How to treat heart palpitations caused by anxiety?

If you’ve ever felt like your heart is skipping a beat or racing faster than Usain Bolt, you’re not alone. Heart palpitations are a common symptom of anxiety that can leave you feeling dizzy and panicked. The good news is that there are steps you can take to manage this pesky side effect of stress.

What Are Heart Palpitations?

Before we dive into how to treat heart palpitations caused by anxiety, let’s break down what they actually are. A heart palpitation is simply an irregular heartbeat – it could feel like your heart skipped a beat or had an extra one thrown in for good measure.

Common symptoms of heart palpitations include:

  • Fluttering in the chest
  • Racing or pounding heartbeat
  • Dizziness or lightheadedness
  • Shortness of breath

Why Does Anxiety Cause Heart Palpitations?

Anxiety triggers our fight-or-flight response, which floods our body with adrenaline and other stress hormones designed to help us respond quickly to danger. Unfortunately, sometimes our brain gets confused and thinks things like giving a presentation at work will lead to imminent death (it won’t). This leads to physical symptoms like rapid heartbeat and sweating as if there truly were something dangerous on the horizon.

The more stressed out we become over time, particularly when experiencing chronic stressors (like working long hours), the more likely we may experience these phony dangers as real ones – complete with racing hearts and frantic thoughts.

1) Breathe Deeply

No matter where you happen be when those darn palpitations hit — whether stuck in traffic or giving a big presentation — taking slow deep breaths can calm the central nervous system so much so that it slows down both breathing rate and heartbeat; thus significantly reducing feelings on anxiety.

Proper belly-breathing begins with placing one hand over your belly and watch it rise as you inhale; the more abdominal bloating, the better. On-exhale, simply count to four with pursed lips—this not only helps regulate breathing but also reduces potential for hyperventilating.

2) Exercise

Aside from lifting one’s mood by producing those happy endorphins, exercise is a key element when looking to reduce anxiety levels and prevent heart palpitations. Find something you enjoy: e.g., yoga classes or going on long walks outside work wonders!

Perhaps surprisingly is that studies have shown though acute exercise (a quick session of running sprints), can lead to an increase in racing thoughts (aka stress-fueled), consistent regular mild-moderate physical activity may actually have a protective effect against developing these obsessive- type symptoms due to anxiety over time.

3) Hydrate Well

Like we weren’t already drinking enough water- now this?! Dehydration coupled with caffeine intake can easily trigger anxious tendencies; ideally stick with hydrating sources like water/natural juices throughout day instead of reaching for sugary drinks topped off!!!

Caffeine will likely add fuel to the fire causing jittery feelings interfering with sleep quality exacerbating stress-inducing symptoms further down line — like adding gasoline trying to put out a fire right?

Remember; no evidence shows our modern society needs extra CaF support otherwise we might risk dependence 😉

4) Get Enough Sleep

We all know how critical consistency is in achieving sufficient deep REM cycles each night – adding irregularity into mix just increases chances of feeling fueled up on cortisol rather than rested upon waking. aim to get between six-eight hours of zzz’s per evening – no excuses!

Lack enough rest can seriously be detrimental towards overall well-being incl increasing likelihood experiencing panic attacks and other unpleasant symptoms such as increased sweating during especially tough meetings.

To ensure proper sleep:
– Stick to a routine sleep schedule
– Set up bedroom for optimal restful conditions, i.e., lower temperature (around 60-67 degrees), dimmed lights
– Reducing screen time in hour leading up to bed are essential keys towards building great habits and overall improved wellness.

5) Reduce Stressors In Your Life

While it may seem obvious, everyone has particular situations that increase feelings of anxiety or contribute recurrently causing excess stress. Identifying one’s personal triggers is the first step – only then can an action plan be crafted towards reducing impact on our emotional selves.

If your work always seems to put you over edge – evaluate prioritizations and determine whether actions taken throughout day reflect most important tasks getting done with maximum efficiency versus merely trying ‘to keep head above water’

Wrapping Up

Heart palpitations brought on by anxiety can feel pretty scary at times, but know there’s definitely hope! Reaching out toward adopting healthy practices like exercise & meditation takes dedication; Long-lasting benefits experienced: deeper sense calm even when facing stressful situations down road. With these tips under your belt though — hopefully symptoms will diminish enough you could even enjoy another cup of coffee as well while moving through day 🙂

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