How long after consuming a "trigger" food do you notice PVCs?

[murf87]

Hi folks, I'm new to this site and please forgive me if there are threads or existing forums on this. My main question is at the bottom, with a brief description of my situation below (apologies for the longwindedness!).

Basically I have been trying to determine exactly how and when my PVCs are caused by, such as lack of sleep, over training (I'm a Personal Trainer so quite active), stress (I have had issues before with anxiety - General Anxiety Disorder, but I have a very good grasp on that now) and last but not least...food triggers.

When I worked in my old job I worked very long hours, had huge amounts of stress, ate unhealthily and probably didn't rest and relax as much as I needed. I was getting PVCs daily. Now I live a much healthier lifestyle and over a period of about 3-4 months my heart palpitations dramatically reduced to the point where I completely forgot about them.

Recently I have been noticing more PVCs intermittently for small periods like up to 5 or maybe 10 minutes, maybe every few days. I have been to the doc before for the regular heart checks like ECG & ultrasound and had no issues, so I am perfectly calm with them occuring - I just am trying to figure out what foods can cause them. I know it is different for everyone which brings me to my main question below:

When you eat a trigger food how long is it before you notice the palpitations/PVCs?

Is it within minutes or more like an hour or two after eating? Could a certain food or drink trigger it later in the day hours later? I think this will greatly help me pinpoint the food groups that may be causing this recurrence in my PVCs, although I am not really eating much different than I have been over the last 6 months.

Many thanks!

[murf87]

Thanks Michelle!

Thats a real help seeing how long it takes before they kick in for you. I was sort of imagining the 0-60 mins time frame for PVCs to kick in after eating a trigger food.

I have not had any instances where they have occured immediately after eating recently but I will be more vigilant in case they do and record everything.

Thanks for the info on what foods also set you off, thats an interesting one about foods higher in carbohydrate content. Would they be foods higher in glycemic index too?

I completely agree with stress and emotional unrest helping cause them. I think the over exerting yourself instances would be from being a little fatigued and just a bit more run down causing them also?

Thanks again!

[murf87]

Thanks very much for your reply Quantav! It's good that you have seen a reduction in your PVCs due to exercise and diet improvements. One thing I took out of my diet pretty early was caffeine. I cut down on it hugely but still drank white tea, and have now cut it out completely except for the odd bit of white chocolate (my downfall!). Chocolate doesnt give me any PVCs though thankfully. If you are looking for a non caffeinated hot drink I highly recommend Rooibos tea. Its really nice, no caffeine and super healthy with lots of antioxidants!!

On the alcohol front I do like a few beers now and again, these dont seem to set me off, but if I were to have a heavy night like I used to drinking lots of sugar as mixers for spirits (which I dont do anymore) I would be in a heap the next day! Keeping really hydrated helps me also, as I think it helps stave off fatigue which along with stress I believe are the most contributing factors to the PVCs.

[MichelleP_3811]

For me it is usually within a half hour after eating that I get them or right away.  Generally foods high in carbohydrates and sugars are big as well as cold foods like ice cream can be a big trigger.  If I eat spicy foods and get acid reflux in the middle of the night that will for sure trigger them.  I tend to get them more the more I work out so I think over exerting myself can have a factor.  As well if I stress or get upset they can jump in as well.  

[Quantav]

Hi, glad to see that you're doing well ignoring the benign pvcs.  I too have them and used to get a jolt of adrenalin that would send me into a panic.  Now 6 months after going for 60 minute walks 5 days a week I don't panic as much.  The occurrences have dropped substantially.  They haven't gone away but they're ALOT less and less noticeable.  As you mention I think being active and slowly working up to a moderate exercise routine is the best way to 'cure' it.  If i try to get up and sprint from a sitting position I can generate pvcs like crazy.  My goal is to eventually make that go away too.

About your food thing I agree that food can cause pvcs and for me the effects of caffeine are felt within an hour.  If i have a grande black coffee from starbucks I'll feel the effects for several hours after and will notice within the first hour starting with one or two and working up to several a minute.  A glass of red wine (cabernet or malbec) decreases the frequency - perhaps I just don't pay attention to them.  One time an hour after two glasses of wine I got up and started dancing vigorously to music with my kids.  I didn't feel any arrythmias or palpitations and after checking with a heart rate monitor I saw my HR had reached 180bpm!  I was only very slightly out of breath. So wine seems to give me confidence and elminates the pvcs or perhaps the sensation of pvcs.  The problem is after the wine wears off...the pvcs and anxiety about them returns with a vengeance.  This can last into the next day depending on if I've had more than two glasses in which case it'll last in severity even into two days after.  For this reason I don't drink wine or caffeine anymore.