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Irregular heartbeat with exercise
Im a somewhat healthy 21 year old male, former smoker and drinker of 5 years. Ive noticed my heart skips a beat every now and then when laying in bed and resting, but when I do any kind of workout, like pullups for example, my heart will skip a beat maybe every 8 beats or so until I slow down. and the rate it goes at is strange too. It will be steady for the first few seconds after and then make dramatic changes slowing down, instead of slowing down at a steady rate. Like it will go from 80 bpm, 5 seconds later to 70 bpm, then back up to 80 and then suddenly back down to my resting rate, which is some times down in the 45-50 bpm range. The main question I have is that I thought exercise was GOOD for your heart, how come Im having so many negative heart problems when i do it. I feel fine until i workout THEN the heart starts skipping? Any ideas or similar problems? I have an appt with a cardiologist in november but thats a long time to be uneasy
Best Answer
In general in a healthy heart ectopic beats, pacs or pvcs are not considered dangerous. An ekg is a pretty useful tool to see how the heart is beating. It can give a fairly clear indication if a heart attack occurred but you may want to get an echo cardiogram to check the overall functioning of the heart. The fact that you have issues when you exercise might call for a stress test as well to see how your heart is responding to exertion. Overall exercise is very good for the heart but if you are noticing symptoms you might want to just ease up just a bit. How hard are you pushing? Maybe ease up on how hard you push, how long your run or how often you exercise a week to see if that helps. It just may be that your heart needs a little break. But overall it is most likely what you are experiencing won't be anything to worry about especially if you do not get overly troubling symptoms with your extra beats. But definitely go and get checked out to make sure all is good. It likely will be but it is best that a doctor signs off on that. Take care and keep us posted on how you are doing.
Well ive been seeing the cardiologist for a week now. Im getting checked for Brugada syndrome because some abnormalities on my ekg. Which is very scary. Im on a monitor now which I use to record symtoms when they happen. ive had to cut out most physical activities now, because when I do them I lose a little extra breath right as my heart skips beats. it skips about 5-6 beats as I cool down from an exercise, such as a jog or sexual activity. definitely scares me and i am very very fatigued afterward. Thank you everybody for your thoughts, I will keep you informed about any further results. But my best advice. if a doctor says its anxiety, get a second opinion.
I don't know that you need to stop exercising all together but slowing down is good or going by what feels right to you is the best choice. The one thing to keep in mind the heart is a very resilient muscle. It can handle a lot, push through and keep working though issues and simply beat on and on but because it is beating on and on all the time when things happen with it the healing process can be slow. So giving your heart a break in my opinion isn't a bad thing. I would also do what you can to reduce your stress. Stress is a big drain on the heart and the extra adrenaline we produce when we stress out makes the heart work harder. So just try and do your best to zen out as much as you can when you feel yourself stressing. I know easier said then done but it does help. But overall, just remember your heart is a very strong muscle and really can function quite well despite the odd way it beats sometimes. Well do keep me posted on how you are and how it goes with the cardiologist. Take care.
It sounds to me like you have two things going on here. You do have anxiety, which can promote heart arrhythmias. However lots of people have anxiety with no little more can be gained from this test. arrhythmias. Why is this? It's because people who already have a predisposition to arrhythmias are more likely to experience them if they are stressed out. Now, the thing about arrhythmias is that most of them are benign in nature. I would guess this is the case for you. However, it is definitely a good idea to go to a cardiologist and get checked out.
Now, here is the deal with EKG's. EKG's are a very effective tool, but like all effective things they do have their limitations. By producing a pair of normal EKG's you have demonstrated to your doctor that a number of different things are NOT wrong with your heart. However, unless you were actually having the arrhythmia while taking the EKG, which will last for roughly 8 seconds, we cannot know what type of arrhythmia you are having. That is a very crucial thing to know. Therefore, going with a Holter monitor or event monitor may be the best choice for you. It's like an EKG you wear all the time for a given period (up to 30 days in the case of event monitors) You can press a button when you feel your symptoms and then it records. This way the doctors can identify what is happening when you have your palpitations. The next step from there is determining why you have the arrhythmia they will identify on such a monitor. The reasons for having an arrhythmia are endless, but the good news for you is that the vast majority of the time the cause is “benign,” meaning it poses no immediate or long term threat to your mortality or quality of life beyond the psychological burden of experiencing them. Further good news lies in the fact that curative treatments for certain benign arrhythmias do exist.
