Table of Contents
- Overview
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Heartbeat sensations; Irregular heartbeat; Palpitations; Heart pounding or racing
Home Care
Reducing your caffeine intake will often significantly reduce your heart palpitations. Reducing stress and anxiety can help lessen the frequency or intensity of your heart palpitations. Try breathing exercises or deep relaxation (a step-by-step process of tensing and then relaxing every muscle group in your body) when palpitations occur. Practicing yoga or tai chi on a regular basis can reduce the frequency of your palpitations.
Keep a record of how often you have palpitations, when they happen, how long they last, your heart rate at the time of the palpitations, and what you are feeling at the time. This information may help your doctor figure out both their seriousness and their underlying cause.
Once a serious cause has been ruled out by your doctor, try NOT to pay attention to heart palpitations, unless you notice a sudden increase or a change in them.
If you have never had heart palpitations before, bring them to the attention of your health care provider.
Call your health care provider if
Call 911 if:
- You lose and regain consciousness.
- Someone with you loses consciousness.
- You have
shortness of breath ,chest pain , unusual sweating,dizziness , or lightheadedness.
Previous Section
Review Date: 12/10/2010
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz.
Previously reviewed by David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of
Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine,
University of Washington School of Medicine (5/16/2010).
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
