Heart palpitations are when a person is aware of their heartbeat, which can be slower or faster than usual. Tachycardia, when the heart beats more than 100 times per minute, and bradycardia, when it beats less than 60 times per minute, can cause adverse effects. Palpitations can be a warning sign of heart disease or other issues and should be examined by a doctor, especially if there is a family history of heart disease.
Heart palpitations are a general class used to identify any unusual awareness a person has of their heartbeat. This includes noticing that your heart is beating slower than usual, faster than usual, or with small intervals in its beat. This can also be used to describe, albeit less frequently, a heightened awareness of the normal heartbeat.
A normal heartbeat for an adult human is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Heart palpitations can occur if the heart beats more than 100 beats per minute, a condition known as tachycardia. Tachycardia causes the heart to use more oxygen to function and reduces its efficiency at pumping blood. Both of these problems can produce adverse effects, particularly if the condition persists.
Heart palpitations can also occur if the heart beats less than 60 times per minute, a phenomenon known as bradycardia. Bradycardia is generally rarer than tachycardia, although it is not uncommon among well-trained athletes. Because their hearts have been conditioned differently than that of the average person, athletes can often have a resting heart rate below 60 beats per minute, and unless accompanied by other symptoms, this shouldn’t be a reason of concern.
Palpitations that express themselves as irregular heartbeats are called fibrillations, and those that include an occasional extra heartbeat are called extrasystole. Atrial fibrillation is a very common heart arrhythmia, or heart irregularity, that increases with age. While there may not be any negative consequences, a fibrillation is always a reason to see a doctor.
Most people experience heart palpitations many times during their lives and often they are not serious at all. Any number of things can lead to an increase or decrease in heart rate, and even a slight irregularity can be nothing serious. They can also serve as great warning signs, however, for future problems caused by various forms of heart disease, an imbalance in an important electrolyte like potassium, a serious valve defect, or a problem with the body’s endocrine system. Most doctors recommend that heart palpitations be examined immediately, particularly if there is a family history of heart disease or heart irregularities.
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