what comes first ???

[umpiresld]

I have been batteling these irregular heartbeats for many many years.......What I don't understand is that they or the anxiety will stay away for quite a while.......then as happened this past April, back they came with a vengence......since April I have had an EKG,Stress Test, Echo Cardiogram and they all have come back normal........then the anxiety and stress and irregular heart beats......what comes first ???stress or irregular heartbeats, or do the irregular heartbeats cause the anxiety ???? I'm very tired of this and the more I try to calm down and stop these skipped beats, it seems the more they happen........any help or advice is needed.....please.........thanks Steve

[Cathy V]

Hi steve. Alot of us on here get these ectopic beats on a regular basis and have also had them for many years, myself included. Im in my 50s now and have had them since my 20s, so i think its safe to say that they're not going to go away completely. They are obviously my 'thing' when stressed or if i overindulge on alcohol, just as other people get migraines or upset tummy as their 'thing'.

Over the years ive tried to come up with reasons why i get them..allergies, food intolerance, hayfever and like you i sometimes got them when i thought there was no reason, but ive stopped letting them spoil my life and gradually have learned to live with them. I try to accept that im just one of many ppl who is sensitive to them becoz alot of ppl get them but dont ever really feel them...lucky things!

Like you ive had numerous tests both in uk and over here in germany and always negative. Some docs pescribe betablockers to treat them if they are really getting on your nerves.

Hope this helps
Cathy xxx

[yanksforever]

Either anxiety or the missed beats could come first, it doesn't matter. It's usually anxiety but sometimes a person can be completely unanxious and get a missed beat, which is harmless, but get anxiety about it for a long time, which in turn causes an automatic increase in the missed beats.

They DO lessen SOOOO much when you calm down about them yourself. Trust me. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[Mikke]

Usually you get stressed first, but not always - most people have them, also people who are not stressed out or anxious. But let's say you get them from stress. It's a vicious cycle. The body and the brain resolves the stress by delivering excess amounts of stresshormones into your bloodstream, which can stimulate electrical impulses that makes your heart beat faster og irregular ("skipped beats").
When you get afraid from this normal cardiac activity, you get even more stressed out, and the body produces even more stresshormones. You can even get an "irritated" node in the atria throwing in an extrasystole (skipped beat) when it normally wouldn't if it's used to it for a period.
Remember that this isn't dagnerous. Your heart won't stop (in fact i does the opposite, it throws in an extra beat), and it doesn't wear or tear on your heart. These are normal cardiac events, but some of us are aware of them while others are not.

[cassi23]

Mine usually come first then follows the anxiety but when i think back to it I am nearly always a bit stressed whenever they happen, tends to happen alot to me when im carrying a heavy load, or bending over, silly but hey, but iv sort of learned to ignore it so i would say i get the beats first then perhaps if it was a bad one a little anxiety to follow :(

Sorry if that doesnt make sense Cassi x