The only cause for concern I can see is that you say your mom has some heart rhythm problems. If her situation is fairly harmless then this is not a concern but if you were to tell me your Mom has a more serious heart rhythm problem I might be worried that this is the case with you. So, I would ask your Mom to review with you exactly what all of her findings have been.
If you have any further questions you can message me and can talk to you about more the specifics of these sorts of situations. I am fairly knowledgeable regarding the heart. Otherwise, do realize that this is most likely not a major threat to you, so try your best to relax as that can often be a huge key in reducing symptoms. I’m a 21 year old male with anxiety and a lifelong history of benign heart rhythm problems, so I understand a lot of what you might be going through.
Now, here is the deal with EKG's. EKG's are a very effective tool, but like all effective things they do have their limitations. By producing a pair of normal EKG's you have demonstrated to your doctor that a number of different things are NOT wrong with your heart. However, unless you were actually having the arrhythmia while taking the EKG, which will last for roughly 8 seconds, we cannot know what type of arrhythmia you are having. That is a very crucial thing to know. Therefore, going with a Holter monitor or event monitor may be the best choice for you. It's like an EKG you wear all the time for a given period (up to 30 days in the case of event monitors) You can press a button when you feel your symptoms and then it records. This way the doctors can identify what is happening when you have your palpitations. The next step from there is determining why you have the arrhythmia they will identify on such a monitor. The reasons for having an arrhythmia are endless, but the good news for you is that the vast majority of the time the cause is “benign,” meaning it poses no immediate or long term threat to your mortality or quality of life beyond the psychological burden of experiencing them. Further good news lies in the fact that curative treatments for certain benign arrhythmias do exist.
The only cause for concern I can see is that you say your mom has some heart rhythm problems. If her situation is fairly harmless then this is not a concern but if you were to tell me your Mom has a more serious heart rhythm problem I might be worried that this is the case with you. So, I would ask your Mom to review with you exactly what all of her findings have been.
If you have any further questions you can message me and can talk to you about more the specifics of these sorts of situations. I am fairly knowledgeable regarding the heart. Otherwise, do realize that this is most likely not a major threat to you, so try your best to relax as that can often be a huge key in reducing symptoms. I’m a 21 year old male with anxiety and a lifelong history of benign heart rhythm problems, so I understand a lot of what you might be going through.
thank you, again any advice helps. I do have it in my head that its very likely just anxiety. which is why I want to see the specialist. to give peace of mind basically. Im praying thats what it is but who knows, thanks for the advice and yeah i was kinda thinking about that same method with the zoloft
"Also ive had 2 ekgs done 2 years apart and they were both identical and no problems. That's about the only heart test ive had done but ive also head that they aren't always effective??"
In fact, they are pretty darned effective. There is a TON of information about many aspects of your heart in a standard EKG. You would be amazed how quickly an experienced cardiac doc can spot any little thing that is unusual. These guys really are specialists.
I'd suggest believing them when they say your ticker is OK. They've actually studied this stuff for years, and they have no reason to blow you off. After all, a sick patient is income. If you were really sick, they'd welcome you with open arms.
Constantly checking your pulse is a dead giveaway for anxiety. When you think about it, it's not a sensible thing to do, for what information are you going to get? Just that the beat is irregular--and we already knew that, didn't we?. And if you couldn't feel a pulse at all, well, you're dead and it doesn't matter anymore. As I said, for ordinary people, we don't get any helpful information from pulse-feeling. It's more of a nervous habit, like picking at a scab.
I've taken zoloft on and off for years for panic disorder when it pops up. Like you, I was a little scared to give it a try at first, but finally I got so tired of obsessing inside myself instead of having a life that I went ahead and used the med. Never looked back, because it is so great to feel normal again. When I'm using Zoloft, two interesting things happen:
One is that I become less and less aware of the odd skippy beats. The second is that they actually *decrease* in number--probably because I have less adrenaline floating around in my system.
