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What Is it Called When Your Heart Skips a Beat?

When your heart skips a beat, it is called a heart palpitation. It is normally harmless if it occurs occasionally. There are symptoms and treatments you should be aware of when determining the causes of your heart skipping a beat.

  1. Definition

    • According to the Mayo Clinic, heart palpitations are feelings of fast heartbeats, skipped heartbeats, heavy heartbeats or a fluttering feeling. They are normally not harmful, as your heart is still pumping blood effectively. If this feeling continues, you may be experiencing a different heart condition.

    Symptoms

    • The feeling of your heart beating too fast is a common symptom for a heart palpitation. Also, a heavy and hard heartbeat can be an indication of a palpitation. If you feel like your heart skipped a beat, this could also be a heart palpitation, as long as it does not happen often.

    Causes

    • Palpitations can occur for many different reasons. Some common triggers of heart palpitations are exercise, stress, trauma, sickness, caffeine, an overactive thyroid and certain types of medications. They can happen at any time, while you are resting, sitting or standing. You may feel them in your chest, throat or neck.

    Home Treatment

    • Reducing triggers can help lessen the occurrence of your heart palpitations. Try doing relaxing activities or breathing exercises to decrease your stress and anxiety. According to National Institute of Health, reducing caffeine in your diet can greatly reduce heart palpitations. If you are experiencing heart palpitations often and are concerned, keep a record of when you have one, describing the feeling and duration of each. Then, you can use this information when you talk with your health care provider.

    Confusion

    • Some people may confuse arrhythmias with heart palpitations or vice versa. You should know that heart palpitations are an occasional occurrence. You should consult a doctor if these sensations do not go away. This could be a sign of a more serious heart condition like an arrhythmia. Arrhythmias are irregular heartbeats that can be an indication of your heart not pumping blood effectively and should be taken seriously.

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