Is this heart-pounding feeling a disease?

Have you ever experienced this? Late at night, sitting in front of a computer, holding a cup of coffee or tea. Suddenly, your chest starts thumping, and you feel chest tightness and shortness of breath. It lasts for a long time without any improvement. You toss and turn and have trouble falling asleep. When you check online, you get panicked... Could it be that you have heart disease at such a young age?

What are palpitations

Lying in bed and hearing your heart pounding, is it palpitations?

Palpitations are a subjective feeling of a strong, irregular and uncomfortable heartbeat, which can be manifested as a rapid thumping sensation in the chest (thumping), a heavy thumping sensation in the chest or neck, etc. Some people may experience chest pain, chest tightness, sweating, dyspnea, dizziness, weakness, edema, etc. Palpitations are usually benign, but severe arrhythmias can be life-threatening, so they should be taken seriously.

Many people describe this feeling as palpitations, heart palpitations, chest tightness, or even chest pain, and think it is a heart attack (acute myocardial infarction) or other diseases. It is true that palpitations may be a symptom of some patients with myocardial infarction, but myocardial infarction is generally more dangerous and serious, with systemic symptoms such as severe chest pain, difficulty breathing, and a sense of impending death.

What causes palpitations?

Most causes of palpitations are identifiable. Common causes of palpitations include:

● Heart disease: arrhythmia (atrial fibrillation, paroxysmal tachycardia, ventricular premature beats, etc.), cardiomyopathy, valvular heart disease, etc.

● Endocrine diseases: hyperthyroidism, hypoglycemia, pheochromocytoma, etc.

● Mental illness, anemia, fever, acid reflux, etc.

● Drugs: caffeine, ephedrine, aminophylline, thyroxine, etc.

● Coffee, milk tea, tea, alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, etc.

● Palpitations may also occur during strenuous exercise, anxiety, emotional excitement, excessive fatigue, lack of exercise, lack of oxygen, pregnancy, dehydration, and changes in body posture.

What to do when you have palpitations

You should sit or lie down to rest immediately, and keep the surroundings quiet and ventilated.

If you drink coffee, milk tea, strong tea, smoke, or drink alcohol, you should stop or reduce the amount as soon as possible. If you experience hunger, hand tremors, fatigue, nausea, etc. due to eating too little, you should eat in time and measure your blood sugar at the same time if you suspect hypoglycemia.

When palpitations occur, you can measure your pulse by yourself, keep calm and measure for 30 seconds, multiply the pulse beats by 2, if it exceeds 100 times/minute, it is tachycardia; if it is less than 60 times/minute, it is bradycardia. If the pulse is discontinuous, there are long pauses, and the neck beats irregularly, it is considered arrhythmia, and you should go to a nearby hospital as soon as possible and check the electrocardiogram in time.

When palpitations occur for the first time, try to adjust your breathing, control your emotions, avoid mental stress, strenuous exercise and fatigue, observe the characteristics and changes of palpitations, and measure your blood pressure in a timely manner.

Most patients with palpitations are recommended to see a general practitioner. If palpitations occur repeatedly, accompanied by dizziness, chest pain, nausea and other discomfort, you should see a doctor in time and check 24-hour dynamic electrocardiogram, cardiac ultrasound, myocardial enzyme spectrum, blood biochemistry, thyroid function, etc.

How to avoid heart palpitations

Change your lifestyle, drink less or no coffee, milk tea, strong tea, alcohol, etc. Have a balanced diet, exercise properly, maintain a good attitude, pay attention to rest and get enough sleep.

If you have underlying diseases, such as heart disease, hyperthyroidism, diabetes, anemia, etc., you should actively treat the primary disease (the disease that causes palpitations), visit the relevant department regularly, and be sure to follow the doctor's instructions and take the medicine according to the time and dosage.

Have regular physical examinations to detect, diagnose and treat diseases that may cause palpitations early.

In daily life, palpitations in young and middle-aged people may be related to excessive consumption of coffee, milk tea, functional drinks, tea drinks, etc.

How to drink coffee without harming your health

The caffeine content of different beverages varies. A medium cup of American coffee contains about 100 to 150 mg of caffeine. It is generally recommended that healthy adults consume no more than 400 mg (about 2 cups) of caffeine per day, and pregnant women no more than 200 mg.

Moderate coffee consumption (1 to 2 cups a day) does not increase the risk of heart disease and cardiovascular disease.

Heart palpitations are mostly benign, but they may also indicate certain diseases. Severe arrhythmias can be life-threatening and should be taken seriously enough to find the cause of the palpitations as soon as possible.

Palpitations can be prevented by changing lifestyle habits (such as quitting smoking and limiting alcohol consumption, reducing caffeinated beverage intake, exercising appropriately, controlling emotions, etc.) and taking medication regularly.

If you have been healthy in the past and have no discomfort, and only have transient palpitations without any other discomfort, you should pay attention and observe.

Most patients with palpitations are advised to see a general practitioner first. If there are changes in the condition or if there are underlying diseases such as heart disease or hyperthyroidism, they should see a general practitioner in time and visit the relevant department regularly for follow-up visits.