Can Anxiety Present as Fast Hearbeat?

[Chester]

Lately I've been having sort of palpitations/fluttery feelings on and off for a year.

I was referred to cardiology. I've had 6 ECG's (3 at hospital and 3 as week long monitors)

The 3 at hospital were clear but the 3 at home showed spikes which are described as 'heart rate as if your excercising but you aren't'

I remember feeling anxious (no shocker there!) and I've for the past few years had a worry about heart attacks (the usual schtick!)

My bloods and all other tests (a table tilt test) were all fine and my bp is fine too. I'm wondering now if it is all anxiety related

Does anyone else mimmick symptoms of tachycardia through anxiety?

[TooMuchToLiveFor]

Hi Chester,
Great hearts beat alike.....a huge majority of us here deal with this.....all from anxiety.

Check this out from "Symptoms" at the left of the page....Heart palpitations, chest pain, irregular beats, flutters, skipped beats

What you feel:

One of the most worrying symptoms is chest pains or a tight feeling in your chest. The immediate thought is "heart attack" or "stroke" and this only worries you more. You may also notice that your heartbeat is incredibly fast or irregular at times having palpitations and again this leads to the worry that you will have a heart attack.
Often the chest muscles may feel very tight, and sometimes they can become painful if they are tight enough to spasm. Because the individual may become concerned that they may be having a heart attack, their fear will add to the stress biology which can not only worsen the pain, but can produce other symptoms similar to a heart attack such as profuse sweating, light-headedness and numbness in the arms, feet or face.
These increased symptoms can also cause more fear which then can turn into a panic attack
Your heart feels like it skips a beat or flops in your chest. It sometimes may feel like a tickle in your chest that makes you cough. If you take your pulse, you'll notice that sometimes the beats are unevenly spaced.
You may experience a tightness or pressure in the chest. Sometimes you may feel shooting pains, or muscle twitches, or just an uneasiness or fullness in the chest area which causes you concern
There is no evidence that panic and anxiety has any adverse effect on the heart and the pains are easily explained.
What causes this:

Stress biology causes the heart rate to increase. It does this so that the body is ready to take action. It's like in drag racing, drivers get their RPM's up prior to the green light so that they can hit the light with maximum torque. Since the stimulant hormone adrenaline, the body's super fuel, is produced when danger is perceived, the heart rate is naturally increased.
Once the stimulant is used and eliminated from the body, the heart rate will return to its normal range.
Moderate regular exercise helps to regulate this symptom.
When you start panicking the whole of your body becomes tense and this includes your muscles.
The chest pains you experience are due to the constricting of the chest wall muscles and the muscles between your ribs and not due to any actual muscles in your heart and the best cure is to start stretching these muscles gently to relieve the pain. Although you may not feel like doing any exercise whilst getting these pains, try stretching your arms above and behind your head, out to the sides and bending over gently to relieve the pain.
Naturally most people are dreadfully worried about their hearts but if your G.P. has given you the all clear cardiac wise - then do not be alarmed if the chest pains and palpitations come back and last for more than a day. If it is related to panic, although it is painful and worrying, the pains will subside if you try gentle exercise and ignore them.
Regular exercise and deep relaxation help to minimize this symptom. Also, staying away from artificial stimulants such as caffeine, chocolate, high doses of raw sugar (such as pastries, sweets, cookies, etc.) and smoking help to keep this symptom in check.

[Catherine S]

For sure a fast beating heart can be the result of anxiety, and can also be the result of eating or drinking anything that might irritate your system, or even a heavy meal. I suffer with ectopic heartbeats (the feeling of missed beats) and flutters which I can get a bout of every few months or so quite badly, but usually just a few each day and I take a small dose of a betablocker to slow down my heart which seems to work most of the time. Something I read about was the connection between the stomach and the heart via something called the Vagus nerve, which is the longest nerve in the body and runs from the base of the brain to the groin area, but it meanders through various organs including stomach and heart, and if this nerve is irritated by what we eat of drink it can trigger palpitations in some sensitive people.

[jill]

Hi hun :D

You have has some great advice already. :yesyes:

I have had this and you will find lots of people who suffer anxiety, even people who get stressed this symptom can happen,

Anxiety can cause a vast array of symptoms, although harmless if you don't know and understand whats going on, it can have you worried and scared.

I do hope your reply's have helped, even if its just knowing your not alone and this IS one of anxiety's many symptom, also high levels of stress can cause this too.

It does pass, with time.

TAKE CARE

LOVE JILL XX

[Chester]

thank you so much for all of the replies.

I became convinced it was anxiety giving out 'dodgy' test results when the hospital ECG's came out clear but as soon as I'm away from machines, doctors etc it goes up.

I do have beta blockers but I've not got the nerve up to take them yet