Is your Heart Skipping A Beat?

“I don’t know what’s happening but since lately my heart has been seemingly skipping a beat- fluttering like butterflies. When it happens, which often times sporadic, I am left feeling tired and with a little tightness in the chest area. What is happening?”

Heart Palpitations

Heart palpitations - feeling like your heart is beating too hard or too fast, skipping a beat, or fluttering. You may notice heart palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck. Heart palpitations can be bothersome or frightening. They usually aren’t serious or harmful; and often go away on their own. Most of the time, they’re related to stress and anxiety or to consumption of stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, or alcohol. Palpitations also often occur during pregnancy. In rare cases; palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition. Therefore, if you have heart palpitations, make arrangements to see your doctor and seek immediate medical attention if along with palpitations, you experience shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, or fainting. After taking your medical history and conducting a physical exam, your doctor may order tests that can either confirm or rule out an underlying cause. If an underlying cause is found, the right treatment can reduce or eliminate palpitations. If your palpitations are not related to an underlying cause, lifestyle changes, including stress management and the avoidance of common triggers, can help prevent them.