Palpitation. What is dangerous heart palpitations - all the risks and consequences. Video - Rapid heartbeat. Energy and breathing practices

Article publication date: 12/24/2016

Article last updated: 12/18/2018

From this article you will learn: why palpitations (or heart rate - abbreviated as heart rate) can occur, is it dangerous. How is it treated, and is it always required.

A rapid pulse is considered to be from 90 beats per minute (in adults). In newborns, the heart rate should not exceed 150 beats per minute. In children under 10-12 years old - up to 120-130. In adolescents - up to 110 beats per minute.

The causes of heart palpitations can be different, and they are not always associated with. In some cases, a high heart rate may be normal and nothing needs to be done - but in most cases, treatment is still required.

By itself, a rapid pulse is not an independent disease, but a symptom of other disorders in the body. They are treated by such doctors as a cardiologist, arrhythmologist, cardiac surgeon, endocrinologist, nutritionist, sports doctor, neurologist, psychotherapist.

Primarily with a rapid pulse, consult a therapist.

Determination of heart rate

Why does the heartbeat increase?

Reasons for high heart rate:

• normal physiological processes;
• wrong way of life;
• congenital and acquired malformations of the heart and blood vessels;
• endocrine diseases.

During the day, the pulse can vary significantly. And if you notice that your heart is beating a little faster than usual, you should not immediately worry.

When is a fast heart rate normal?

Normally, the heart rate increases for the following reasons:

Usually such a frequent heartbeat is not even felt. Or you may notice it, but it will not be accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms (discomfort, chest pain, feeling of "jumping" the heart out of the chest, severe shortness of breath, etc.)

In this case, you don't need to do anything. This condition is not dangerous unless you have heart disease.

The heart beats more frequently during childhood and adolescence. If you notice that your child's pulse is faster than yours, this is normal. If the child himself is not worried about anything, you can be calm.

There is also the so-called idiopathic tachycardia. A condition when a high heart rate is associated with the individual characteristics of the body. Usually in this case, the heart rate deviates from the norm by 10-15 beats per minute. In this case, there is no reason that provokes a rapid pulse, and no health problems. In this case, too, nothing needs to be done, no treatment is needed.

High heart rate due to unhealthy lifestyle

Tachycardia can be triggered by:

1. smoking;
2. malnutrition (a large amount of fatty, fried, spicy, fast food, lack of fish products);
3. emotional or physical overstrain (stress at work or school, excessive sports loads);
4. lack of sleep;
5. drinking a lot of coffee or energy drinks.

In this case, contact a cardiologist and undergo an examination to determine if you have any diseases of the heart or other organs. If the doctors have not identified any pathologies, in order to normalize the heart rate, it is necessary to eliminate the causes that caused its increase.

To adjust the diet, you will need to consult a nutritionist. To draw up a further plan for physical activity, athletes will need a sports doctor. If you suffer from constant stress and sleep problems, see a psychotherapist.

If the wrong lifestyle provoked any diseases, treatment of the underlying pathology that caused tachycardia will be needed.

Increased heart rate due to disease

Tachycardia is a sign of many diseases of the cardiovascular system:

• chronic ischemia of the heart (it, in turn, is provoked by pathologies of the coronary vessels, for example, atherosclerosis or thrombosis);
• heart defects (and other valves, myocardial conduction disorders,);
• myocarditis (inflammatory process in the heart);
• transferred myocardial infarction;
• WPW syndrome (the presence of a bundle of Kent - an abnormal conduction path between the atrium and the ventricle).

In this case, heart palpitations are paroxysmal in nature. This is the so-called. It is accompanied by other unpleasant manifestations. A life-threatening type of arrhythmia may occur - ventricular fibrillation.

Often, the pulse can also increase due to disorders of the nervous system:

• neurocirculatory dystonia,
• vegetative dystonia.

These diseases are difficult to diagnose because they are accompanied by many symptoms similar to other diseases.

Also, high heart rate can be a symptom of diseases of the endocrine system:

• hyperthyroidism;
• very rarely - hypothyroidism.

In this case, the pulse is frequent constantly, not in the form of seizures. Complications include flutter or atrial fibrillation.

Symptoms that accompany palpitations

Other manifestations depend on what disease provoked a rapid pulse. To understand which doctor to contact and what to do, familiarize yourself with the manifestations of diseases, one of the symptoms of which is tachycardia.

