feeling in their chest.Ĭommon reasons you might feel heart palpitations “Others may feel like their heart ‘flip-flops’ or sense an extra hard ‘thump’ in their chest.” Dr. “Some people will describe a feeling like their heart is beating very quickly with an associated pounding in their chest,” Jennifer Haythe, M.D., assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Cardiology, Center for Advanced Cardiac Care at Columbia and co-director of the Women’s Center for Cardiovascular Health, tells SELF. “Palpitations” is a term that’s also used to describe when someone’s heart starts racing for seemingly no reason. You don’t feel the early beat-only the skip and then accentuated beat.” “In reality, what is happening is that your heart has an extra early beat and then there is a compensatory pause followed by an accentuated beat. “People complain of palpitations when their heart ‘skips’ a beat or two,” she says. Perelman Heart Institute at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, tells SELF. These steps may help prevent your arrhythmia from getting worse.That means the experience really is subjective, Holly Andersen, M.D., attending cardiologist and director of education and outreach at the Ronald O. You may need to avoid activities that may trigger your arrhythmia. If you have been diagnosed with an arrhythmia, your doctor may talk to you about healthy lifestyle changes you can make. During cardiac arrest, the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating, causing death if it is not treated within minutes. This can lead to life-threatening stroke, heart failure, or cardiac arrest. If not treated, arrhythmias can damage the heart, brain, or other organs. You may feel dizzy, faint, or have other symptoms.Īrrhythmias are treatable with medicine or procedures to control the irregular rhythms. But a frequent irregular rhythm may mean that your heart is not pumping enough blood to your body.

It is also normal to feel as if your heart skips a beat occasionally. It is normal for your heart rate to speed up during physical activity and to slow down while resting or sleeping. Your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly, or with an irregular rhythm. Medical Illustration Copyright © 2021 Nucleus Medical Media, All rights reserved.Īn arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, is a problem with the rate or rhythm of your heartbeat. When there is a problem with this system, it is called an arrhythmia. Learn how the heart uses electrical impulses to manage the speed and rhythm of every heartbeat.

Feeling your heartbeat throughout your body