Why does my heart skip a beat?

Question

My heart seems like it stops for a slight moment then restarts. It use to happen rarely like when was I running a mile or exercising. Recently it seems like it has been happening every 5 minutes or so. I also found out that my dad has a heart murmur(not sure if that is the correct term, but it is something about his heart beating strangely) I'm only 15 by the way....

Answer 1

It just happens occasionally. I have an ectopic site on my heart and I get those misfires as well. Nothing deadly but I did go get it checked out when I was 16 and again at 23 and 25.
It makes it worse once you realize it is there. You start focusing on your heartbeat and by stressing out about it you create another series of flutters.
You're 15 and you will be fine. I went through the same barrage of tests. I'm now 32 and going to get a surgery to stop it later this fall. No doctor would even treat it for me till I was older.
Still go see a Dr if you want, watch those nasty prescriptions they will want to try to give you.....many require you to take them for life. (I refused and glad I did)
Honestly though, stop thinking about it and don't panic. It's considered normal anymore.

Answer 2

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Answer 3

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Answer 4

Hey, people voting for heart murmur here, you're probably all wrong unless you're cardiologists or nurses and know what you're talking about. Heart murmurs are not usually the CAUSES of skipped beats.

First off, heart murmurs are pretty common, many people (and many more women than men) have them and live perfectly long, happy lives.

Second, the skipped beats: I've had these for the past 10 years or so. You most likely are having what's called PVCs, or "pre-ventricular contractions" in which the wiring of the heart jumps the wrong direction, but then quickly resets itself.

You could also have a more serious heart condition, so DEFINITELY you should go to a dcotor. But PVCs fit onto Occam's Razor very nicely, since they're common and ity's the simplest explanation.

A common cause of PVCs is caffeine sensitivity. If this turns out to be true in your case, you can either lay off the caffeine, or do what I do: continue to enjoy caffeine and suffer a PVC now and then. My cardiologist said I had nothing to worry about if I decided to do this.

But please see a cardiologist to be sure. Good luck!

Answer 5

Talk to your parents and ask them to take you to the doctor. It might be something harmless, but it might not. If your dad has a heart murmer, you might too. But you might have something else, too. It will be better for you to get tested at a doctor's office (a cardiologist or heart doctor would be best) to find out what is going on. They might listen to your heart, do some short tests (ECG or EKG), ultrasound, etc., in the doctor's office. None of these tests hurt, some are actually kind of cool (you can see pictures of your heart with an ultrasound) and you have nothing to be afraid of at the doctor's office. I know what you are going through. I was 17 years old when my heart started to skip beats, then beat faster than a rat heart (way too fast to count the beats). I was embarrassed to tell my parents and I was scared to find out if something was wrong because I didn't know what would happen. I finally almost passed out because my heart was beating so fast the blood couldn't get through it and I told my parents. I found out that I had a heart murmer (just like my dad) that was harmless (some are not harmless, by the way). I also found out that I had a disorder called Wolfe-Parkinson-White syndrome. What was happening was that right next to the normal pacemaker (the electrical part of your heart that makes it beat), there was a 2nd electrical current that was overriding the signals of the 1st one and making it beat faster. I chose to get surgery, rather than go on drugs for the rest of my life, and it was a really good decision. The surgery went well and didn't even hurt (the doctors went into my heart through my veins instead of open-heart surgery...lots of heart surgeries are done this way now). I still have a heart murmer (13 years later), but it is harmless, so it doesn't bother me. So, my best advice to you, kiddo, is to go see the doctor. They are usually really nice and always want to help you. If nothing is wrong or if it is just something harmless, you will be so relieved and not worried or scared any more! If something is wrong, your doctor will help you find out what is wrong exactly and what choices you and your family have to help make your heart the healthiest it can be. Also, if something is wrong, remember that it isn't the end of the world. You will be OK, your family will always love you and it will make you a stronger person, which you will be grateful for when you get older. I wish you the best of luck!!!