Paroxysmal tachycardia with heart defects

It has clear time limits, that is, you can remember exactly when the attack started and when it ended. It can occur both spontaneously at rest and as a result of provoking factors (stress, physical activity, intake of substances that affect the cardiovascular system).

An attack of palpitations (up to 220 beats per minute) is accompanied by:

• dizziness;
• sometimes - fainting;
• tinnitus;
• a feeling of constriction in the chest and "jumping out" of the heart from the chest;
• sometimes - nausea and sweating.

During a paroxysm, flutter or ventricular fibrillation may develop. A prolonged attack can cause cardiogenic shock and cardiac arrest.

If you have noticed a paroxysm of tachycardia at least once, contact an arrhythmologist who will prescribe an additional examination, and then treatment (it will depend on the specific cause, in most cases it is surgical).

Tachycardia in disorders of nervous regulation

An increase in heart rate is observed with VSD and NCD (neurocirculatory dystonia).

Tachycardia with VVD is persistent (up to 140 beats per minute), the heart does not respond well to physical activity. Sometimes it is so bad that the patient cannot perform daily activities (walking for a long time, climbing stairs, etc.)

With NCD, an increased heart rate can be both constant and paroxysmal.

Manifestations of VVD, except for tachycardia:

1. frequent dizziness and tinnitus;
2. weakness and fatigue;
3. sweating;
4. intolerance to stuffiness;
5. anxiety and suspiciousness;
6. drowsiness;
7. abrupt mood swings;
8. temperature changes;
9. panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive states are possible.

With pronounced psychological symptoms, the disease can be difficult to distinguish from neurosis or psychosis.

Manifestations of neurocirculatory dystonia:

• chilliness of the legs and hands;
• cold hands and feet, pale skin;
• fatigue, weakness;
• headaches and dizziness;
• low or high blood pressure.

Treatment of these diseases is symptomatic. It is carried out by a neurologist and a cardiologist.

Heart palpitations in endocrine disorders

Tachycardia is always accompanied by hyperthyroidism - excessive production of thyroid hormones. With this pathology, the heartbeat is constantly accelerated, the heart rate reaches 120 beats per minute, even at rest. The pulse does not slow down even during sleep.

The disease can be identified by the following symptoms:

• enlarged thyroid gland;
• stomach ache;
• increased appetite, despite this - weight loss;
• sweating;
• irritability, fatigue;
• violation of the menstrual cycle in girls, an increase in the mammary glands and a decrease in potency in guys;
• liver enlargement (reversible);
• elevated blood sugar.

If you find these symptoms in yourself, contact your endocrinologist.

Very rarely, persistent tachycardia can be a sign of hypothyroidism, but usually with this disease, the heartbeat, on the contrary, slows down.

Diagnostics

To identify the cause of tachycardia, doctors examine the heart, internal organs, blood, thyroid gland, and nervous system.

If you have noted an increased heart rate, which is accompanied by other unpleasant symptoms, consult a doctor (primarily a cardiologist, he can then refer you to other specialists).

To determine the cause of an increase in heart rate, you need to do:

After studying the results of all tests, the doctor will prescribe treatment, depending on the identified disease. With endocrine or nervous diseases, you will have to take medicine, and with heart defects, surgery is most often performed.

After getting rid of the underlying disease, the heartbeat returns to normal.

How to treat tachycardia in various diseases

Heart palpitations can be cured completely by getting rid of its cause.

Elimination of heart disease

The causes and treatment of palpitations are strongly related: depending on the disease, increased heart rate is treated by different methods (conservatively or surgically).

Medical treatment

With heart defects, surgery is most often required, since medications do not eliminate the cause of the disease.

Surgical treatment of heart defects

What to do with paroxysm (paroxysmal tachycardia)?

If you experienced a tachycardia attack for the first time, immediately call an ambulance.

After removing the paroxysm, the doctor will inform you about how to act in case of recurrence.

As soon as you feel the onset of an attack, perform vagal tests in which you stimulate the vagus nerve:

1. press on closed eyes;
2. massage the carotid sinus (located under the lower jaw);
3. press on the root of the tongue;
4. hold your breath and wash yourself with cold water;

Before using vagal techniques, consult with your doctor to learn the correct technique for their implementation.

