skippy66
22-12-09, 22:10
"Skipping, thumping or racing hearts are a worry I hear a lot about. Nearly every day someone tells me their heart is missing beats, quickening alarmingly or causing a nasty fluttering in their chests. They lie awake at night listening to the shooshing sound of their pulse in their ears or buffeted by the gentle rocking motion case by their beating heart.
Many of them are convinced they're about to suffer a serious heart attack. Some of them think they are never going to wake up. But heart "palpitations" are extremely common and usually harmless. I have more than 7000 extra heartbeats every day and can even show you the ECG trace to prove it. The funny thing is, the more you worry about them, the worse they get.
Worry leads to the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and these have a powerful stimulatory effect on the heart muscle making it buck and jump like crazy.
When you're busy or exercising that's fine. Your blood pressure needs to go up when you are exercising and most people never even notice palpitaions when they are busy.
But when you are sitting idle or lying in bed at night unable to sleep, adrenaline can cause dramatic "heart in the mouth" disturbances in rhythm. Usually these palpitations are triggered by anxiety or stimulants such as nicotine, alcohol or caffeine. Most people will suffer from palpitations at some stage in their lives.
They are the reason for between 30 and 40% of all referrals to heart clinics - where cardiologists try to find out if they are due to any serious underlying problem.
Most folk can be reassured by a brief chat, a quick examination and an ECG recording of the heartbeat.
Others might need thyroid and other blood tests or an echocardiogram to detect structural heart disease. Or they may have an ECG taken over a 24 hour period analysed by computer.
But most palpitaions are pefectly normal. So take heart - and stop worrying"
Dr Hilary Jones, GMTV Doctor
Many of them are convinced they're about to suffer a serious heart attack. Some of them think they are never going to wake up. But heart "palpitations" are extremely common and usually harmless. I have more than 7000 extra heartbeats every day and can even show you the ECG trace to prove it. The funny thing is, the more you worry about them, the worse they get.
Worry leads to the release of stress hormones like adrenaline and these have a powerful stimulatory effect on the heart muscle making it buck and jump like crazy.
When you're busy or exercising that's fine. Your blood pressure needs to go up when you are exercising and most people never even notice palpitaions when they are busy.
But when you are sitting idle or lying in bed at night unable to sleep, adrenaline can cause dramatic "heart in the mouth" disturbances in rhythm. Usually these palpitations are triggered by anxiety or stimulants such as nicotine, alcohol or caffeine. Most people will suffer from palpitations at some stage in their lives.
They are the reason for between 30 and 40% of all referrals to heart clinics - where cardiologists try to find out if they are due to any serious underlying problem.
Most folk can be reassured by a brief chat, a quick examination and an ECG recording of the heartbeat.
Others might need thyroid and other blood tests or an echocardiogram to detect structural heart disease. Or they may have an ECG taken over a 24 hour period analysed by computer.
But most palpitaions are pefectly normal. So take heart - and stop worrying"
Dr Hilary Jones, GMTV Doctor