The more I try to relax, the more skipped beats I have....

[umpiresld]

I have had anxiety attacks for many years......I can eventually convince myself that they are not going to kill me.....and they,for the most part, go away or I just learn to ignore them.......Starting this past April they came back with a vengence......those who know me tell me to just RELAX....I wish I could........while I am at work, for the most part, they don't bother me very much....I stay very active but I still do have them.......I have stopped all caffeine except for the one cup in the morning. The depressing thing is that if I still have them at 55, there is a great possibility that I will have them all my life........I have had all the tests....EKG...ECHO Cardiograph...Stress Test...Barrium swallow test that did reveal a small hyatial hernia...........The cardiologist's reply was "they havn't killed you so far....they won't now" I don't know about anybody else, but it seems that I have to make the best of what I have.... any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.......Steve

[milly jones]

i get missed beats when im at rest too

perhaps u dont notice them as much at work cos ur occupied

funnily enough thay dont bother me in the slightest, i just notice the flutters

its easy for ppl to tell us to quit worrying and relax

i do think that activity and distraction help take ur mind off ur worries

i find relaxation v difficult to achieve

take care

milly xxxx

[Mikke]

There is a dilemma to trying to relax about them too. Trying to surpress the anxiety about them only makes you more aware of them on an unconsious level, which again fuels your stress.
I read this article by a cardiologist who said that trying to relax about them will only be a shallow gesture when you really fear them.
It isn't easy, but one has to stop fearing them.

You have to accept a few facts to make this happen:

- Skipped beats are of absolutely no concern to people with otherwise normal hearts.
- They are not correlated with heart problems as long as your heart is healthy.
- About half of all us have them (this is true for animals as well), it's just that some of us feel them more distinct.
- They represent normal cardiac events, and are not classified anywhere as a disease. People can have thousands of them during a normal day, without getting treatment for them - they are not representing heart trouble at all.

As soon as you are able to stop fearing them they will go away, at least until you are stressed out again and your heart starts acting accordingly. If you have to see one more (or three more) doctor(s) who can reassure you about these facts - do so, so that you can truly believe them...
I stopped at seeing 7 different doctors before beeing convinced that they are harmless.

They are NOT dangerous, only uncomfortable, just as sneezing or hickups...

[Alisonj]

Chances are you are actually trying to hard. When you are focusing on relaxing your are actually focusing on the reason you want to relax which causes more anxiety and then more missed beats. Everyone has them, some people are just able to feel them easier than others. Usually those with anxiety are so in tune to everything with their body that they are the first to notice things such as missed beats etc. They feel weird and can be scary but they are normal and will not hurt you.
Huge hugs

[xBettyBoopx]

These ectopics/missed beats are no respector of persons. They hit healthy ppl too. You won't be able to get enough reassurance that nothing's wrong.

I have had them for years & I'm ok. I don't know if mine are different from others but if I get up & walk around, I burp and they're gone. Maybe come back in a couple of minutes or so, but get up walk around again & gone again. I had them before I had anxiety, so doesn't have to be related, although I think they are mostly.

They won't hurt your heart & your heart is not diseased, I can assure you of that. If trying to relax is not helping, then don't do it. Get up & walk around, see what happens.

Good luck,
Love
Els
xxx

[umpiresld]

I want to thank you all for your reply.......I think we all at times are too hard on ourselves and I am at the top of the list.....My family DR told me that we have to learn how to enjoy our life and its not always the doom and gloom that we have a tendency to focus on................Bless you all.....steve

[cassi23]

Heya, i used to have this often.

my cardiologist told me that when you relax,the heart slows down...this leaves more room in between each 'normal' beat to add in an extra one. When this extra one has been added, the heart resets itself by pausing for a beat, hence the ectocip you feel, once i'd heard it that way i was able to ignore them because in a structually normal heart they are nothing to worry about! I get probably 1 a month now.

Hope you feel better asap xxxxxxx

[Cathy V]

Hi steve. Im 55 too and been having these ectopics since i was in my 20s, so i think its probably right when you say they're probably here to stay. If they continue to be benign and the docs arent worried about them, then im just gonna have to accept them as part of me. Some people have asthma, MS, arthritis etc...we have extrasystoles.

There are alot of theories about the cause of them and im coming around more and more to the suggestions from other sufferes here, that they can be cause by digestive probs, and not actually probs with the heart itself. Ive always had them from time to time but like you, the latest bout started earlier this year and havent stopped! but ive also been taking a betablocker which slows the system down, and can cause digestion problems which i seem to have developed (as well as putting on loads of weight). I get a little acid reflux too which is also new for me. I never suffered with my stomach nefore this, so maybe the two are linked. Even though ive always put the ectopics in the past down to stress.

Cathy xxx