What Really Causes Heart Palpitations?

Heart Palpitations are Not Nice. Here’s What Can Cause Them

If you’ve had heart palpitations before, you’ll know that it’s not a nice experience.

You might feel a fluttering, pounding, irregular heartbeat or a rapid heart rate, mostly in your chest or neck. You might also feel lightheaded, be short of breath, and have chest discomfort.

Most often, these heart palpitations are caused by drinking a lot of caffeine, or by anxiety or stress.

But that’s not always the case. There are some little-known other causes for irregular hearbeats, which I’ll list below.

First though, what should you do if you have heart palpitations?

What to Do if You Have Heart Palpitations

The first thing to do is to decide if what you’re feeling is an occasional blip, or if they recur regularly and last for more than a minute or so.

An occasional blip isn’t normally a problem. But you should see a doctor if –

• You also have other symptoms (e.g. severe lightheadedness, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, fatigue and passing out) as well as the palpitations
• You have a family history of heart rhythm disorders, or a relative who experienced sudden cardiac arrest.

What A Cardiologist Will Do

If you see a cardiologist, they’ll probably run an ECG on you – it’s totally painless and non-invasive. If your heart seems normal during the test, you may need to wear a heart monitor for several days (again, totally painless and non-invasive) so the doctor can see how your heart operates over time.

You may be prescribed medication (that’s what happened with me), or you may need more tests or a procedure.

Other Causes of Heart Palpitations

OK, so that’s what happens if there’s a problem with your heart.

But remember, other things can cause palpitations that most people don’t know about. And it might be that by recognizing one of these causes, and fixing the cause, you may not need to visit a doctor at all!

And that means that by using natural health principles, you may be able to avoid medication and its side effects. It’s really great to know there is medication available, but it’s also important to look at other options, especially when many doctors are so busy that all they have time for, is to prescribe tablets and pills.

Dehydration

When you’re dehydrated, less blood goes around your body, and your heart speeds up, to compensate or make up for the problem.

When you’re dehydrated, you might also be low in electrolytes, magnesium or potassium, which can also cause an irregular heartbeat.

So always make sure to have enough water and electrolyte-rich foods and drinks. (Your urine should be pale yellow in colour, according to the Mayo Clinic).

You can drink water, herbal teas, juices and milk to hydrate. Some foods are also rich in water such as watermelon and spinach – you can get about 20% of your hydration through food.

When the weather is hot, or if you’re exercising, or if you have chronic illnesses such as Chron’s Disease, you’ll need more to stay properly hydrated.

New Medications / Supplements

When you start taking medicines such as beta blockers, thyroid medications and inhalers, you may find your heart rate increases and you feel palpitations. The same goes for over-the-counter cold medications — especially those that contain decongestants.

If you noticed palpitations immediately after taking new medicines, you may want to chat to your doctor about alternatives.

Food Sensitivities

If you are sensitive to certain foods, they may cause heart palpitations when you eat them (inflammation response).

If you have low blood sugar levels, then high-carb or high-sugar foods can trigger palpitations. Try to eat regularly and evenly throughout the day.

Other common triggers include spicy foods and foods high in salt such as processed or fast food.

If you think you may have a food sensitivity but you’re not sure, keep a food journal for 1 or 2 weeks. Note everything you eat and when you had heart symptoms. This may show you possible culprits, and you can stop eating them and see if your symptoms improve.

It’s probably better to reduce or stop eating a particular food you’re sensitive to, than to go onto heart medication for the rest of your life!

Not Getting Enough Sleep

Sleep deprivation can cause palpitations by affecting your heart’s electrical activity. If you’re not getting enough sleep and are constantly tired with morning headaches, search online for sleep advice.

Or you may have sleep apnea, where you stop breathing during the night – your doctor can advise on treatment for this. Apnea may cause permanent damage to your heart.

Hormones

Changing hormone levels may also cause palpitations, for example during pregnancy, menopause or PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome). Consider consulting a doctor if you think this is the cause. Thyroid problems can also cause palpitations.

Anemia

When you don’t have enough iron, you’re blood can’t carry as much oxygen to your organs, so your heart may try to compensate by beating faster.  There are many causes of anaemia so chat to your doctor – a simple blood test can often pinpoint the problem.

Alcohol

Alcohol can cause palpitations by increasing your heart rate – and it may also cause you to be dehydrated, which also increases palpitations. Reducing alcohol may reduce your symptoms.

ME / CFS

Myalgic encephalomyelitis, also called chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) — as well as long COVID —  cause “crashes” — a delayed worsening of symptoms roughly 24-72 hours after even the mildest physical or mental exertion. One possible symptom is heart palpitations. It’s best to pace yourself and not exert.

COVID

COVID infections often cause inflammation of the heart muscle, leading to irregular heartbeat – even long after the infection has passed, according to research.

Conclusion

It’s always wise to consult your medical practitioner about heart palpitations. But it’s also really important to know about OTHER causes. It might be that by changing something in your life, you can stop the palpitations and avoid medication if it’s not necessary!

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Do you (or have you had) palpitations? Let me know in the comments below.

Warm regards,

P.S.  Don’t forget to download your FREE recipes for yummy smoothies that will keep you feeling full!  Click here.