Answer 6

One major cause of irregular heartbeat is called Atrial Valve Prolapse. It is cause by an asynchronization in the valves that allow blood to enter the aorta. In laymans terms, you have 3 little flaps in the main artery where blood enters the heart. These valves open and close with the rhythm of the heart. One of these valves may simply be out of sync with the other two. It is commonly the outermost valve. This causes the heart to pump dry for a beat or two. It is made worse by stress and strenuous activities. For your health's sake, consult your family doctor, so that he can arrange some non-evasive tests that will help to diagnose what the problem may be. In General, you'd much sooner have an issue with other parts of your heart before this would cause any problems.

Answer 7

My heart does that almost everyday. I have Mitral Valve Prolapse. My cardiologist says that my heart skips due to Premature Ventricular Contractions. They're early heart beats, and nothing to be concerned about. They're normal. They simply occur when your heart triggers a beat too early, which briefly interupts the heart's normal rhythm. That's why your heart briefly pauses. Avoid caffeine, high sugar, tobacco, and alcohol. They will only make your problem worse, as they do me.

Answer 8

yeah that happened to me, i would get one once inawhile and then all of a sudden one day i was getting like 5-10 a minute and i freaked out thinking i was going to have a heart attack (this happened when i was 19, im 21 now), and now they come and go in cycles every few weeks; ill go a few weeks with hardly any then i get an episode that can last minutes to several days where i get quite a few.

anyway, i got evaluated by a cardiologist and was diagnosed with PVCs (premature ventricular contractions). theyre harmless but scary (i know i didnt trust the doc at first and questioned that feeling your heart stop is "harmless" for awhile but you get use to it) and very annoying.

you probably have the same thing (ive read about 10% of people has this), but sometimes palpitations can be a sign of a heart or other problems so you should go see a doctor to make sure you dont have something more serious wrong with you, but like i said most likely they wont hurt you so try not to fret about them too much. lots of times they are caused by stress, anxiety, lack of sleep, or too much caffeine/other drugs that hype you up so try to eliminate those factors if you can. doctor can give you a beta blocker as well if they are really bothering you which help to reduce them in a lot of people, didnt help me much but ive heard other people on the internet and in real life say beta blockers greatly reduce their's.

the heart forums at http://www.medhelp.org are a good resource, you can see how other people deal with them. do a little research on them, and see if you can figure out what youre doing that is triggering them (like not getting enough sleep, drinking alcohol, drinking caffeine, caffeine withdrawl, stress, etc.) and keep a log, maybe you can pinpoint what is causing them. some people have had luck doing that, personally mine just seem to be random i cant figure out what triggers them, my cardio blamed anxiety but i dont consider myself an anxious person.

so go get checked out just to make sure they are in fact harmless, and in the mean time try to relax and not worry about them, obsessing over them just makes your heart act up more

Answer 9

If you are a natural person you should try cognitive behavioral therapy. It was the only thing that has helped me with my horrible health anxiety. Read here https://tr.im/fkcFK

Your thinking determines your quality of life. Your thinking is what causes you these feelings:

Anxious, fearful, stressed or depressed
Constantly worried, or angry about something that is happening in your life
Struggling to overcome obsessive and negative thoughts.

If you change your thinking, you will change your life. This is the basic idea behind CBT for anxiety. The Cognitive part is where you learn nee methods and ways to change your same old habits and thinking patterns. If you keep thinking and expecting the worst – You will continue to suffer.

Answer 10

Actually your heart is not skipping a beat..What you are feeling is called a premature beat.The heart has it's nature pacemaker ( SA node ) but any part of the myocardium tissue has the ability to pace the heart ( kind of like a back up pacer ) sometimes these back up pacers fire on there own, bypassing the SA nodes pacing.They are referred to as ectopic beats. Depending on what area of the heart the ectopic beat originates is how we can classify what type. for instance if it originates in the atrium it's a (PAC) PREMATURE ATRIAL CONTRACTION or a (SVE) SUPRAVENTRICULA ECTOPY meaning coming from above the ventricle or a (PVC) PREMATURE VENTRICULAR CONTRACTION and last but not least a (PJC) PREMATURE JUNCTIONAL CONTRACTION coming from likely the AV node or somewhere in the middle of the heart.This kind of activity of the heart is very common and mostly unharmful.But have it checked out to be sure.