Exercise and Palps

[rasticle]

Hi,

I am 27/m in decent health.  I have hypertension and anxiety.  I must also mention I have had several holter monitors, event monitors, and an echocardiogram, becuase of my anxiety and palpitations.  I had a few incediental findings, like I get bradycardia while sleeping, down to 32 beats per min.  But all the doctors have said my findings are pretty normal for my age.  Except the hypertension, which I take an ACE inhibitor for.

My question to you all is; does exercising increase palpitations sometimes?  I notices that when I don't exercise for a few months or so I hardly ever get heart palps.  But when I start lifting weights and running at night I get palpitations really bad.  Its not while I'm exercising, but a few hours afterwards.  I do not get any pain in my chest, just mostly flip-flopping in my chest and I can feel my pulse in my neck, which really bothers me.  =(

Thanks,
Shawn

[rasticle]

The flip flopping is just I can feel it beating in my chest.  Sometimes I will wake up in the morning and I can feel it speed up and slow down quickly.  But one of my holter monitors showed that I get heart block, the benign type, while I am asleep.  That is what causes my bradycarida at nights and I think that explains why I can feel it skipping beats in the morning.

But I think that dquenzer is right, I just need to be more consistent and stop over working myself when I lift weights.  I am going to try an stay consistent with the weight lifting and see how the palpitations go.

Thanks for your feedback!

[xstalkrx]

Explain the flip flopping feeling that you are getting in more detail.  Does your heart speed up and quickly slow down...or can you simply feel your heart in your chest?  Explain that senstation more.

[dquenzer]

This is not uncommon to get palps after exercising.  It might be that you should reduce the intensity of your exercise and be more consistent.  You mentioned that after "a few months or so I hardly get heart palps.  But when I start lifting and running..."  Remember that your heart is a muscle.  When you stress it by exercise it will act up just like any other muscle.  So if you want to reduce palps after exercise then be consistent and don't overdo it.  The fact that you have anxiety also means that your body is living in a fight or flight mode.  When you start exercising that means more adrenalin to the heart.  That could also cause more palps.  By exercising more frequently you start reducing the adrenalin overload by your body creating other hormones that relax your body.

Consistency and moderation are the key things to remember and most likely you will eliminate the palps after exercise.