Get Email Alerts
What Are Palpitations?
Palpitations (pal-pi-TA-shuns) are feelings that your heart is skipping a beat, fluttering, or beating too hard or too fast. You may have these feelings in your chest, throat, or neck. They can occur during activity or even when you're sitting still or lying down.
Overview
Many things can trigger palpitations, including:
- Strong emotions
- Vigorous physical activity
- Medicines such as diet pills and decongestants
- Caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and illegal drugs
- Certain medical conditions, such as thyroid disease or anemia
(uh-NEE-me-uh)
These factors can make the heart beat faster or stronger than usual, or they can cause premature (extra) heartbeats. In these situations, the heart is still working normally. Thus, these palpitations usually are harmless.
Some palpitations are symptoms of arrhythmias (ah-RITH-me-ahs). Arrhythmias are problems with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat.
Some arrhythmias are signs of heart conditions, such as heart attack, heart failure, heart valve disease, or heart muscle disease. However, less than half of the people who have palpitations have arrhythmias.
You can take steps to reduce or prevent palpitations. Try to avoid things that trigger them (such as stress and stimulants) and treat related medical conditions.
Outlook
Palpitations are very common. They usually aren't serious or harmful, but they can be bothersome. If you have them, your doctor can decide whether you need treatment or ongoing care.
Clinical trials are research studies that explore whether a medical strategy, treatment, or device is safe and effective for humans. To find clinical trials that are currently underway for Heart Palpitations, visit www.clinicaltrials.gov.
The NHLBI updates Health Topics articles on a biennial cycle based on a thorough review of research findings and new literature. The articles also are updated as needed if important new research is published. The date on each Health Topics article reflects when the content was originally posted or last revised.
Twitter
Facebook
YouTube