Racing heart

[Carston4]

I have had a few episodes of a racing heart. Usually goes to about 135-138 bpm for anywhere feom 10 seconds to 1 minute then it stops. I did wear a 48 hour holter monitor but results are not back yet. I do have stress and anxiety:( when i wore the holter i did have episodes, and when i look at my log i was researching or thinking about heart issues when these happened. Could these be from anxiety ? Or is it something else? Fyi- i have not had any episodes since i took off the monitor. Thanks:)

[marlinspike]

Hi Carston. The doctors don't seem to look at responses once they have answered a question. As I understand it though, short and infrequent spells of svt are not a problem or danger. I would certainly ask your Dr if she feels they are anything to be concerned about and obviously go back if they become longer or occur more often. There are some good answers on svt on the All Experts Cardiology site if you feel you need further reassurance. From my reading of heart info I get the impression that svt is quite a common finding. I get PVCs myself, which can be scary, but I can see how a racing heart rate would be frightening. Best wishes.

[Carston4]

So i just heard from the dr and she said it is svt. My highest was 140 bpm and longest episode was just over a minute. She did not seem concerned. Anyone?

[CCFHeartMD29]

Thanks for this great question.  There can be many reasons you may have a "racing heart".  Usually, this sensation is due to "tachycardia", or when your heart rate goes faster than 100 beats/min.  Most often, this is appropriate, and due to a stressful response your body is going through.  This may be exercise, fear, or anxiety.  So, anxiety may be a cause of your intermittent tachycardia.  Other reasons may be due to in an inappropriate tachycardia, or an arrhythmia.  The fact that these are short lived episodes and infrequent are reassuring signs, however, only your doctor can fully determine the nature of these events.  This may be a serious symptom, and you should be evaluated by a doctor as soon as you can to determine what the issue is.

I hope this was helpful.  Very best wishes.

[marlinspike]

Anxiety can definitely make your heart race - in fact it's a classic symptom of panic or anxiety. It's good that they will have caught the fast spells on the monitor. I would just wait for the results - occasional fast heart rate is very common and doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem. There is lots of free relaxation stuff on the web - look up free guided meditation on You Tube, or try the free Insight timer app. I use them to help me relax. Let us know your results.