Palpitations feel like your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering or like you have missed heartbeats. Palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer. You may feel this in your chest, neck, or throat.
Palpitations can happen at anytime, even if you are resting or doing normal activities. Although they can be unpleasant, palpitations are common and, in most cases, harmless.
Palpitations can be caused by heart conditions including:
Other causes of palpitations include:
They can also be caused by other medical conditions like an overactive thyroid and anaemia (lack of iron).
You should make an appointment to see your GP if:
You should call 999 if you have palpitations and experience any of the following symptoms:
Your GP may arrange for you to have a trace of heart (electrocardiogram/ECG) to check whether the heart rate is regular and at a normal rate. This painless test lasts a few minutes.
As palpitations are often harmless, they usually don’t need treatment. However, you’ll need treatment if tests show your palpitations are caused by an underlying heart condition.
The type of treatment you’ll have depends on your condition. For example, if you’re diagnosed with an arrhythmia, your doctor might prescribe beta blockers to regulate your heart rate and rhythm.
If you don’t need treatment, the easiest way to manage your symptoms at home is to avoid the triggers that bring on your palpitations. This might include:
Living a healthier lifestyle can be hard at first, but it’s important for your overall quality of life. Visit our healthy living hub to read about how you can start to eat healthier and manage things like smoking and stress today.
