Why is my Heart feels like its Fluttering?

'Why my heart feels like its fluttering sometimes' is a question not heard infrequently by doctors from many of their patients. Here in this post I am going to share with my readers the causes of such heart palpitation, which I gathered from my family physician, who is a renowned cardiologist. I believe this post would definitely help the sufferers of such symptoms to get rid of unnecessary mental worries by bringing awareness about this common physical experience and the associated risks.

What is a heart palpitation?

What is palpitations? Most of us, at some time or other, have been subjected to sensation of irregular and skipping heart beats or fluttering of heart, which doctors call heart flutter or heart palpitation. Heart palpitation is a feeling that your heart is beating too fast or skipping a beat. You may feel such palpitations in your chest, throat, or neck. Before going to the answer which I received from my doctor about the causes of why heart feels fluttery sometimes, let us first look into the symptoms of such heart palpitations.

Sometimes you may not be aware that you are having irregular heart beats, especially if it has been going on for some time. The symptoms may come and go suddenly. The major heart palpitation symptoms may include,

• Slow, rapid, pounding or irregular pulse;

• Sense of feeling of heart beat;

• Shortness of breath;

• Mental confusion;

• Feeling of dizziness;

• Lack of ability to exercise;

• Feeling of exhaustion;

• Fainting

Heart feels like its fluttering- what does it mean?

If at times you have a sensation as if your heart is missing out beats causing a brief pause in the heart rhythm, you may start worrying by thinking that if my heart keeps fluttering like this it must be a signal for imminent heart attack. But most often such sensation is not serious or harmful and is not a matter of concern at all. It is a result of premature heartbeats only and often goes away on its own. Usually these heart palpitations often occur without any associated symptoms and any healthy person can experience this. For most of us who are physically and emotionally normal, such heart fluttering does not signify any underlying heart disorder. In exceptional cases, heart fluttering may be a long-lasting extension to an acute underlying anxiety disorder.

Heart feels like its fluttering - the causes

Many things can cause heart palpitations or fluttering. The common heart palpitations causes are physical exertion, emotional stress and anxiety, consumption of stimulants such as nicotine, caffeine or alcohol, cold and cough medications containing stimulants, medical conditions including high fever, low blood pressure and dehydration, and hormone changes during menstruation or at the time of menopause. Women also often experience palpitations of the heart during pregnancy. Heart disease can also cause fluttering sensation of the heart. Nevertheless, some people may have increased and irregular heart beats without any of these apparent causes. As mentioned earlier, occasionally heart fluttering may occur in any healthy individual due to exertion or an emotional bout which is quite normal. At times a sensation of pounding in the neck is also felt during the spell of rapid heart fluttering which may be due to simultaneous contraction of the upper and lower chambers of the heart. Palpitations can also be related to underlying heart disease. Doctors are of the opinion that once the heart palpitations causes are known, it can be dealt with easily.

When to see a doctor?

In rare cases, heart palpitations can be a sign of a more serious heart condition. Heart palpitation due to heart disease can be distinguished by a doctor by looking into the pattern of the heart beating of the individual. In case the heart fluttering is exceedingly irregular and too swift it is likely that the underlying cause is impairment of the cardiac rhythm which causes abnormality in contraction of the upper heart chamber. In such a situation, if heart fluttering lasts for a short period there should not be any reason for concern for an individual with normal health. But in case the fluttering lasts for more than an hour or when the heart fluttering is accompanied by indications like increasing shortness of breath, pain in the chest, feeling of lightheartedness, profuse sweating or faintness it is advisable to consult a cardiologist as soon as possible for a through cardiac check up to know the actual causes of heart palpitations. Blackouts or near blackout condition due to heart fluttering should never be taken lightly. Even if eventually nothing wrong is found we should get in touch with our cardiologist as early as possible for an investigation into why heart feels fluttery in such situation.

Conclusion

In response to my concern about why my heart feels like its fluttering sometimes one important advice of my doctor is that, though in most cases, heart flutters are found to be harmless and often go away on their own, occasionally heart palpitation with increasing shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain or fainting can be a sign of serious underlying problem and it is wise for everybody to know from his doctor the real causes of his heart palpitation including the associated risks. Once you are aware about the causes why heart feels fluttery sometimes you will be able to get rid of unnecessary mental worries and it would be easier for you to take the right medical decision.