It might seem normal when your heart beats fast or flutters at times. However, it could mean something serious is happening, and you should seek an expert diagnosis. The Houston palpitations specialists can help you understand why your heart is beating up fast and diagnose any underlying condition causing your situation. Understanding the root cause of your issue is the window to understanding the necessary steps to manage your condition. Your provider can recommend the proper treatment for any underlying disease. You can also reduce your palpitations through simple practices as outlined herein.
Take a Break and Rest
Heart palpitations could be due to being too active or physical overexertion. But do not confuse increased heart rate from anxiety or exercise with palpitations. Although both can occur simultaneously, palpitations are unusual and not just fast heartbeats. Not what contributes to your heart palpitations, and stop doing it for rest. You can then continue with your activity after you catch your breath. You can also change the action and do something less strenuous. Pay attention and consult your doctor to understand your normal heartbeat to understand when it changes due to activity.
Manage Your Anxiety and Stress
Stress and anxiety are common triggers of heart palpitations since they result in releasing excess stress hormone in your bloodstream. Therefore, you can reduce your palpitations by improving how you react to stressful situations. You can consult your doctor about some stress-relieving techniques like yoga, tai chi, deep breathing, meditation, and visualizing to see which could work best for you. Naturally, learn to take a deep breath in a stressful situation as it will lower your heart rate and minimize the chances of palpitations.
Do Not Consume Stimulants
Certain substances can affect your central nervous system to trigger heart palpitations. Caffeine, alcohol, illicit drugs, nicotine, and some medications could result in heart palpitations. Therefore, consider what you take daily and investigate to see any relation to the palpitations. You can cut back on the coffee, quit smoking, avoid overdrinking, and always consult your doctor before taking over-the-counter medications. You can also check the ingredients of the medicines you use daily to understand if they could cause palpitations.
Cough Often
When you cough, your diaphragm moves, and your intrathoracic pressure increases to stimulate your vagus nerve. Therefore, you can forcefully cough multiple times to trigger the vagal response that helps you manage your palpitations. The vagal maneuver affects the vagus nerve, regulating your heart rate, slowing down your heart rate, and stopping palpitations. When correctly done, understand that a single cough will not stimulate the response, and you must cough simultaneously and forcefully.
Get Expert Help
Your palpitations could be caused by certain underlying medical conditions requiring expert care. That is why you should see your doctor even if you do not think that your palpitations are severe, mainly if they occur regularly for several days or months. Sometimes they could be due to heart disease, which your doctor should check out. Your doctor will evaluate your heart health and diagnose any underlying condition to determine the best treatment for you.
Most palpitations are regular but sometimes could be severe. Therefore, getting a doctor’s diagnosis is crucial in determining the steps you can take to manage your situation. Get in touch with Percy F Morales, MD palpitations specialist, for more information.
