Common Causes of Heart Palpitation Symptoms

Common Causes of Heart Palpitation Symptoms

It’s not uncommon to ‘skip a heartbeat’ sometimes, but if the reason behind the sensation in your heart is not an overly anxious moment, you must want to know what caused these heart palpitations?

Heart palpitations are sensations of either missing a heartbeat or adding an extra one. While most heart palpitations are harmless and subside on their own without any medical treatment, there may be rare instances of heart palpitations indicating some serious cardiac condition.

To deal better with heart palpitations, it is important to know the common causes triggering them:

Stress & Anxiety:

In most cases, stress and anxiety are the reasons behind heart palpitations. Persistently elevated stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol affect the heart. Taking occasional walks in the park, meditation, breathing exercises and yoga are some of the easiest ways to relieve stress.

Lifestyle Choices:

Nicotine and caffeine are common lifestyle choices, long time addiction to which, not only cause heart palpitations, but also affect cause other physical complications. Abusive drugs like Cocaine, too, are responsible for causing heart palpitations. Sounds incredible, but strenuous exercise, too, can cause heart palpitations. While addiction to caffeine, tobacco, and illegal drugs harms the body in multiple ways, and should be abandoned at the earliest, physical exercise in moderation gradually makes the body strong and resilient to diseases.

Medication:

Various prescribed and OTC medicines can be the source of frequent heart palpitations. From asthma inhalers to antibiotics, and antidepressants to hypertension pills, researchers have found enough evidence to blame these medicines of causing heart palpitations. While caution may be taken in consuming these medicines if you are experiencing frequent heart palpitations, it is wise to consult your physician before stopping prescribed medicine altogether.

Hormonal Changes:

Hormonal changes, especially in women, can be the cause of heart palpitation. Hormonal changes related to menstruation, pregnancy, or menopause can be a cause of sudden sensation in the heart.

Medical Conditions:

Various medical conditions such as low blood sugar levels, anaemia, dehydration, and hyperthyroidism can also be accounted for heart palpitations. While the palpitations itself may not be harmful, they may indicate a far grave medical condition.

Heart Conditions:

Heart palpitations may not always be harmless and simply ignored. In certain cases they indicate serious heart conditions including irregular heart rhythm (or arrhythmia), abnormal heart valves, thickening of heart walls and muscles (hypertrophic cardiomyopathy), and weakening or even failure of heart.

While you must not be overly worried about a visiting sensation that lasts for a few seconds, you must immediately consult your doctor if you experience heart palpitations persisting for a long time, may or may not be accompanied by symptoms like, breathlessness, unaccountable sweat, pain in arms and legs, chest pain, or fainting. You may also treat heart palpitations with caution if you have a history of heart conditions.

So, now that you know the various causes triggering it, you can take informed decisions to deal with heart palpitations.