Abnormal Heart Rhythm Symptoms

When the electrical impulses that control the rate of your heartbeat are interrupted, the heart will begin to beat either too fast or too slow. The irregular beat will cause the heart to falter in its job of regulating oxygen and blood flow. You are suffering a heart arrhythmia.

Palpitations

• The human heart beats between 50 and 100 times a second. When an abnormal heartbeat is present, the patient might experience heart palpitations. A heart palpitation is a skipped beat that usually feels like a fluttering in the heartbeat.

Dizziness

• Patients suffering from a heart arrhythmia can feel sudden bouts of dizziness or light-headedness because the irregular heartbeats keep oxygen from getting to the brain.

Loss of Breath

• When the heart flutters and misses beats, heart arrhythmia sufferers will report a shortness of breath due to blood circulation problems caused by the irregular beats.

Chest Constriction

• Chest constriction and tightness in the chest is recorded as a symptom of heart arrhythmia sufferers. This symptom can often coincide with shortness of breath, because the body's response to tightening in the chest is wheezing and gasping to try to bring in extra air to relieve the pressure.

Fainting, Weakness and Fatigue

• During an arrhythmic episode, a person might faint due to the lack of oxygen getting to the brain. The brain's oxygen supply is interrupted by the irregular heartbeats. Weakness and feelings of fatigue are also symptoms of an irregular heartbeat. Both of these symptoms are due to the disruption of oxygen flow in the body.

Warning

• Not all people experiencing irregular heartbeats will show symptoms. Irregular heartbeats can be found during routine doctor visits or hospital tests.