Heartbeat in my hear

[bashley]

Hi I'm really panicking, I've had health anxiety for 5 years mostly worrying about my heart. I have palps, ectopics etc occasionally I get a thing where I can hear my heartbeat in my ear. It's been really bad this morning the more I panicked the louder and faster it become. I know I shouldn't but I typed my symptoms on google and it's really scared me as straight away HEART problems came up, said it could mean something really serious. Could it be life threatening or is it my dreaded anxiety. I have had an awful two years, I'm getting therapy now for my depression etc. but this has really scared me. I know I post on here quite a lot and dont always get many replies, but that's probably as I drive everyone mad with my symptoms I know I drive my family crazy. I don't want to be like this but it has just taken over my whole life.
I would be so grateful if someone could reassure me .:unsure:

[Mick081081]

Hiya Bashley,
First thing I'm gonna say which I always say to people is stop googling it will only make you worse I know it's hard not to but honestly it'll do you no good whatsoever. I'm not a doctor but as you are anxious your blood pressure will no doubt be up, when my anxiety was really high I could hear my heart beat in both my ears especially when having a panic attack so don't worry I know that's easier said than done aswell but you will be fine. I hope your therapy goes well as there's nothing worse than living in fear it's horrible. Anxiety can create physical symptoms and the more you think about them the worse they get. I hope it improves for you and know that it will not hurt you in anyway and when you start to accept this then you will find its starts to become easier as times goes by. Acceptance was a big part in my recovery it wasn't easy accepting that there was nothing wrong me with but now I have it's improving slowly but surely. Feel free to message me anytime. Take care.
Mick.

[lalouba]

It sounds like tinnitus to me, hun! I've had it since I was quite young and before anxiety even reared it's ugly head.

I still get it now, especially when I lay down to sleep. On the side I'm laying on it sounds like a drum in my ear!

It's absolutely harmless and quite a common thing, even moreso in folks with anxiety just because of all the adrenaline pumping through our bodies, causing our hearts to beat faster, harder or more irregularly.

Whenever I worry about my heart I try to bare the following in mind:

Try to imagine your anxiety like a pressure gauge. In an average person, when they feel threatened, their gauge goes up, spreading adrenaline through their body to put them into fight or flight mode, ready to do whatever is necessary to survive. Think about when you in the past may have, for example, stepped out into a road not paying attention and a car comes out of nowhere. Your heart pounds in your chest and you feel like you have butterflies in your tummy. It works the same way. In a 'normal' person, once the threat has subsided, their 'anxiety gauge' will go back down to a normal level, and they will feel normal and relaxed again.

In an anxious person, our anxiety gauges are constantly stuck in fight or flight mode. We get all the effects of being prepared for the need to face whatever threat we feel (in our case, illness, death, sickness, disease etc) but it never goes away. The more we think about our worries, the more anxious we feel, and the more adrenaline is pumping through our system, causing our hearts to race, skip beats etc. After a while this takes a toll on our bodies and we end up feeling worse.

I highly doubt there is anything wrong with your heart. If there was, you'd know by now! Your heart is just performing its normal function, just unfortunately in an irregular way because of your anxiety putting you on red alert.

Try sitting or laying down, and spend five minutes doing some pursed lip breathing. In through the nose (pushing your stomach out so that you aren't breathing with your neck ad chest as this can cause shallow breathing which isn't effective.) for 3 seconds, and out through pursed lips for 6 seconds.

Do this until you feel more relaxed. You'll find that you will feel at least a little better.

I hope this helps! Lots of love x