The doctor also prescribes to relieve an attack of tachycardia. Often it is Verapamil. However, it is contraindicated for WPW syndrome and some other diseases. In WPW syndrome, ATP is used intravenously.

Use antiarrhythmic drugs only as directed by your doctor. Improper use of them is life-threatening.

Treatment of VVD and NCD

The treatment of these diseases is symptomatic. Doctors prescribe drugs to relieve the symptoms that bother the patient the most.

If the tachycardia is severe, beta-blockers are prescribed (for example, Anaprilin).

If palpitations arose due to increased anxiety, anxiolytics (Phenazepam, Valium, Seduxen) or antidepressants with an anti-anxiety effect (Paxil, Amitriptyline) are prescribed.

The following procedures also apply:

• massage,
• pine baths,
• electrophoresis.

Therapy for hyperthyroidism

For symptomatic treatment of tachycardia, beta-blockers (Obzidan) are prescribed.

Also, to eliminate hyperthyroidism, and with it tachycardia, follow a diet:

• eat more dairy and sour-milk products, vegetables, fruits;
• give up tea, coffee, cocoa, spices and chocolate.

Folk remedies for heart palpitations

They help well if the cause of tachycardia is VVD.

Before drinking decoctions, go through a diagnosis, as many herbs are contraindicated for heart defects.

In general, the prognosis for tachycardia is favorable. Heart palpitations can be completely eliminated by adhering to the recommendations for the treatment of the underlying disease.

A strong heartbeat is a feeling of accelerated rhythmic contraction of the heart muscle. These feelings are strictly individual.

One person feels his heart beat at 100 beats per minute, and the other only at 120-130 beats per minute. Elevated heart rate has 2 causes.

Why does a strong heartbeat occur?

The first reason is tachycardia, when the pulsation is felt not only in the heart, but also on the neck, in the head and in the fingers and toes. In a state of tachycardia, the pulse is higher than 90 beats per minute. With normal functioning of the heart muscle, the heartbeat should not be felt.

The second reason for a frequent heartbeat is a condition with colds, with elevated body temperature, with emotional overload. Such attacks, when the heart beats rapidly, occur in healthy people and do not carry pathological changes in the heart organ.

In a healthy body, an increased heartbeat can occur due to:

If a person’s heartbeat occurs suddenly and in a relaxed state and does not go away for a long time, then you need to undergo a complete diagnosis and find out the cause of this pulsation. Perhaps the reason is a lack of vitamins in the body of potassium, iron, which provokes anemia. Also, a rapid heartbeat signals a violation in the functionality of the endocrine organs and in the activity of the organs of the cardiac system.

Why does palpitations occur at rest?

Very often, with audible heartbeats, there is pain in the chest, lack of air in the lungs and noise in the head and ears. These symptoms are temporary in their degree of development and are not a consequence of heart disease. If the symptoms recur regularly, this means that there is a pathology in the heart and you should consult a doctor - a cardiologist.

What to do if the heartbeat is higher than normal? First aid

If such an attack occurs for the first time or very rarely and no heart diseases and pathologies are found in a person, then a number of measures can be taken so that the heart stops beating strongly:

How to calm the heartbeat?

To quickly relieve the symptoms of a heartbeat, use Valerian tincture: 20 drops of tincture in 50 ml of water. Valerian will help not only lower the heart rate, but also calm the nerves, especially when the attack occurs at night and the person panics.

If the heart sometimes starts to beat?

You can just cough and the tachycardia attack will pass.

Eye massage helps with increased heart rate

Massage must be done for at least 5 - 7 minutes:

• Press the phalanges of the fingers on the closed eyes;
• Carry out squeezing for 10 - 15 seconds;
• Pause between pressure strokes 10 - 15 seconds;
• You need to repeat until the seizure subsides.

Causes of tachycardia

The factors that provoke tachycardia may be some diseases of the organs and failures in the systems in the body:

Elevated heart rate with hypertension

At normal pressure, attacks of increased heart rate very rarely occur, unless the cause is a high load on the body or rapid movement.

Quite often, tachycardia is a consequence of high blood pressure. Often there may be hypertension of the second and third degree of development of the disease.

