When checking my pulse...

[Benjy83]

Hi everyone,

Recently I have been having this urge to keep checking my pulse to see how fast my BPM is and every now and then when counting the beats it skips one. This isn't every minute but when it does happen it feels really weird. Does anyone else get like this??????

Thanks
Ben

[jue67]

yes, often, dont know what causes it tho, im sure someone may have an idea, i check my pulse often, only when im in the middle of an attack of anxiety though. its reassuring to me, its odd isnt it? i figure if my heart is beating okay im fine and thats that.
hope your okay

jools

[Benjy83]

Thanks Jools,

Thing is I'm not having an anxiety attack at the time its just random me checking my pulse. It's like a habbit!

[countrygirl]

This is completely normal its an ectopic beat and we all have them from time to time but most people who are not anxious don't notice them. I have them very badly, usually every 5-7th beat but in bad spells its every 3rd beat and boy can I feel them. Had all the tests and its harmless premature ventricular contractions.

Obviously stop taking your pulse! then you won't notice them hopefully.
I do understand about pulse taking as 20 years ago when I first noticed mine I obsessively checked my pulse as well.

[LeeBee]

As countrygirl says, sounds like what you are feeling are ectopic beats. There is LOADS of stuff on this site about ectopics as so many people experience them. Basically, they are a like an electrical "hiccup" of the heart; the nerve that produces an electric charge telling the heart when to beat chucks in an extra beat between two normally-spaced ones. Quite often people don't feel the extra beat in their pulse because it isn't powerful enough to produce a pulse. At this point the heart has extra blood in it, so pauses for a moment before beating again (that's the "skipped" beat you feel). Most people's hearts do this sometimes but not everyone notices. You notice because you take your pulse all the time :).

As I understand it, ectopics are perfectly normal and harmless in a healthy heart. They do feel weird though, and happen more often if you are anxious. Search "ectopics" on the site and have a read, hopefully it will reassure you.

[Casey]

My cardiologist reckoned that 95% of people have ectopics but most people don't notice them. On a 24 hour monitor I had done, there were about 10 in the daytime, but strangely enough I didn't notice ANY that day. He said it would vary from day to day and some days I could have a lot more than that.
I used to obsessively check my pulse until last week when I felt a few ectopics and it freaked me out so much I'm actually scared to check my pulse now! I know the ectoptics are "harmless but unpleasant" according to the dr. It wasn't nice feeling the pause...that will teach me to check my pulse :)