Understanding Heart Palpitations: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

2023-11-04 11:25:00

Sometimes your heart suddenly starts racing like crazy and almost seems to jump out of your chest. In this situation, many people are afraid that the symptoms could be life-threatening and herald a heart attack. In many cases, racing heartbeat is harmless. Find out more about the topic here.

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Tachycardia: This is how the heart races

Everyone experiences strong heart palpitations at some point. Out of Nervousness on the first datein one Dangerous situation in road traffic or out of fear for one Nightmare in the night – The accelerated beating of the heart is a natural and generally harmless reaction of the body to excitement and stress. The pulse can be felt in the chest and up to the carotid artery.

Heart palpitations are a type of cardiac arrhythmia. With these disorders, the heart does not beat regularly. It either pulsates too slowly, has interruptions or beats too fast. These symptoms can also occur at night, regardless of physical exertion such as sport. In addition to the well-known heart palpitations, there are also heart pressures, heart palpitations and heart racing differentiated. The latter is known in technical jargon as tachycardia. When the heart races, the pulse immediately increases to over 100 beats per minute. It can be accompanied by:

AngstShortness of breath (shortness of breath) Impaired consciousness up to and including unconsciousnessBreast tongue Headachelimited physical performanceSweatsDizziness and nausea

Harmless or not? Which triggers heart palpitations

On the other hand, you can psychological anxiety disorders, high blood pressure, diabetes, severe hyperthyroidism and chronic stress lead to dangerous palpitations. If there is a sick heart behind the racing heart, the pulse disorders are no longer harmless! The stress caused by cardiac arrhythmias – especially in older patients – eventually becomes too great for the organism and the heart. This can lead, among other things, to inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), coronary heart disease (calcification of the coronary arteries), heart failure (heart failure), a stroke or a heart attack.

Recognize a heart attack and act immediately

A heart attack is life-threatening and is characterized by sudden, severe pain that radiates to the upper body. Anxiety, nausea, weakness, cold sweaty skin and low blood pressure are typical symptoms. If you suspect a heart attack, try to stay calm and call the emergency doctor immediately – literally every second counts!

Smoking, high blood pressure, lack of exercise, diabetes and chronic stress increase the risk of a heart attack. The arteries narrow or become blocked by a blood clot. As a result, the heart and brain are inadequately supplied with oxygen and important nutrients. An undersupply of the heart muscle can also lead to chronic heart failure or have a further negative impact on existing heart failure. The most common causes of chronic heart failure are high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and a previous heart attack. Patients who suffer from chronic heart failure (almost two million people in Germany) are usually treated with ACE inhibitors. If these don’t help, medications with the active ingredient combination sacubitril/valsartan can alleviate the symptoms.

Heart attack or broken heart syndrome?

The symptoms of broken heart syndrome, too Stress cardiomyopathy called, are similar to a heart attack and can occur after serious strokes of fate. As a result, increased stress hormones such as adrenaline are released, the heart muscle tenses and a stabbing pain in the chest spreads. Those affected should definitely be examined by a medical professional. This can help with sedatives and measures to stabilize the circulation.

When should you contact a healthcare professional?

In most cases, racing heartbeat is harmless and is a normal reaction of the body to external influences. Physical activity, whether playing sports or completing everyday tasks, leads to one increased oxygen requirement. The heart responds by beating faster to deliver more blood and oxygen to the muscles. Exciting or stressful situations can also lead to temporary heart palpitations. This happens through the release of Stress hormones such as adrenalinethat stimulate the heart. Caffeine, which is found in coffee, tea, energy drinks and chocolate, can also cause heart palpitations. It acts as a stimulant on the nervous system and can temporarily increase heart rate. For most people, moderate consumption of caffeine is harmless and only causes a temporary racing heart.

But there are also situations in which heart palpitations can occur more serious underlying cause can point out. Here are some signs that warrant close observation and medical advice:

1. Frequency and Duration: If heart palpitations occur frequently or last for long periods of time, this should be taken seriously.

2. Accompanying symptoms: If heart palpitations are accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain or fainting, it could indicate cardiovascular disease.

3. Existing health conditions: People with pre-existing conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or thyroid problems should be particularly careful, as heart palpitations can be an indicator of complications in these cases.

4. Sudden onset: If your heart palpitations occur suddenly and for no apparent reason, it is advisable to seek medical advice.

Avoid stress, live healthy – create heart health

It is well known that psychological problems such as stress can affect physical health. What is new is the realization that mental illnesses like depression too Risk factor for cardiovascular disease are. This was the result of a recent representative study by the Helmholtz Center Munich, the Technical University of Munich and the German Center for Cardiovascular Research (DZHK).

The conclusion: Depression can promote heart diseases such as coronary heart disease and heart failure. The associated symptoms in turn have an impact on the psyche, as significantly more stress hormones are released, which can clog the arteries.

The best health care is a healthy lifestyle with as little stress as possible – and a balanced, healthy diet, daily exercise, avoiding nicotine and moderate alcohol consumption. relaxation and breathing techniquesas used in yoga, can also have a positive effect on heart health and regulate the heartbeat if your heart palpitations occur.

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