Heartbeat increased with increased pressure, the following actions are recommended:

• Lie on the bed and relax the body;
• Take a small amount of cold water;
• Wash face, neck and heart area with cold water;
• If the cause of this attack is a stressful situation, then you need to take sedatives;
• Take the drug - anaprilin;
• To prevent tachycardia, eat foods high in omega-3 (seafood and sea fish);
• With a lack of potassium in the body - take vitamins and medications, which include potassium.

If the patient has an attack of tachycardia and the pressure is above normal, then you need to drink medicines from the heartbeat: Corvalol - 20 drops per 50 ml of water, Anaprilin - 1 tablet. After 10 - 15 minutes, a high heartbeat should pass. Seizures very often occur at night.

Heart palpitations with low blood pressure

In people who suffer from hypotension, tachycardia attacks occur quite often. With very low pressure and an attack of tachycardia, you need to drink at least 100 ml for first aid. cold water and wash your face and neck with cold water.

Symptoms of tachycardia occur due to pathologies in the body:

• The state of traumatic and anaphylactic shock;
• Dystonia;
• Great loss of blood during bleeding.

Signs and symptoms of the development of a strong heart rate in these pathologies:

Low blood pressure and a strong beating heart. Such a state is quite dangerous for the body, which indicates a shock emotional state.

High heart rate in women during childbearing

At the time of pregnancy, hormonal changes and big changes take place in the body of the expectant mother in order for the body to better adapt to the state of pregnancy. During this period, a rapid heartbeat is the normal condition of a pregnant woman during this period (100 beats in 60 seconds or more).

But there are times when tachycardia is accompanied by unpleasant and dangerous symptoms:

• Nausea turning into vomiting;
• Dizziness;
• Sharp headache;
• Cramps in the stomach;
• Pain and cramps in the chest and in the heart muscle;
• fainting state;
• Attacks of baseless fear and causeless feelings of anxiety.

To get rid of the cause of such symptoms will help a positive mood, walking in the fresh air, relaxing with family and drinking enough clean water for the body.

During the period of bearing a child, a woman must also take care of the condition of the fetus. The frequency of pulsation in the fetus is 2 times more often than in an adult. At the 5th week of fetal development, ultrasound diagnosis may show tachycardia in the unborn child. Over 200 beats per minute.

The cause of the high heart rate may be hypoxia. And this is a consequence of interrupting the expectant mother for a long period in a stuffy room. Also due to the increased activity of the pregnant woman. A long period of hypoxia leads to underdevelopment of the nervous system, pathology in the endocrine system.

Attacks of a strong heartbeat in women during childbearing very often arise from a deficiency in the body of the future mother of iron, and anemia can be the cause of a high heart rate.

There are frequent cases when tachycardia occurs due to hypervitaminosis, when a pregnant woman takes vitamins uncontrollably and in large quantities. An overdose of vitamins can adversely affect the development of the unborn child.

An attack of tachycardia in the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with hormonal changes and emotional overstrain. Also, a factor in the frequent heartbeat is an insufficient amount of potassium in the body of a pregnant woman.

In the second trimester, a woman gains weight, so the load on the heart muscle and the vascular system increases.

What causes the heart rate to jump in childhood?

A child's pulse beats faster than an adult's heart beats. And the younger the child, the faster the heart beats.

Causes of palpitations in children:

If tachycardia is caused by a super load on the child's body, then it goes away on its own. You just have to relax and unwind.

But also tachycardia can be the result of a serious pathology of the heart: cardiac arrhythmia, myocarditis disease, even heart failure.

What does an increased heart rate mean when you wake up in the morning?

With cardiac pathologies, a paroxysmal type of tachycardia may develop, which is accompanied by severe headache, dizziness and nausea. With a strong attack of rapid heartbeat, chest pain, convulsions and fainting may occur.

Treating a strong heartbeat

Treatment of high heart rate begins with the diagnosis and establishment of the causes of tachycardia. And the cardiologist, on the basis of a diagnostic examination, prescribes a course of drug therapy. It is very important to eliminate the cause of the disease and save the patient from the symptoms that tachycardia causes: an attack of nausea, pain in the head, an attack of shortness of breath and fainting.

A diagnostic examination should be done not only by a cardiologist, but also a consultation of such specialists is necessary: ​​an endocrinologist, a neuropathologist and a psychotherapist.

For treatment, two methods are used: therapy with medications and therapy with drugs based on medicinal plants and medicinal herbs.

