Anxiety heartbeat

[Jeroen]

Hello

I have a question about my heartbeat and anxiety ..

Is it possible to have a strong heartbeat, that i can see beating in my chest? Or in my stomach? When I wake up im fine, i can see still beat in my stomach, but not in my chest .. When i walk the stairs i can see it beat very strong in my chest .. And I'm not thin.

And I'm only 20 years old.

My dad died a year ago on a heart attack, and a few months later i had a few panic attacks .. I was thinking i had a heart attack aswell .. But the last few months I was ok, no panic attacks anymore, but I still have a very strong heartbeat .. Even if I'm not in panic, is it normal?

I'm still checking my heartbeat a few times a day, but i dont panic anymore (atleast I think I don't) .. Anxiety or something else?

Sorry for the bad english.

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

Anxiety is basicly an overreaction of your mind and body. Without anxiety you would not be aware of that strong heartbeat since you would not paying attention to it. Since you dad died from an heart attack it i understand your fear of having cardiovascular problems but since you do a lot of sports, which is really good for your heart' you heartbeat at rest should be lower because your heart is pumping blood more efficiency. So maybe it my beat stronger because the heart is a muscle and a well trained muscle will be stronger but i think you are in perfect condition.

Since i'm not a doctor i would suggest you see a doctor and do some testing to rule out cardiovascular conditions. That will ease your mind and you will be less worried about doing intense cardio action.

Best regards,
M4

[Jeroen]

Oh and I still do a lot of sports (10 hours a week) .. And I'm fine, no chest pain or something else. But my heart still beats very strong if i'm working out, or play football .. I can see it beat trough my shirt.