Experiencing heart palpitations—when your heart suddenly feels like it’s racing, skipping beats, or fluttering—can be an alarming experience. While many palpitations are harmless, they can cause discomfort and anxiety, especially when they happen without warning.
Understanding what causes palpitations and how to manage them with quick, science-backed techniques can make a big difference in how you feel.
Palpitations can have many triggers. These include stress, anxiety, high caffeine intake, nicotine, dehydration, and certain medications.
Sometimes, they may also be a sign of an underlying condition such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), or heart disease. It’s important to talk to a doctor if palpitations happen often or come with other symptoms like dizziness or chest pain.
In the meantime, there are a few simple things you can do to calm your heart when it starts to race.
One of the fastest and easiest techniques is deep breathing. Taking slow, deep breaths helps relax your body and calm your nervous system. This can slow down your heart rate and reduce the sensation of palpitations.
Another helpful method is the Valsalva maneuver. To do this, you pinch your nose, close your mouth, and gently try to breathe out as if you’re blowing up a balloon. This increases pressure in your chest and can help reset your heart’s rhythm.
A study published in the Journal of Emergency Medicine showed that this method can be effective, especially for a type of rapid heartbeat called supraventricular tachycardia.
Practices like yoga and meditation can also help. These activities reduce stress and anxiety—two of the most common causes of palpitations.
Regular meditation can lower your resting heart rate over time and decrease how often palpitations happen. Many people find that just a few minutes of calm breathing or mindful meditation can help during an episode.
Staying hydrated is another key to preventing palpitations. When you’re dehydrated, your blood volume drops and your heart has to work harder. This can lead to palpitations, especially after exercise or in hot weather. Drinking water throughout the day is a simple and effective way to support your heart.
Cutting back on stimulants like caffeine and nicotine is also important. These substances can speed up your heart rate and make palpitations more likely. Try reducing or avoiding coffee, tea, soda, and tobacco. A study in the Journal of Clinical Nursing found that people who consume a lot of caffeine are more likely to experience irregular heart rhythms.
Getting enough sleep can also make a big difference. Poor or irregular sleep increases stress on the body and can trigger palpitations. A study from the Journal of the American Heart Association found that people with inconsistent sleep patterns reported more heart palpitations and related symptoms.
In short, heart palpitations can often be managed with simple steps. Deep breathing, the Valsalva maneuver, proper hydration, reducing stimulants, and getting good sleep are all backed by research and can help calm your heart quickly.
If you experience frequent or intense palpitations, or if they come with pain or fainting, it’s important to see a healthcare provider. But for most people, these easy strategies can provide quick relief and help support better heart health.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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