Treatment with medicinal plants and medicinal herbs

For the treatment of high heart rate at home, the following plants are used: mint (leaves and stems), lemon balm (leaves and stems), chamomile flowers. Also widely used: St. John's wort, hawthorn (flowers and fruits), motherwort, valerian (leaves and root). These medicinal plants have a sedative effect and can reduce the heart rate and relieve the unpleasant and painful symptoms of this disease.

These plants can be taken with a heartbeat in collections in the form of decoctions, infusions and herbal teas.

To prepare tea, you can use the collection of medicinal herbs, as well as use one of the herbs. To do this, you need 5 grams of grass or a mixture of herbs, pour 200 ml of boiling water. Let stand for 10 minutes and drink like regular tea with honey to taste. The daily dose of such tea is no more than 600 ml.

Medicinal decoction of a mixture of herbs: valerian root, lemon balm leaves and yarrow leaves. All herbs must be taken in 5 grams. Pour this mixture with 1000 ml of water and steam in a water bath for 40-45 minutes. Wrap and let the broth cool. Filter and drink 0.5 cup 3 times a day before meals.

Infusion of hawthorn fruit. Pour 10 grams of crushed fruits of the plant with 200 ml of boiled water and cook over low heat until 50% of the liquid has evaporated. Cool this infusion. Take 20-25 drops of this extract per 50 ml of water before meals.

A decoction can also be prepared from hawthorn flowers for healing therapy. 5 grams of flowers pour 200 ml of boiled water and steam in a water bath for 15 - 20 minutes. Wrap and let the broth brew. Filter and consume 100 ml 2 times a day.

Mix 10 grams of motherwort grass, mint, hawthorn flowers. Take 10 grams of this mixture and pour 300 ml. boiled water. After 30 minutes, filter and take 100 ml 3 times a day with meals.

It is necessary to treat tachycardia with folk remedies for at least 30 calendar days.

Video: Tachycardia

A strong heartbeat is a subjective sensation of acceleration of cardiac activity. Most often, this condition appears due to additional or premature contractions of the heart muscle. Sensitive people feel a rapid heartbeat even with a slight increase in heart rate.

Causes of a strong heartbeat

The heart can beat faster for various reasons. In some cases, this phenomenon is temporary, and the heart rate returns to normal after the disappearance of external stimuli. But in some situations, increasing the frequency of strokes is dangerous.

Common causes of increased heart rate:

• fear or anxiety;
• taking certain medications;
• excess consumption of stimulants (such as caffeine);
• elevated temperature;
• anemia;
• allergy;
• hyperfunction of the thyroid gland;
• lack of oxygen in the blood;
• heart diseases.

When is an increased heart rate dangerous?

When the increase in rhythm is a symptom of another disease. For example, arrhythmias, cardiac neurosis, cardiac hyperkinesis syndrome, increased thyroid function, tetany (lack of calcium in the blood). In any case, if you feel a strong heartbeat at night or during the day without any external stimuli (no one scared you, you are not taking medication, do not run cross-country), you should consult a doctor.

Dangerous symptoms accompanying heart palpitations

As a rule, patients with an increase in the frequency of heart beats feel jumps, pushes, turns, pops in the chest, neck or throat. Those whose heart beats rapidly constantly do not notice individual strokes and disruptions in the heart rhythm, but are often irritated, are overactive, and then quickly get tired.

Other, dangerous symptoms of a fast heartbeat:

• dyspnea;
• dizziness;
• pallor;
• headache;
• increased sweating.

If the increased heart rate is accompanied by dizziness, blanching, shortness of breath, an urgent need to call a doctor.

If there are no dangerous symptoms, you need to check the pulse. Perhaps the reason for the increased heart rate lies in the lifestyle.

How to avoid palpitations?

To do this, you need to change some of your habits:

• reduce or stop the use of alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, amphetamines, marijuana;
• do not take drugs if they increase the heart rate (weight loss drugs);
• avoid stress;
• establish a sleep and rest regimen.

How to reduce heart rate?

First, you need to lie down or sit down, taking a comfortable position.

Secondly, you need to calm down and try to relax. Any methods of autogenic training, even deep breathing, self-hypnosis, soothing strokes, etc. will do. Rapid palpitations during pregnancy, after exercise or after a fright is a natural condition that does not need treatment.

Thirdly, one must deliberately hold the breath and apply moderate pressure to the eyeballs through the closed eyelids with the tips of the thumbs.

