Is This Something I Should Worry About

[PanicSufferer]

My resting heart rate isn't a steady, rhythmic thing. If I listen to it for a while, it will take a VERY short pause between one beat and the next. Not even a full skipped beat, just a little pause. Also, my resting heart rate basically changes every week. Sometimes, it's as slow as 50. Other times, it's as high as 120. It's really weird. I'm ONLY measuring this when my panic isn't kicked in. I know anxiety can make your heart kind of crazy (palpitations, fluttering, etc.) so I only measure when I'm calm. Should I be worried?

[is_something_wrong]

No problem. It's nice that you feel reassured:)
Thanks for the comment on my English, by the way!

[PanicSufferer]

Thank you for your help, guys. It reassured me about everything. And yeah, I totally forgot to mention the sped up heart rate when I inhale, that's probably important. I'll try to stop worrying about it. Thanks again!

PS Your English is fine ;)

[is_something_wrong]

Hi,

I have similar symptoms.

I would guess this may have 3 causes, and all three are completely benign.

When you are checking your heart rate, especially if you are somewhat worried, you will release some adrenaline or just activating your sympatethic nerve system. This can cause short increases in heart rate. Some people (including me) can get a short trigger of sympatethic activity from swallowing, which will increase my HR for 4-5 beats.

Another explaination may simply be a PAC (premature atrial contraction). These extra beats originating from the heart's upper chamber may manifest in different ways, depending on how premature the beat is, and vary from completely skipped beat (if the beat is so premature that it doesn't generate a pulse wave) to be percieved as a double beat, with a very short pause. PVCs, on the other hand, is most often percieved as a completely skipped beat, due to the fact that the whole heart doesn't beat, and ventricles are activated slower.

The third explaination may be sinus arrhythmia, that your heart speeds up when inhaling and slows on expiration. Everyone may experience this from time to time, and it's a sign of good cardiac health.

Your variable heart rate is nothing to worry about. It depends on your nerve system and parasympatethic/sympatethic activity. Also, when you are experiencing anxiety, this system can be somewhat imbalanced. I can feel somewhat anxious and have a heart rate in the 50s, or feel relatively calm with heart rate in the 100s. After an anxious period, the parasympatethic system (the "brake") can overcompensate some (in my experience) and cause light bradycardia. It's actually a healthy sign, that your body responds as it should do.

Try to forget your heart rate (it's easier said than done, I would know that by now..) and its almost incredible what anxiety can do to your heart rate and what it can cause of "cardiac symptoms".

Good luck, and apologies for somewhat poor English:)

[Mom2four85]

You'll find over time that our hearts adjust to different things quite easily and jump around all the time, thats what's so amazing about it and why we need to keep it healthy.

Everyone has skipped or delayed beats even extra beats every so often, there is no perfect state of the norm for hearts.  Anxiety & stress can make your adrenaline rush and give you that high hr and then we get in this viscious cycle of worrying over it and then it shoots up again , rinse repeat and start over.

Unless you have other symptoms, try to relax and find a way not to panic or worry over it.