Heart palpitations are a conscious awareness of abnormal heartbeats. A variety of factors can increase your risk of heart palpitations, including anxiety, caffeine, medications and exercise. An increased awareness of unusual heartbeats can occur with or without pain. Although rarely serious, painful chest palpitations during physical activities may reflect abnormal heart rhythms or heart disease. Consult your doctor if you experience painful heart palpitations.
Palpitations
Heart palpitations, which can occur with or without pain, are an increased awareness of pounding, racing or skipped heartbeats. You may feel fluttering, throbbing or flip-flopping in your throat, neck or chest. These unpleasant and sometimes painful sensations can occur while you rest, exercise, stand, sit or lie down. Most people only experience heart palpitations very rarely, but others have them multiple times daily, with some so powerful they feel like a heart attack. Heart palpitations can appear spontaneously or predictably during exercise, certain events or during times of emotional stress.
Causes
Various factors, including exercise, may cause painful heart palpitations. However, most palpitations result from a harmless "hiccup" in your heart's rhythm, according to Harvard Medical School. Some painful heartbeat sensations may indicate heart problems or other health conditions, including heart valve diseases, such as mitral valve prolapse, as well as anemia, an overactive thyroid gland, low blood sugar concentration, fever and heartburn. Moreover, stress, anxiety, fear and panic attacks as well as the intake of too much caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, tea and certain medications can contribute to painful palpitations. Reducing your intake of caffeine and performing breathing and relaxation techniques, such as yoga and tai chi, can decrease the likelihood of heart palpitations while you exercise and at other times, according to Harvard's Family Health Guide.
Arrhythmias
The severity of the painful palpitations you feel during exercise can depend on whether or not they appear in conjunction with an abnormal heart rhythm or rate, called an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias can produce symptoms, including chest pain, slow or fast heartbeat palpitations, along with dizziness, breathlessness, skipped heartbeats and sweating. These abnormal heart rates and rhythms result from a malfunction in your heart's electrical system, which controls when and how fast your heart contracts. Abnormal heart rates occur when your heart beats too fast, at over 100 beats per minute (tachycardia), or too slowly, at fewer than 55 beats per minute (bradycardia). At rest, your heart generally produces 60 to 100 beats per minute, although it may be lower in well-trained athletes. During periods of exercise, your heart rate may exceed 100 beats per minute, without negative consequences. Palpitations can occur during tachycardia, bradycardia or at your normal heart rate. Arrhythmias also consist of abnormal heart rhythms, such as atrial or ventricular fibrillation. Abnormal heart rhythms and rates can come and go unnoticed or may only present an awareness when you exercise.
Precautions
The painful palpitations you experience during exercise at other times may indicate an increased risk for heart disease if you suffer from high cholesterol, diabetes or high blood pressure. In addition, preexisting heart disease or abnormal heart valves increase your likelihood of developing an arrhythmia. Harvard Medical School recommends that your doctor rule out harmful heart rhythms and other physical conditions before attributing your palpitations to stress, anxiety or other psychological problems. Seek immediate medical attention if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, profuse sweating, dizziness or a lightheaded feeling during your palpitations. Furthermore, call your doctor if you experience frequent extra heartbeats of more than six per minute that come in groups of three or if your pulse exceeds more than 100 beats per minute without physical activity, stress or fever.
Member Comments