What is heart palpitation and how to regulate the heartbeat

Palpitations arise when it is possible to feel the heartbeat itself for a few seconds or minutes and are usually not related to health problems, being only caused by excessive stress, use of some medication or physical exercise.

However, if heart palpitations often appear, present with an irregular rhythm or are associated with other symptoms such as dizziness or chest tightness, it is recommended to consult a cardiologist to assess the existence of any cardiac problems, such as arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation, and start proper treatment.

How to stop heart palpitation

The best way to stop the throbbing and normalize your heartbeat is to try to understand what is causing it to appear and, in this way, to prevent it from continuing. However, when it is not possible to discover the cause, it is due to:

Lie down and try to relax by putting on relaxing music or doing aromatherapy; Breathe deeply slowly, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth; Avoid drinking coffee or teas with caffeine, as well as smoking, even if in other situations they can relieve stress.

When palpitations appear a few minutes after taking a medicine or if they appear after taking a new medicine, in addition to these tips, it is important to consult the doctor who prescribed the medicine to replace it with another medicine that does not cause this type of symptoms.

If the palpitations take more than 1 hour to disappear or are accompanied by other symptoms such as shortness of breath, a feeling of tightness in the chest, feeling faint or dizzy, it is recommended to go to the emergency room or consult a cardiologist to diagnose the condition. problem and initiate appropriate treatment.

Main causes of heart palpitation

Most palpitations are not related to health problems, they are caused only by situations that cause rapid heartbeat such as drinking coffee or excessive stress. Thus, the main causes of palpitations include:

1. Excessive stress

Excessive stress is the most common cause of heart palpitations and happens because, in situations of stress, nervousness or anxiety, the body releases adrenaline, a hormone that increases the heart rate, making it easier to feel the heartbeat.

2. Coffee or alcohol intake

The intake of coffee, soft drinks, energy drinks or some types of tea can cause an increase in blood pressure due to the presence of caffeine in its composition and thus increase the amount of blood that goes to the tissues, forcing the heart to beat faster. Alcoholic beverages can cause a decrease in the amounts of magnesium in the body, causing the heart to beat irregularly.

3. Practice of physical exercise

Palpitations are very frequent after periods of intense physical exercise due to the body's effort to maintain the muscles with oxygen needed for exercise.

4. Use of medicines

Some drugs, such as asthma pumps or drugs used to treat thyroid problems, can cause palpitations to appear as a side effect. Thus, it is important to consult the package insert to assess whether this is one of its side effects.

5. Health problems

Although it is a rare cause, some health problems, such as thyroid disorders, anemia, dehydration or heart problems, can cause palpitations and, therefore, whenever the palpitations take more than 1 hour to disappear, it is recommended to go to the emergency room to assess the problem and initiate appropriate treatment.

When to go to the cardiologist

It is important to consult a cardiologist immediately or go to the emergency room when the palpitations:

They take more than 1 hour to disappear; they get worse over time; they appear with other symptoms such as dizziness, chest tightness or shortness of breath.

In these cases, the doctor may order some diagnostic tests, such as an electrocardiogram, to try to rule out the presence of arrhythmias in the heart and identify if the problem is being caused by a cardiac alteration, initiating the appropriate treatment, if necessary.