Sudden Increase in Heart Rate, Sweating, Light headedness...

[kt150]

Just some basic information:  I am 20 years old, and I do not exercise regularly (which is about to change!)  I am 5'5" and around 140 pounds. According to my father, heart problems run through his side of the family.  According to my mother, high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes runs through her side of the family.  

Twice this has happened to me:

While just bending down to pick something up, I suddenly felt my body temperature rise, started sweating profusely, and my heart rate seemed to hit the roof!  I could hear/feel my heart pounding ridiculously fast.  I felt light headed, too.  I sat down and put my head between my knees and just focused on breathing.  After no more than two minutes, it all went away.  I was just left very sweaty and tired feeling.  About 5 minutes later after telling my mother about it, she checked my heart rate and said it was normal (I don't remember what it was.)  By then I felt perfectly fine.

The exact same thing happened to me about 4 months ago, but I just brushed it off.  Does anyone know what could be wrong with me?  I plan on going to the health center as soon as possible to just get checked.  These strange episodes are really scaring me.  =[

[patriciamor]

I'm a 61 y/o thin female, smoker. Today while shopping, I started having tunnel vision for a few seconds, then rapid heart beat followed by shortness of breath for about 5 minutes with upper chest pain for about 40 minutes. Anybody know what this is?
Pat

[vickie692]

i also have the same thing it started in my 20s and in in my mid 40s i see two heart specialist and they still have not found out what is wrong i   had a cath like surgery and it came back normal heart wouldn't go into what i was feeling i now have to wear a heart monitor for a month i thought i was the only one in the world going threw this but my half sister and daughter is also hope they can figure this out i will let you know once we do  

[JME89]

3 years ago I was feeling the EXACT same thing before I went to the doctor. He told me I was anemic and I had to be given a few iron shots and some supplements (I don't remember what they were). I also had an irregular menstrual cycle due to PCOS which is what caused the anemia in the first place. I had my period for about 3 weeks straight and I was already going on to the middle of my 4th week. It finally got so bad that I HAD to go to the doctor. I'm not afraid of needles or doctors or anything, I just hate going. I hope you feel better and get checked sooner than I did because iron shots are a pain in the ***...literally ;)

[dreamylicious]

This is like what has happened to me this morning!

After I woke up and got out of bed. Immediately, I experienced a racing heart and light-headedness. I couldn't do anything because I was also feeling very fatigued. After a few seconds, I started to sweat profoundly (both upper body and lower body, soaking my pyjamas) - I am never this sweaty even when I'm doing loads of exercise.

I had another episode of this a year earlier.

I would really appreciate if anyone can tell me the possible cause of this.

[Guswilliamr]

I get this sometimes, not even when I'm doing anything, I just had one and I'm sitting at my desk on my laptop. I'm suffering from anxiety at the moment, I have not seen a doctor yet, but was thinking about it, because it's really getting on my nerves. I am a smoker too, which I'm guessing has something to do with it.. Any adivse?

[jlg2]

I have had this same problem since I was about 8 or 9 years old, it has not gone away, and it does not happen all the time. I have worn a monitor and they found nothing, as no episode happened during the wearing of the monitor. I have notice that now my body temperature rises to extremes during these episodes. Enough to steam a small room in the summer. The sweating also prompts an urgent need to use the bathroom, and a need to cool off, as in removing clothing, and getting down low on the floor were it is cool. I have not found any answer, I hope that there is someone out there who is interested enough to investigate. I know of two or three others that have the same problem but only in the later half of their life. I am 59 now, so this has gone on a long time. There is no pain, but there is weakness in the body. The last time was only a couple of weeks ago, and I believe that a drink of acohol may have started it. Which is a first, as I rarely drink.