Heart palpitations are irregular heartbeats that may cause the individual experiencing the palpitation to feel as though the heart is pounding, fluttering, skipping beats or stopping briefly. Since palpitations feel so disconcerting, they can induce feelings of anxiety or panic, which sometimes prolong the experience. Most palpitations are harmless, and almost everyone experiences them from time to time. There are a few factors, however, that can increase the likelihood and frequency of palpitations.
Heart Disease
The American Academy of Family Physicians explains that heart disease and underlying heart problems can be responsible for palpitations, though certainly not all palpitations are indications of heart disease. Among the heart-related culprits are valve prolapse, in which valves in the heart allow blood to flow backward rather than maintaining unidirectional flow. Additionally, irregular heart rate, which is called cardiac arrhythmia, is a form of heart problem in which the heart fails to achieve a consistent beating pattern. The chambers of the heart contract asynchronously and don't produce a coherent beat, which can lead to occasional palpitations.
Anxiety
According to MayoClinic.com, psychological stress can also increase the frequency of heart palpitations. This is because the brain is unable to distinguish physical from psychological stress. In order to promote survival, physical threats---a bear encounter, for instance---are met with activation of the so-called "sympathetic" branch of the nervous system, which prepares the body for fighting or fleeing from a threat. Among the effects of the sympathetic nervous system is increased heart rate. Anything that increases the rate at which the heart beats can cause the likelihood of palpitation to increase. Since the body can't distinguish between physical and psychological stress, even anxiety over work or home-related matters can cause the heart to beat faster and consequently increase the rate of palpitations. While anxiety-related palpitations are certainly disconcerting, since they don't indicate an underlying problem with the heart, they are likely harmless.
Caffeine and Stimulant Drugs
MedlinePlus, an informational website maintained by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, notes that caffeine and stimulant drugs can lead to heart palpitations. Stimulant drugs, like threats, activate the sympathetic nervous system. As a result, stimulants have a variety of effects on the body including increasing blood flow to muscles, increasing respiration rate and increasing the heart rate, which consequently increases palpitations. Among stimulant drugs associated with increased frequency of palpitations are decongestants containing pseudoephedrine, street stimulants like cocaine, many diet pills and certain asthma medications.
