In general, you are not aware of your heart rate. You often already have to go find a place to measure your heart rate. However, the opposite can also occur: you are very aware of your heartbeat and feel that it beats more predominantly or harder than normal. In some cases it is normal for your heart to beat faster. Just think of a heavy exertion. However, when you are at rest, unhealthy reasons are often at the root of your palpitations.
What are palpitations?
Palpitations, then, are abnormalities of the heart's beating. This includes several aspects of your heartbeat. For example, consider the intensity of the heart's beating. For example, people may suddenly feel like their heart is almost jumping out of their chest. In addition, the frequency of the heartbeat may also be higher than normal. A normal heart rate is between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Finally, you may also suffer from palpitations if you feel that your heart is beating irregularly, as if it is skipping a beat.
Palpitations can cause you to feel dizzy or faint. This is because the palpitations can cause your brain to receive too little bubbles, which can cause the above symptoms to occur.
What are the causes of palpitations?
An activation of the adrenaline system, also called the orthosympathetic nervous system, accelerates the conduction of nerve fibers in the heart, worthor raking palpitations.
A doctor can confirm such symptoms by feeling the pulse and listening to the heartbeat using a stethoscope on the chest. Whether such palpitations are a sign that something is wrong depends on a number of questions, such as whether these symptoms always occur under certain circumstances, whether they occur suddenly or gradually, how fast the heart beats, and whether the heartbeat is irregular, and if so, to what degree. If the palpitations occur in conjunction with symptoms such as shortness of breath, pain, weakness and fatigue or fainting, there is a greater chance that they are due to an abnormal heart rhythm or a serious underlying condition.
If the palpitations persist for more than a few hours, recur frequently, or if you feel unwell, it is advisable to contact the doctor.
If too little blood flows to the brain due to an abnormal heartbeat, abnormal heart rhythm, or defective pumping function of the heart, it may lead to lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting. Such symptoms can also result from disorders of the brain or spinal cord, but it is also possible that nothing serious is going on. For example, soldiers who have to stand in a position for a very long time can become dizzy, because movements of the leg muscles are necessary to make the blood flow better back to the heart. Similarly, when there is intense emotion or pain, a person may faint because certain parts of the nervous system are activated. A doctor must also distinguish between fainting due to heart disease or as a result of epilepsy, where the patient loses consciousness due to a brain disorder.
General information on palpitations
The patient feels abnormalities of the heart rhythm: impression of cardiac arrest, the heart beats very hard, the rhythm is fast and regular or fast and irregular.
During questioning, the following points should be noted
- regular, moderately fast rhythm but one has the feeling that the heart is beating very hard: aortic insufficiency
- regular, fast rhythm but not exceeding 120/min: nervousness, hyperthyroidism, anemia
- regular, fast rhythm, usually higher than 150/min, occurs during an attack whose beginning and end are sudden: paroxysmal tachycardia
- irregular rhythm with sensation of cardiac arrest: extrasystoles
- persistent irregular rhythm: atrial fibrillation.
Treatment for palpitations
There are drugs that can relieve palpitations, but they are only prescribed if the palpitations are caused by an illness.
What can you yourself do about palpitations?
There is not much you can do about a heart rhythm disorder. If you are easily alarmed and experience frequent palpitations, the best thing to do is to try not to panic and to relax. Stop what you are doing and take a few deep breaths. It may also be a good idea to get up and go for a short walk. Sometimes it helps to cut down on alcohol or caffeinated beverages.
If the palpitations last for more than a few hours, recur often, or if you feel unwell, you should contact your doctor. This also applies if you have shortness of breath, chest pain, unusually heavy sweating, dizziness, fainting, or if the palpitations occur without exertion, fear or anxiety, or fever. Source: http://hartziekte.be/hart-en-vaatziekten/hartaandoeningen/item/442-hartkloppingen-harklopping