If a strong heartbeat is accompanied by tightness and pain in the chest, darkening of the eyes, dizziness, blanching of the skin, you need to put the patient to bed and immediately call an ambulance. In such a situation, it is impossible to completely exclude a heart attack, so the doctor makes an electrocardiogram on the spot. For the same reason, you should see a specialist, even when the heartbeat quickly passed.

What to take with a strong heartbeat?

If the heartbeat is associated with any disease, then appropriate treatment is prescribed. So, one of the symptoms of paroxysmal tachycardia is an attack of a sudden increase in rhythm. Often such a patient complains: "I wake up from a strong heartbeat." Indeed, an increase in heart rate is manifested by a sharp push to the chest or epigastric region, a blow to the heart.

If the heartbeat has become more frequent at home or at work, you can take heart medications: Corvalol, valocordin (twenty to thirty drops), nitroglycerin (two or three drops), validol, etc. Open the window, relax the belt and collar of the shirt.

These measures will facilitate the patient's condition before the arrival of the doctor and subsequent treatment.

Thus, rare bouts of increased heart rate may be the body's response to irritating factors. As soon as the irritant disappears, the heart calms down. If a rapid heartbeat is observed frequently and its origin is unclear, you need to contact a cardiologist. Perhaps this condition is a symptom of a serious illness and requires special treatment.

Heartbeat is usually understood as the feeling of the beating of one's own heart. The latter, as a rule, is not felt by a person in a normal psychological and physical state. Therefore, this phenomenon, for no apparent reason, may be a signal of the presence of serious violations.

What can be considered a visible cause of a strong heartbeat?

The main factors that can cause a reaction in the form of a strong heartbeat include:

Significant physical stress on the body (such, for example, are observed during sports);
- psychological reactions of the body (excitement, stress, anxiety, etc.) to various situations.

"Hidden" causes of a strong heartbeat

If all of the above effects can be tracked on your own (you know what loads you loaded your body with and what worries you), then there are such factors that, so to speak, are “invisible”. Among the reasons for this group are the following:

Deficiency in the body of substances such as vitamin B12, iron, potassium, magnesium and folic acid;
- violations in the work of the organs of the endocrine system (hormonal changes);
- the presence of such diseases as myocarditis, atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal tachycardia, vegetovascular dystonia, anemia, arterial hypertension, atherosclerosis, etc.

Each of the factors of this group (“hidden”) is dangerous for the body in its own way. Therefore, if you began to notice a periodic heartbeat, which was not preceded by obvious factors, you should immediately consult a doctor who will conduct the necessary diagnostics (electrocardiogram, x-ray, examination on a bicycle ergometer, etc.) and prescribe an actual treatment.

Other causes of palpitations

Not only diseases and physical / psychological stress, but also actions that a person controls independently can lead to heart rhythm disturbances. Among these, first of all, it is worth mentioning:

The use of various kinds of psychotropic substances - alcohol, tobacco products, drugs, etc.;
- self-medication: self-administration of certain drugs can cause side effects, one of them is a strong heartbeat;
- excessive consumption of drinks containing caffeine (coffee, tea, energy drinks, etc.).

Thus, a strong heartbeat can be the result of a variety of influences. You can figure out what's what and solve the problem only by contacting experienced specialists.

• Symptoms characteristic of pathology
• Causes of palpitations
• When is palpitations a health risk?
• Diseases that cause heart palpitations

Frequent palpitations, the causes of which can be very different, cannot be ignored. Usually, heart palpitations are harmless and go away on their own. But sometimes some treatment is required if a person has a very strong and rapid heartbeat, often with signs of arrhythmia. Usually a person does not feel how his heart beats, but the slightest deviation from the norm immediately makes itself felt.

Symptoms characteristic of pathology

Patients usually describe palpitations with the following phrases: the heart beats very hard and loudly, beats against the chest and literally jumps out of the chest. An increased heartbeat is often accompanied by a sensation of pulsation in the neck, epigastric cavity, temples and fingertips. In addition, chest pains, unpleasant tinnitus, a feeling of lack of air, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest can be accompanied by a frequent heartbeat. Such symptoms sometimes indicate a serious disruption of the heart and even the development of pathology. Most often, however, patients with a rapid heartbeat do not have any particular health problems.

