In times of great stress, after a strenuous workout or even after a big, rich meal, you may feel panicky, with a racing heart that pounds so loudly your ears you swear your friends can hear it. What should you do? Call 911? Breathe deeply and try to calm down?

Heart palpitations can be frightening and arise from seemingly nowhere. But how do you know if they're the byproducts of stress or lifestyle choices or something more serious?

Heart Palpitations; When to Call the Doctor

A heart palpitation is a sensation that your heart has skipped or added beats, or a feeling that you are experiencing irregular or erratic heartbeats. It can feel as if your heart is pounding, racing or fluttering. At times, you may feel these symptoms in the neck, throat or chest. Most palpitations are harmless and resolve on their own but if they don’t…

Seek immediate medical attention if you encounter the following signs – these are symptoms of a more serious heart condition. They are dizziness or lightheadedness; fainting; confusion; breathing difficulty; profuse perspiration; pain in the arms, neck, chest, upper back or jaw; or having a resting pulse rate of more than 100.

If, after medical tests, the doctor cannot find any tangible reason for your heart palpitations, you probably will be told to relax more and that stress can cause heartbeat irregularities.

In fact, stress and anxiety are one of the most common causes of heart palpitations. Unless you are ready to deal with anxiety and calm down, what may happen to you is that you focus on the palpitations, which probably make them worse and will tie you up in a negative feedback cycle.


Contributing Factors of a Racing Heart

Some of the factors that can contribute to a racing, fluttering heart that sends out uncomfortable signals through your chest and into your head include: dehydration; hormonal changes including pregnancy; overactive thyroid; low levels of oxygen or carbon dioxide; caffeine; nicotine; stress; shock; fever; blood loss; low blood sugar; anemia; strenuous exercise; and anxiety, fear or panic. Medications like over-the-counter cold and cough meds, nutritional and herbal supplements, prescriptions such as asthma inhalers, decongestants and beta blockers may be to blame as well. Illegal drugs like amphetamines and cocaine will drive up your heart rate as well.

One great way to stop heart palpitations is never to get them in the first place. But for most people, these little heart bumps are an inconvenience and nothing serious. We all experience a pounding heart while we wait to hear about the birth of a baby or while exchanging marriage vows. That’s normal. But there are probably other times when you don't want to deal with that fluttering, racing feeling in your heart, so here are some things that may help you in those uneasy times.

1. Try the Valsalva maneuver. The vagus nerve, which is the 10th pair of nerves in the spinal column, stretches from the brainstem to the abdomen and is involved with the actions of organs such as the heart, lungs and esophagus. Ideally, it keeps the heart rate constant and controls food digestion. The thought is that by stimulating the vagus nerve, it will “reset” the nerve impulses of the heart back to normal.

To stimulate this nerve, hold your nose closed, then close your mouth and keep it closed. Now try to blow hard without letting any air out. Another way to stimulate the nerve is to make a fist and blow into it like you are blowing up a balloon. If done correctly, relief should be immediate.

Another similar exercise is to bear down, which means to clench your stomach muscles as if you are going to the bathroom. The principle is the same in all cases -- putting pressure on the vagus nerve to kick it back to normal rates.


Coughing has also been known to stop heart palpitations. So if you can make yourself cough, you may be able to restore your regular beats on your own. Warning, this method doesn’t work for some.   

2. Cold water. Some swear by this method. Splash some cold water on your face or take a cold shower. The shock of the cold against your skin helps restore regular heartbeats. Gulping cold water, and yes, specifically, you have to “gulp” the water, also seems to help because of that shock factor. 

3. You, holding onto that coffee cup, sipping away at that wonderful wake-up elixir. Ever experience a a fluttering heart and a slightly nervous disposition? Caffeine is one of the most common causes of heart palpitations and is prevalent in our soft drinks and teas, as well as coffee.

Green, white and black teas all have caffeine, and so do many prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications like analgesics. Chocolate has caffeine in it, and nicotine, found in cigarettes, is also a stimulant. If you want to cut out the some of the causes of heart palpitations, eliminating caffeine from your diet may be the most sensible, but somewhat difficult, thing to do for yourself.

Avoid nutritional or diet supplements with Ma Huang or ephedra in it. Both can increase your heartbeat speed sharply, leading to palpitations, sometimes with serious consequences.

And don’t use illegal drugs like amphetamines, methamphetamines and cocaine. They all work your heart extra hard.

4. Practice deep breathing exercises. This is a proven way to reduce anxiety, slow heart rate and lessen palpitations. Yoga, meditation, tai chi, aromatherapy, biofeedback and guided imagery were helpful also.
   

5. Recognize anxiety and the “fight-or-flight” response in yourself and do something to eradicate it or deal with it healthfully. When your body is tells you that you either have to “fight” or get out of the situation, there is a danger of hormones and other nutrients getting out of whack. Because this response releases adrenaline – which affects your heart rhythms -- over the long-term, this behavior could hurt you. Exercise could be a big help in this case. Working off “nervous” energy may keep your heart healthy.

So if you are a victim of seemingly random bouts of heart palpitations, try some of these tips. One of these suggestions is bound to help you get rid of that unpleasant sensation of a racing heart.