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Heart palpitations
Alternative Names: Heartbeat sensations; Heartbeat - fast; Irregular heartbeat; Palpitations; Heart pounding or racing; Rapid heart rate; Racing heart; Tachycardia Home Care: Reducing stress and anxiety can help lessen 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) at the time of your heartbeat sensations. Also, consider practicing yoga or tai chi on a regular basis to reduce the frequency of your palpitations. Text Continues Below 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 the 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 doctor. He or she will do a work up to determine the cause and whether they are treatable or not. Call your health care provider if: Call 911 if: You have fainted or someone you are with loses consciousness. You have shortness of breath, chest pain, unusual sweating, dizziness, or lightheadedness. Call your doctor right away if: You feel frequent extra heartbeats (more than 6 per minute or coming in runs of 3 or more). You have risk factors for heart disease like high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure. You have new or different heart palpitations. Your pulse is more than 100 beats per minute (without exercise, anxiety, or fever). What to expect at your health care provider's office: Page:  1 | 2 | 3 | Next >>