It is important to understand that palpitations are not the same as tachycardia. Tachycardia is an objective increase in the number of heartbeats that a person retains under any conditions and does not depend on external factors. The pulse rate in a healthy adult at rest should be between 60 and 80 beats per minute. If the patient has more than 90 beats per minute, then in this case he is diagnosed with tachycardia. However, it should be noted that with tachycardia, the patient himself usually does not notice a rapid heartbeat, which distinguishes it from frequent heartbeats.

Back to index

Causes of palpitations

Even a person who does not have any health problems can experience heart palpitations from time to time. The most common cause of heart palpitations is stress. Therefore, this condition is more characteristic of people who are characterized by increased nervousness and sensitivity. In addition, the following factors can cause a rapid heartbeat:

1. Large or intense physical activity, such as quickly climbing stairs.
2. Physical effort performed in hot weather or excessive stuffiness. Oxygen starvation causes an increase in the work of the heart.
3. A sharp mental experience, such as fright or excitement.
4. Drinking too much coffee, cola or tea, or other foods that contain caffeine.
5. Taking certain medications. For example, such an effect is often caused by medicines for the common cold.
6. Disruption of the digestive system. For example, flatulence, which causes the diaphragm to rise, due to which it can put pressure on internal organs, including the heart.
7. Anxious sleep, nightmare or, on the contrary, frequent insomnia.
8. The use of alcoholic beverages, which increase blood pressure and increase heart rate.
9. The use of antidepressants or any other psychotropic drugs.
10. High blood pressure, which may be a manifestation of hypertension or be temporary.
11. Older age, when the work of the cardiovascular system often fails.
12. Eating excessive amounts of chocolate, which contains a considerable amount of caffeine.
13. Rise in general body temperature. The heat often causes a rapid heartbeat, because it has a negative effect on the work of the heart.

Back to index

When is palpitations a health risk?

In some cases, cardiac arrhythmia and palpitations are signs of a serious illness. You should not postpone a visit to the doctor if you experience symptoms such as:

• too strong and intense heartbeat;
• palpitations that persist for a long time and are severe;
• rapid heartbeat even with slight physical exertion or the slightest nervous experience, as well as after just one cup of coffee or tea;
• causeless palpitations that occur without the influence of any external factors;
• the heart beats unevenly, which may indicate an arrhythmia, that is, a violation of the heart rhythm.

Back to index

Diseases that cause heart palpitations

The above symptoms may indicate the development of serious diseases in the human body that require immediate treatment, namely:

1. Avitaminosis. Vitamin C deficiency is especially bad for the heart.
2. Anemia. Reduced hemoglobin content in the patient's blood and lack of iron.
3. Tetany. A serious condition caused by a lack of calcium in the body.
4. Various diseases of the endocrine system.
5. Pathologies of the heart of varying severity.
6. Acute heart failure.
7. body intoxication.
8. Various infectious diseases.
9. Tachycardia.
10. Myocardium.

But here it must be emphasized that with myocarditis and other heart diseases, as well as disorders of the thyroid gland, palpitations are only one of the symptoms of these ailments. The first thing that a patient suffering from the above diseases complains about is severe chest pain and severe shortness of breath.

A rapid heartbeat requires immediate medical attention only if it is accompanied by severe dizziness, shortness of breath, shortness of breath, blanching of the skin, and sweating. When these signs appear, you must immediately call an ambulance, as this condition can be dangerous to the health and life of the patient. The causes of arrhythmia in this case can be very serious.

If in the patient's body there is a deficiency of such important elements for life as magnesium or calcium, then this may be the cause of a strong heartbeat and cardiac arrhythmia. Signs of such paroxysmal tachycardia are severe shortness of breath, severe weakness throughout the body, darkening of the eyes, chest pain and loss of consciousness.

The causes of arrhythmias can also lie in such a serious disease as leukemia, which causes a severe stage of blood disease.

In order to detect this disease in time, a general blood test should be done, which will help determine the number of red blood cells.

Thus, the causes of palpitations can be very serious and should therefore not be taken lightly. If the arrhythmia of the heart worries the patient in a calm state, this is a clear signal that there is some kind of disorder in his body. Therefore, there is no need to postpone a visit to a cardiologist, since in this case we are talking about health, and maybe even life. The doctor carefully examines the patient and, based on the results, will make the correct diagnosis.