Skipped Beats

[Alan P]

This site has been so helpful in telling me that I'm worrying about nothing but I still get upset and fearful when I have an episode of skipped beats.

I can go days without feeling one but I had a lot of them last night after I had spent 3 hours digging and planting in the garden. I was fine whilst working but noticed the ectopics come on an hour or so after I stopped. They came and went for a couple of hours before gradually reducing in frequency. I have had a couple this morning.

I first noticed these when drinking alcohol and had the worst episode the day after a wedding when I ate and drank too much. I have eased back on the booze but I still get skipped beats.

I am fairly fit and played football every weekend until I stopped 3 years ago. I never noticed one skipped beat before my first panic attack 2 years ago but now I don't think I will ever miss one when it happens. For the record I had all the tests after that panic attack and they detected no problems.

I reckon these skipped beats occur when I am tired - I have had quite a lot of them after going to football matches (without beer) - and are exacerbated by worrying about them. They also tend to come on if I eat or drink too much.

Not sure there's anything anyone can say in response but I just felt like posting about my problem, particularly as I don't know anyone else who suffers from this.

It's good to talk.

[trac67]

Hi Alan,
Everyone suffers from these skipped beats, its just us anxiety sufferers notice them becuase we are always 'looking' for something. The reason you noticed them after you had been gardening and not while you were gardening, is because you were too busy whilst working and your mind was on other things. Then once you finished and relaxed you had time to 'think', and thats when we start to notice all the little symptoms.
Just remember they wont hurt you, and they are not serious.
Pm me if you ever need a chat ok hun
Take care
Trac xx

its "just a thought"

[seh1980]

hello Alan,

Trac is right. The more you think about them, the more they will occur. They can't hurt you. All is can do is try to keep busy and put them to the back of your mind..

Sarah :D

"Life is too important to take seriously" Corky Siegal

[Meg]

Alan

You are certainly not alone with these..

: Palpitations (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/NMPcms.php?nmppage=palpitations)
palpatations (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2284)
Missed heartbeats! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3186)
sorry for being silly....but.... (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3320)
Palpitations? Reassurance needed and some answers! (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3371)
Missed heartbeat question again (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3550)
IS THERE ANYMORE I CAN DO???? (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3784)
ectopic heart beats (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4664)
Doc made ectopic fear worse (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=4849)
missed heartbeats, still worried (http://www.nomorepanic.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5061)

Just as Tracy says we become ultra aware of every little twinge and creak our bodies make now.

Also a partial reason you noticed them post gardening is because the adrenalin that you secreted to give you the oomph to garden to start with, is now dissipating and it is the altering levels of adrenalin and cortisol in your system that can trigger some of the ectopics.


Meg
www.anxietymanagementltd.com

Your anxiety is the human representation of the pictures that you paint using your many vivid colours of revolving and reoccurring thoughts.
How big is your gallery ?

[linjane]

Hi Alan,
I suffer with the missed beats too and they do scare, but I am TRYING to learn/accept that they aren't dangerous. I'm pregnant at the moment, so I'm not drinking I've also stopped smoking and hardly have anything with caffeine in, but I still get them and like you, they exasperate me too as Meg and everyone on here will know!!! I have had them for over three years now, but like everyone has said, they are harmless and we have to learn to ignore them....easier said than done I know, but at least I can give out the advice even if I can't take it!!
Take care, Love, Linda.x

[zig]

First sorry for my bad English ;). From what I read and mainly from what I have experienced so far .....

Missing heartbeats are mainly caused by Biofeedback. Heart beats are autonomous but they can be interfered from the subconscious mind. If you have trained your mind to be anxious then it is possible for it to learn to instantly take control of your heartbeat and also other autonomous processes of your body (those you thought there is no way controlling them) but sooner or later the autonomous process will always take the control back (this is why you can't die because of them). I can practically cause my heart to have ectopics within one or two minutes after having thought about them. I don't know how but I can cause them just by thinking them. I can also easily lower my heartbeat rate just by thinking lowering it.

I was wondering why I had ectopics even when I was not anxious. Often I have ectopics when I am extremely calm and with very low heart rate (around 60 ppm). My answer to that is that because ectopics are a 'subconsciously learned' behavior they are likely to happen whenever the mind isn't occupied (even when you are not anxious).

So for me the only way not to have ectopics is just don't think about them for an extended period of time. This is not always possible so from time to time a person who had trained his subconscious to have ectopics will eventually get them but hopefully not so often as before.

Things that have helped me reduce the frequency of ectopics.
- Walk as often as possible.
- Try entering in your diet fish containing large quantities of omega3 fatty acids.
- Drink adequate quantities of water.
- Try to occupy your mind with positive (unrelated to health) thoughts. This is very important. Don't think 'there is nothing wrong with me' because eventually this will turn into a 'what if' question. Think of something totally unrelated to health like 'what a beautiful day';.

Regards