What is Heart Palpitation?

Do you feel like your heart is racing as fast as if you had just finished a marathon? Do you feel like your heart is pounding against your chest, even in restive mode? Have you felt your pulse in your chest and neck? If you have encountered, or are undergoing this, then you were suffering from or are suffering from heart palpitation. This is neither a health condition nor a serious issue, as studies have confirmed that it is rare for heart palpitations to be caused by an underlying health condition.

Heart palpitation can happen to anybody anywhere and at any time. Sometimes it lasts for a few minutes and stops on its own. However, heart palpitation may become a sign of a severe health condition if it recurs and every episode lasts several minutes. This could indicate that you have or may have a heart health condition. However, if your heart palpitation comes once in a blue moon and lasts for a few seconds, you might not suffer from any heart condition. It could result from some minor factors, which will be discussed in the other part of this article.

Suppose your heart palpitations come with excessive sweating, headache, loss of consciousness, dizziness, and fever. In that case, you should confer with a doctor for a physical examination and begin immediate treatment. This is because it could be a symptom of a more severe health condition, which may, in one way or the other, be connected to your heart. Apart from being a sign of a heart condition, most cases of heart palpitation can be triggered by the following;

Minor Causes of Heart Palpitations

• Hormonal changes in cases of pregnancy and menopause can trigger heart palpitation. Some health conditions that disrupt hormonal balance can also be a factor that can cause heart palpitations.
• Engaging in physical activities can also cause your heart to beat faster than normal.
• In most cases, nutrient deficiency like potassium deficiency and lack of oxygen can also trigger heart palpitation symptoms.
• Heart palpitation can also occur when the blood is low in sugar
• Excessive consumption of caffeine over a long time can also trigger heart palpitation
• Loss of blood as a result of an injury or delivery-related conditions can cause heart palpitation
• Saying dehydrated for a long time can cause severe heart palpitation
• Anemia is another factor that can cause heart palpitation
• Some medications like asthma medications contain properties that can cause heart palpitation Although, heart palpitations that result from these medications do not last for long
• Other causes include;
• Nicotine
• Stress
• Excessive consumption of alcohol
• Sometimes, unknown causes also trigger heart palpitations.

Knowing the causes of minor heart palpitations will help you understand them and know how to stop them whenever you experience them. Suppose the reason for your heart palpitation is a poor lifestyle, like excessive consumption of alcohol, nicotine, and other recreational drugs, as well as poor engagement in physical activities. In that case, you should try to do pleasingly and end these lifestyles as they could lead to more severe health conditions.

If you experience heart palpitations, there are some tips that you can follow to stop them. However, if your heart palpitations recur or do not get better after following these tips, you should consult a doctor and discuss your symptoms.

Below are the tips and home remedies to follow to stop heart palpitations;

Home Remedies for Heart Palpitation

Relaxation

Whenever you experience heart palpitations, the best first step to take is relaxing. This is because panicking or further stressing out can cause an adrenaline spike in your body, worsening your heart palpitations. In other words, you should engage in healthy relaxation techniques and avoid stress, especially when you experience heart palpitations. Some relaxation techniques you can enhance are; breathing exercises, yoga, meditation, and sitting with crossed legs. You can also listen to soft, calm music throughout your relaxation process, as this could be therapeutic. Coupled with this, you should also try to keep your stress levels down to prevent a recurrence.

Stop Your Stimulant Intake

Depending on or getting addicted to stimulants can cause severe heart palpitations each time it is consumed. Some of the following are packed with enough stimulants that can cause heart palpitation, and they are;

• Cough medications
• Medications for mental health
• Tobacco
• Caffeine
• Appetite medications

Although studies have shown that not every medication on this list can cause palpitations in everybody, if you take any of these and notice any symptoms of heart palpitation, you should stop it immediately. If it is a medication whose side effect is heart palpitation, you should go to the hospital and report your symptoms to prevent complications.

Stay Hydrated

To stop heart palpitations, another thing to do after relaxation is to drink water. Water helps the relaxation process. To prevent heart palpitations, you must ensure to stay hydrated while you reduce your stress levels.

Coupled with these, you should eat foods that are rich in magnesium, calcium, and potassium. Some of these foods include avocados, green leafy vegetables, bananas, and potatoes. These foods, alongside water, can provide enough electrolytes to balance the heart rate.

Reduce Your Salt Consumption

According to research, excess salt consumption can trigger hypertension and other heart-related health conditions. Thus, since some of the adverse effects of excessive sodium intake result in heart conditions, it is best to avoid excessive salt intake to prevent heart palpitations.

Coupled with reducing your sodium intake, you should also consider drinking plenty of water to balance out the high amounts of sodium in your body. You can also engage in healthy physical activities to help your body eliminate excess sodium. Following this tip will beat down your chances of suffering from heart palpitations to the barest minimum.

Eat Healthily

A balanced diet will offer you various healthy nutrients that can protect your heart health and prevent unnecessary heart palpitations. Coupled with protecting your heart health, they can also boost your general health. Some of the foods you should ensure are included in your diet include; fruits and vegetables, nuts and seeds, fish and other proteins, and grains.

These foods are stuffed with nutrients that can limit your risk of suffering from some heat-related health conditions. In addition, you should stay away from some kinds of foods that can put your heart health at risk. Some of these foods include; sugar, processed foods, trans fat, salt, and saturated fats.

Engage in Physical Activities

Although heart palpitations can result from physical activities, however, when you engage in mild exercises without stressing yourself out, your heart will beat normally. Apart from breathing exercises, engaging in physical exercises can also help you relax and feel relieved from stress.

Ensure that whichever physical activities you want to engage in do not put you under any form of stress whatsoever. You do not have to lift objects. Engaging in mild exercises like brisk walks, jogging, swimming, and running can strengthen your heart health and prevent unnecessary heart palpitations.

Avoid Excess Consumption of Alcohol

Studies have revealed that one of the major causes of heart palpitations is the excessive consumption of alcohol. Besides sudden heart palpitations, excess alcohol consumption can lead to several health conditions that can impair internal organs like the kidneys and liver.

Rather than taking alcohol, you should drink healthy beverages that can help top your body’s electrolytes. Some of these healthy beverages include teas, coconut water, coconut drink, and tiger nut drink, among others.

Coupled with quitting excessive alcohol consumption, you should also try to visit the hospital for physical examinations, a special examination of your organs to prevent damage.

Conclusion

Heart palpitation, in most cases, is not a symptom of any health condition. In 85% of cases, heart palpitation is caused by other factors ranging from lifestyle to diet. However, in a situation whereby heart palpitations recur and last longer than normal, it is best to visit the hospital to report symptoms.

Quitting some lifestyle habits and following a healthy diet can help improve the heart and the heart system’s condition while also preventing heart palpitations and other heart-related health conditions in the process.