Everyone heart beats faster when they dash for a bus or swerve out of the way of an oncoming car, jumping to well over 100 beats a minute compared to its normal average of 60 to 80 beats or so. But if your heart simply starts zipping along without any apparent provocation, you may have tachycardia, a scary condition in which the heart temporarily races at a faster than normal pace. The whole episode may last only a few seconds, but for women with tachycardia, the fast beats are quite noticeable.
Here’s what happens; although the heart has a tiny group of cells that normally generate electrical signals to maintain the heart’s rhythm, any part of the heart can generate these fast beats. While temporary episodes of tachycardia aren’t necessarily dangerous in themselves, in some people they could be a sign of heart disease, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy (an abnormality of heart muscle) or even damaged heart valves. In many people, particularly those with no heart disease, tachycardia is often harmless in that it is unlikely to lead to a heart attack.
For most people tachycardia is nothing to get upset about. Anxious people can often get benign harmless tachycardia, So can people who experience panic attacks a frightening occurrence in which the individual’s heartbeat accelerates for no known reason and they experience a sense of impending doom.
Though all tachycardia should be evaluated by a doctor, here’s what experts suggest you do if it’s not related to serious problems. As soon as your heart starts to race, tighten your stomach muscles, also a cardiologist. That will cause your abdominal muscles to put pressure on a group of nerves that will tell your heart’s electrical system to slow down. Take a deep, long breath and slowly let it out, because sometimes relaxation is all it takes to stop tachycardia. And deep breathing is frequently one of the fastest ways to relax. Anything that speeds up the heart caffeine and cigarettes, for example can trigger a rapid heartbeat. So commonsense says that if you’re prone to tachycardia, you should avoid any substance that might give your heart an extra kick. If your heart starts to race without any apparent reason, don’t ignore the symptoms. Have it checked out, particularly if a racing heartbeat.
You need to see your doctor when is accompanied by weakness light headness or shortness of breath, and returns again and again, as opposed to occurring as an isolated episode.
