“That warrants further investigating to make sure it’s nothing dangerous,” Dr. A medical history of health conditions involving your heart, such as heart disease.Per the NHLBI and the Mayo Clinic, if your heart palpitations come along with any of the following, you should seek medical attention immediately:

There are a few signs and risk factors to be aware of, though, as they might suggest your heart’s functioning has been compromised. Pregnancy can unmask some underlying heart rhythm conditions.” “If they experience sudden, fast unprovoked heart racing, they should be evaluated. Pregnancy: “Most women notice their hearts beating faster during pregnancy, which is a normal response to the increased blood volume that naturally occurs,” Dr.If overwhelming stress and anxiety become a regular thing for you and start to impact your quality of life, it’s time to talk to your doctor or a therapist about trying other coping strategies. Heavy anxiety, stress, or panic attacks: This can make you very aware of your heart beating, which is why it’s so important to prioritize self-care, whatever that looks like for you, Dr.“There is a syndrome called ‘holiday heart’-when people indulge with all of these foods coupled with the stress of the holidays, they are at much greater risk of having atrial fibrillation, a fast, irregular heart rhythm that can increase their risk of stroke.” Basically, if you notice you have palpitations after a particularly rich and heavy meal, try to give the treats a rest and see how you feel.

Diet: “Chocolate, caffeine, and alcohol often incite more early beats and increase the risk of going into abnormal heart rhythms,” Dr.

Andersen says you’ll want to get them checked out to ensure there isn’t a deeper issue at play.

Exercise: If you’re regularly noticing palpitations when you’re working out, Dr.

Andersen says, as they can reveal underlying physical or mental health conditions that may need more targeted management or individualized treatment: You’ll also want to take extra note of the following causes of heart palpitations, Dr. You may also experience heart palpitations if you have a physical abnormality like a weaker or larger heart than usual, which you typically wouldn’t know about unless it showed up during some kind of medical exam. This can lead to a rapid or irregular heartbeat, along with symptoms like an increased appetite and sudden weight loss. If your thyroid is on overdrive (meaning, you have hyperthyroidism), it will generate too much thyroxine, which kicks up your body’s metabolism. Your thyroid produces hormones like thyroxine and triiodothyronine, which influence many of your body’s systems, according to the Mayo Clinic. Other times, the Mayo Clinic notes, heart palpitations can be a sign that something’s up with a different organ, like your thyroid gland.

You’re pregnant, which causes your blood volume to go up and your heart has to work harder to pump the extra fluid.Īs you can see, a lot of these really common causes are nothing to worry about-your heart is just doing its thing and you’re more aware of it than you normally would be.

You’re doing a tough workout or just finished one.

You’re taking medication that contains stimulants.

You’re sleep-deprived or suffer from sleep apnea.

You’re experiencing anxiety or a panic attack.

According to the Mayo Clinic, some examples include: Doshi, heart palpitations are most often caused by increases in adrenaline or things that require your heart to work harder than usual. There are tons of reasons your heart can go a little wonky, and most of them are nothing to worry about.Īccording to Dr. “Most of the time when people feel palpitations, their heart is not doing anything bad,” Dr. Common reasons you might feel heart palpitations

Regular irregular heartbeat