I suggest you give the Zoloft a solid one-month try (it takes that long to see the full effect) and do by 'sneaking up' on your dose. That's the way I did it, with my doctor's OK: Using a sharp knife, cut two pills into quarters, and take a quarter of a pill each day for about a week. You will probably notice almost nothing, because the dose is so low. Then, break four pills in half, and take a half each day for a week, and see how that feels. You will probably find that you are sleeping better and are much less aware of your tricky beats.
Finally, go back to the doc who prescribed the zoloft and tell him that you're having trouble. Usually these people will knock themselves out to help. He might give you a reference to a counselor who could work with you on what's called 'Cognitive Behavior Therapy,' which has repeatedly been shown to help a great deal when combined with medications like zoloft.
In fact, they are pretty darned effective. There is a TON of information about many aspects of your heart in a standard EKG. You would be amazed how quickly an experienced cardiac doc can spot any little thing that is unusual. These guys really are specialists.
I'd suggest believing them when they say your ticker is OK. They've actually studied this stuff for years, and they have no reason to blow you off. After all, a sick patient is income. If you were really sick, they'd welcome you with open arms.
Constantly checking your pulse is a dead giveaway for anxiety. When you think about it, it's not a sensible thing to do, for what information are you going to get? Just that the beat is irregular--and we already knew that, didn't we?. And if you couldn't feel a pulse at all, well, you're dead and it doesn't matter anymore. As I said, for ordinary people, we don't get any helpful information from pulse-feeling. It's more of a nervous habit, like picking at a scab.
I've taken zoloft on and off for years for panic disorder when it pops up. Like you, I was a little scared to give it a try at first, but finally I got so tired of obsessing inside myself instead of having a life that I went ahead and used the med. Never looked back, because it is so great to feel normal again. When I'm using Zoloft, two interesting things happen:
One is that I become less and less aware of the odd skippy beats. The second is that they actually *decrease* in number--probably because I have less adrenaline floating around in my system.
I suggest you give the Zoloft a solid one-month try (it takes that long to see the full effect) and do by 'sneaking up' on your dose. That's the way I did it, with my doctor's OK: Using a sharp knife, cut two pills into quarters, and take a quarter of a pill each day for about a week. You will probably notice almost nothing, because the dose is so low. Then, break four pills in half, and take a half each day for a week, and see how that feels. You will probably find that you are sleeping better and are much less aware of your tricky beats.
Finally, go back to the doc who prescribed the zoloft and tell him that you're having trouble. Usually these people will knock themselves out to help. He might give you a reference to a counselor who could work with you on what's called 'Cognitive Behavior Therapy,' which has repeatedly been shown to help a great deal when combined with medications like zoloft.
also im not rally exercising much these days because of this problem. basically nothing at all. I jog every now and again and excuse the language but I notice it also after sexual intercourse. the heart pounding and skipping can be felt without even touching my chest. other than the jogging ive stopped weight lifting and hard cardio just because of the sensations along with it
Thank you so much, that helps a lot! Will definitely make it easier getting to next month. I guess if If dealt with them for the lat 6 months or so another one isnt likely to be the last one haha good to know. The only really intense symptoms I get are like a lightheaded almost out of body feeling every great once in a while, the pains come and go and for the most part all the skipped beat does is scare me. thanks very much for your insight!
I do have insurance and its with the same cardiologist my mom has gone to. She also has An irregular beat, all the time though. That is just the earliest they can get me in unfortunatley
You maybe having very benign heart skips. It can be frustrating though when you are not taken seriously. Do you have health insurance that will allow you to go directly to a cardiologist? They will do a heart work up and beable to hopefully explain what you are feeling.
That should help ease some of your worries about the palps you are feeling.
That should help ease some of your worries about the palps you are feeling.
Also ive had 2 ekgs done 2 years apart and they were both identical and no problems. That's about the only heart test ive had done but ive also head that they aren't always effective?? Also have a history of anxiety "as diagnosed by my regular doctor and the ER" but that has all come from my worry some heart Abnormalities. Im constantly checking my pulse, having chest pains, what feels like "filtered" breathing at times and its all very troubling. Im afraid to even have couple beers at times thinking its going to slow my heart and kill me... Even afraid to take the zoloft prescribed to me, its all just a lot of stress from me feeling like I have a heart problem
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