fast heartbeat

  Dear Dr.:
  For the past few months, I've had a problems with my heart rate racing for no apparent reason.  It happens when I'm going about my daily activities and it happens especially at night.  I generally sleep for 3 to 4 hour periods and awake with my heart racing and feeling cold, regardless of the temperature in the room.  Once, an area on my leg was cold and it had been covered by a sheet and blanket.  Sometimes, I feel congested in my chest. I'm not in any pain, ocassionally a headache, or pain in my arm, but I'm getting afraid to go to sleep at night for fear that I'll have a stroke or heart attack and not wake up. Throughout the day I am not as aware of my heart rate as much, but at times I feel it speed up and can hear my heart beat.  I'm a 43 year old female, no previous heart problems, no hypertension, sedentary, about 30 lbs overweight, cholesterol (289), and had thyroid checked out--it's okay.  Any suggestions you have would be appreciated.

[CCF CARDIO MD APS]

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Dear Brenda,
My advice is go see a doctor, preferably a general internist or a cardiologist, since
not only does the irregular heart beats need investigation, but also with a cholesterol
like that, and the sedentary lifestyle you are at significant risk for heart disease in the next decade or so;
as well your being overweight puts you at risk for diabetes.
A holter monitor is a 24hour continuous recording of your heart rhythm that will
likely show the doctor what exactly your heart rhythm is while you are experiencing these "tachycardias".
It may be benign extra beats and it could be a fast beating of your heart, both of which are treatable.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for
general purposes only. Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies.
Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck!
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please
call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at
www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the
cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your
cardiac problem.

[Billuk]

A related discussion, Constant fast heart rate was started.