Heart racing after bending over

[DaisyFay]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone knows why hearts will race after bending over?

Twice this week I’ve bent over then stood up to be hit suddenly with an extremely fast heart pounding, sweating and eyes going blurry. Both times I sat down and took some deep breathes until it stopped, which was probably a minute or two. They then ended with a few hard pounds which I could see in eyes and then back to normal. I’ve had episodes like this before that I thought were SVTs or something but these last two times it was definitely because of bending over.

Part of me thinks, I bent over and stood up too fast but I don’t understand WHY bending over can cause this?

The other part of me of course called my doctors surgery in tears asking for an appointment as I’m convinced I must have an arrhythmia.

Any knowledge on why bending over could cause this would be helpful right now. A lot of my anxiety is around things happening I don’t understand and it leaves my mind to go straight to arrhythmia instead.

Thank you so much.

[Fishmanpa]

Frankly, it sounds like orthostatic hypotension. When you're seated, lying down or bent over and get up quickly, sometimes your BP can drop as it takes a moment or two until your body catches up to the change in position.

FMP

[DaisyFay]

Frankly, it sounds like orthostatic hypotension. When you're seated, lying down or bent over and get up quickly, sometimes your BP can drop as it takes a moment or two until your body catches up to the change in position.

FMP

Thank you so much. I hadn’t even thought of BP. I just focused on heart as it was my heart that was racing and pounding. I’m guessing low blood pressure could cause a racing heart though?

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Frankly, it sounds like orthostatic hypotension. When you're seated, lying down or bent over and get up quickly, sometimes your BP can drop as it takes a moment or two until your body catches up to the change in position.

FMPI have that since childhood. If I dont pay attention to it the sensation passes in less than 30 seconds. If I am anxious it can last much longer or lead to a full blown panic attack.
All in all, its just a very normal body reaction.

[DaisyFay]

I have that since childhood. If I dont pay attention to it the sensation passes in less than 30 seconds. If I am anxious it can last much longer or lead to a full blown panic attack.
All in all, its just a very normal body reaction.

Thanks so much for the reply. When it happens to you does your heart suddenly beat fast and hard? When it slowed down it was 120bpm so must of been pretty fast while it was happening, but I did panic when it started.

[Fishmanpa]

Thanks so much for the reply. When it happens to you does your heart suddenly beat fast and hard? When it slowed down it was 120bpm so must of been pretty fast while it was happening, but I did panic when it started.

Think about it for a moment. You're in a sitting, lying down or bent over position.... You stand up and all of a sudden your heart needs to pump blood to areas that are low on it (mostly your head and it's called 'gravity' ;)). Thus the dizziness and of course your heart will beat faster to compensate. A palpitation or flutter is certainly not unusual under the circumstances.

I get this all the time, especially since I'm on BP meds for my heart disease. Eh.... it is what it is. Worst case, I sit down for a moment until things level out.

FMP

[DaisyFay]

Think about it for a moment. You're in a sitting, lying down or bent over position.... You stand up and all of a sudden your heart needs to pump blood to areas that are low on it (mostly your head and it's called 'gravity' ;)). Thus the dizziness and of course your heart will beat faster to compensate. A palpitation or flutter is certainly not unusual under the circumstances.

I get this all the time, especially since I'm on BP meds for my heart disease. Eh.... it is what it is. Worst case, I sit down for a moment until things level out.

FMP

Thank you so much for the rational thinking. Anything like that can throw me into a spiral of catastrophic thinking. My heart pounds fast and I go dizzy, then the next thing I know I’m staring at my children thinking I’ll never watch them grow up. I definitely find understanding WHY something has happened stops the anxiety spiral in its tracks.
I really appreciate it, thank you.

[Iwant2bhealthy]

When it happens to you does your heart suddenly beat fast and hard?
Yup. It goes so hard and fast that I feel it in my head! Sometimes I will get dizzy or nauseous as an extra bonus. ;)

[DaisyFay]

Yup. It goes so hard and fast that I feel it in my head! Sometimes I will get dizzy or nauseous as an extra bonus. ;)

Thank you so much. I’m sorry it happens to you too but it’s incredibly reassuring to know it happens to someone else and they are fine and don’t panic.
The root of my anxiety is heart related and it’s the thing that really gets me when it’s doing something thats not ‘normal’. I often feel like I’m the only person in the world that experiences these things so nice to know I’m not and it’s ok.

[Iwant2bhealthy]

Thank you so much. I’m sorry it happens to you too but it’s incredibly reassuring to know it happens to someone else and they are fine and don’t panic.
The root of my anxiety is heart related and it’s the thing that really gets me when it’s doing something thats not ‘normal’. I often feel like I’m the only person in the world that experiences these things so nice to know I’m not and it’s ok.
No need to feel sorry for me. It's just a normal reaction and I no longer experience it as unpleasant.

I hear you. My anxiety also revolved around my heart. First step for me was to provoke palpitations together with my theraphist, and realise theese are VERY NORMAL sensations.
Equally important was to stop checking my heartbeat, something I noticed from your posts you still do. I would strongly advise you to resist the urge as it triggers anxiety, which triggers fast heart rate, which triggers more anxiety, which triggers... etc. ;-)
I feel so much beter now that I can manage the heart stuff very well. It took over 3 years of therapy but if I could do it, so can you! Good luck!

[NoraB]

My husband reckons his heart races when I bend over? :ohmy:

Actually, I've had this and lots of other unpleasant heart symptoms where my head pulses (and entire body) and simply getting up makes my heart race. I've had my ticker checked over thoroughly and it's all down to stress hormones innit. Also, chocolate (stimulants) are an issue - especially with a sensitised system. :whistles:

Best thing I ever did was to lay off the stimulants and to practice deep breathing which kicks in the parasympathetic response (calming) - which turns off the fight or flight (sympathetic nervous response)

I can drop my heart rate from 'racing like a bugger' to normal in under a minute now. :shades:

[DaisyFay]

My husband reckons his heart races when I bend over? :ohmy:

Actually, I've had this and lots of other unpleasant heart symptoms where my head pulses (and entire body) and simply getting up makes my heart race. I've had my ticker checked over thoroughly and it's all down to stress hormones innit. Also, chocolate (stimulants) are an issue - especially with a sensitised system. :whistles:

Best thing I ever did was to lay off the stimulants and to practice deep breathing which kicks in the parasympathetic response (calming) - which turns off the fight or flight (sympathetic nervous response)

I can drop my heart rate from 'racing like a bugger' to normal in under a minute now. :shades:

Haha! Thanks so much.

Stimulants is definitely something I need to avoid. I don’t do caffeine but sugar, chocolate etc is very much in my diet!!

Time to focus on eating clean perhaps instead of anxious thoughts... if only....haha

[Madmoo2711]

Yes!! I get these, I have done all of my life, if I bed over quick I get a flutter then followed by 200+bpm, once it happened outside a hospital and was able to go and get checked immediately after, once it happened after I got out the bath and I went to the hospital and had bloods and ecg done, all fine. I had a 24 hour holter monitor fitted, showed some skipped beats but dr wasn't concerned at all.

I also get them while I'm eating! Sometimes I'll swallow or take a deep breath before my food has gone down properly and it'll trigger the same thing!

I've found getting into child's pose and taking a few deep breath helps. If I panic it lasts 10 times longer! Xx