Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations are sensations when your heart beats unusually fast, flutters, pounds, or skips a beat. These feelings can happen during physical activity, periods of stress, or even while resting. Most people experience palpitations at some point in their lives.

While palpitations often cause worry, they’re typically harmless. They can result from:

Emotional triggers (stress, anxiety)
Physical exertion
Certain medications
Caffeine or alcohol consumption
Nicotine use

In rare cases, palpitations might signal a more serious heart condition, like arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), which may require medical treatment. If palpitations occur frequently or cause significant discomfort, consulting a healthcare provider is recommended.

Symptoms

Heart palpitations can make you feel like your heart is beating too quickly, flip-flopping, fluttering rapidly, pounding, or skipping beats.

You might notice these sensations in your chest, throat, or neck. Palpitations can happen while you’re active or when you’re resting.

When to See a Doctor

Most heart palpitations that happen once in a while and only last for a few seconds don’t need medical attention. If you have heart disease and your palpitations are getting more frequent or severe, consult your doctor.

Get emergency medical help right away if you have palpitations along with any of these symptoms:

Chest pain or discomfort
Fainting
Severe trouble breathing
Extreme dizziness

Your doctor might recommend heart monitoring tests to find out if your palpitations are caused by a serious heart condition.

Why Heart Palpitations Happen

Heart palpitations often occur without a clear cause. Some common triggers include strong emotions like stress, anxiety, and panic attacks. Depression can also lead to these unusual heartbeat sensations.

Physical activity, especially intense exercise, may cause your heart to beat harder or faster than normal.

Many substances affect your heart rate. Stimulants such as caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine can trigger palpitations. Having a fever puts stress on your body, sometimes causing noticeable heartbeat changes.

Hormone fluctuations play a significant role. Women may experience palpitations during:

Menstrual cycles
Pregnancy
Menopause

Thyroid hormone imbalances—both too much and too little—can disturb your heart’s normal rhythm.

In some cases, palpitations signal a more serious heart issue called arrhythmia. These irregular heartbeats might cause unusually fast rhythms (tachycardia), abnormally slow beats (bradycardia), or patterns that differ from typical heart rhythms.

Risk Factors

Several factors can trigger heart palpitations:

Stress and anxiety, including panic attacks
Pregnancy
Medications containing stimulants (some cold and asthma treatments)
Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid gland)
Existing heart conditions such as:
- Irregular heartbeats
- Structural heart changes
- Previous heart attack
- Past heart surgeries

These factors may increase the chance of experiencing palpitations or make them occur more frequently.

Complications

Heart palpitations linked to heart conditions can lead to several serious issues. People may faint when rapid heartbeats cause blood pressure to drop suddenly.

This happens more often in those with existing heart problems, like congenital defects or valve issues.

In rare cases, certain heartbeat irregularities can develop into cardiac arrest, where the heart stops pumping effectively. This is a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate medical attention.

Those with atrial fibrillation face increased stroke risk. The upper heart chambers quiver instead of beating properly, and this causes blood to form clots. If a clot travels to the brain, it blocks blood flow and causes a stroke.

Some irregular heartbeats reduce the heart’s pumping efficiency, potentially leading to heart failure. Managing the heart rate in these cases can sometimes improve heart function and prevent worsening symptoms.

Heart Palpitations – Symptoms and Causes