Palpitations are the sensation that your heartbeat is not normal. Although the sensations may vary, palpitations cause you to have an uncomfortable awareness of your heartbeat. Palpitations are often triggered by stress, exercise, or medications and the sensations can be mild or quite uncomfortable.
Have a look at some of the symptoms, diseases, and their solutions:-
Symptom 1
At times your heartbeats become more noticeable and your heart feels like it's pounding, fluttering, or beating irregularly. At the same time, your breath comes very quickly and you feel overanxious.
It could be
Panic attacks, an overwhelming sense of anxiety or fear, feeling sick, sweating, and trembling that arises in uncomfortable situations.
Cure it
Breathing exercises may help, in particular, slow deep breaths which calm the brain. Try mindfulness and meditation too.
Symptom 2
You've been losing weight, you sweat a lot, the palms of your hands are always damp and sometimes your heart feels it's going to leap out of your chest.
It could be
Hyperthyroidism (thyrotoxicosis), where the thyroid gland is overactive, producing too much thyroid and speeding up your metabolism, sometimes as part of an autoimmune condition.
Cure it
See your doctor for thyroid function tests and possibly a specialist for treatment with anti-thyroid drugs and to come up with a management plan.
Symptom 3
You're in your 60s and you've recently had a few attacks of dizziness and tiredness, you're unsteady on your feet and have a feeling that your heart is "jumping about".
It could be
Atrial fibrillation (AF), where the electrical heartbeat control centre in your heart is out of sync, so your heart beats irregularly.
Cure it
See your doctor for a cardiac assessment and possible treatment with a beta-blocker to slow down the heartbeat, and an oral anticoagulant to prevent clots from forming.
Tips to keep your heart healthy
Studies show that eating the right foods can help keep our hearts happy. But it isn't simply down to avoiding saturated fat and processed meat - what you add to your diet can make a difference too.
"Eating plenty of fibre helps to lower your risk of heart disease," says Susie Sawyer, a clinical nutritionist based in the UK.
"The daily recommended of fibre is 30gm from a variety of sources, which few people reach on a daily basis."
There are two forms of fibre - soluble and insoluble. Soluble fibre dissolves and helps feed the good gut bacteria while insoluble help forms the stool. Both of these are needed for a healthy heart. While soluble fibre can help reduce levels of bad cholesterol, insoluble fibre helps us to stay fuller for longer and maintain a healthy weight.
Try to include wholemeal bread, bran, oats, beans and wholegrain cereals, potatoes with their skins on and plenty of fruit and vegetables in your diet.
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