Heart Palpitations during Jiujitsu training.

[philantropistrizon]

Hello,

I am 27 years old and i am very active in sports (to be specific JIU-JITSU) and i have noticed that i get very fast heart beats/palpitations during training. My palpitations most of the time occur during when my back get's slammed on the ground or i do some forward rolls and when i hold me breath while sparring. The palpipations causes me to hard to breath, there is a little pain (not that bothersome) on my heart area, i get light headed, and i feel very weak.

This problem has been bothering me for quite a while approximately maybe about 4 years already. It did not occur in my early years of doing jiujitsu. This palpitation occurred when i used to drank a lot of gatorade before training ever since i stopped after that. Time to time my palpitations occur especially when i stop to train for a few months and gain some weight and when i go back it comes back again but it goes away after a consecutive weeks of training.

I understand that caffeine is also a major contributor for palpitations and yes drink coffee everyday because of work. I currently working on that aspect.

My concern is, is this normal? Aside from the factors that i just stated that i needed to avoid, is there any ways to cure this?

Please help me!

Thanks!

[MichelleP_3811]

A very fast heart beat and palpitations can actually be two different things.  Many times simple palpitations are caused by premature or extra beats.  In an otherwise healthy heart they are not a threat but you should have your heart evaluated to be sure it is working properly.  As for the fast beat that can be a neurological response or it could be something fixable, an svt caused by some extra muscle fibers in the heart causing the signal to loop on itself.  If this is occurring in the atria it isn't a real concern for the doctors and you may take a wait and see approach to see if it gets worse as you age, meaning you have more and longer episodes.  A tell tale sign of this type of arrhythmia issue would be that the very fast beat feels like it starts and stops in one beat.  if not then it may simply be a sensitive nervous system and avoiding things like caffeine and energy drinks may be a enough to stop it.  Staying well hydrated when you are working out is also a good idea.  An electrolyte drink may be best if you are sweating a lot but if you seem to have more issues with Gatorade then it is possible too much sugar is a problem for you so try the sugar free kind or a different brand.  In any event, if  you feel this is of concern do not hesitate to consult with your doctor so they can evaluate your heart and know for sure if there should be any concern.  Take care.