Does anyone know what causes irregular heartbeat?

Question

I had a bit of a scare this morning and my heart was very irregular for about 2-3 minutes. I was admitted to hospital for a few hours for an ECG but everything turned out fine but not conclusive. I've had slight murmurs now and again over the past few weeks but nothing like this morning and it scared me. I don't drink regularly, smoke, take drugs (aren't I boring?!) and eat pretty healthily and I'm only 31. The doctors said they've done tests for thyroid problems which will take a few days to come through and if not I may need medication to make my heartbeat regular. Just wondered if any professionals out there have any further advice on what will happen if it is my thyroid or ways to prevent it happening anymore? Many thanks.

P.S. Thanks so far guys. I'm feeling a bit more relaxed already! By the way my heart hasn't been fast, just the opposite. Felt like it wass missing a beat and fluttering like was struggling to beat properly but your advice so far makes me feel less abnormal! By the way I only drink one cup of coffee a day but my weakness is chocolate. Good incentive to diet I suppose!

Answer 1

I have had exactly the same thing. I am 34.
I had to wear a 24 hour heart monitor but there was nothing wrong.
The specialist explained to me in very simple terms that 99.9% of the time our heart beats and we are not aware of it beating. If we were, it would drive us crazy. The heart re-sets itself all the time without us knowing it but sometimes when it does re-set itself we notice it for the first time and understandably get scared.
It is so normal you wouldn't believe it. All it is is that you are noticing it on occasions.
Keep off caffeine as much as you can as this can exacerbate it.
Go for the tests to put your mind at rest but I think you'll be just fine.
I still get my symptoms and just accept it now instead of panicking (which is natural). It makes it go much quicker.
Good luck.

Answer 2

the dyhidrocodiene was out out fo your system about a week after you took the last one, so no, that isn't the cause of your irregular heartbeat. If the doctor says anxiety, it very likely is, and you need to learn the skills to control your reactions, or it just escalates, you learn from a therapist. If the irregular rhythm worries you see a specialist, a cardiologist if only to gain peace of mind.

Answer 3

I have the same problem an irregular heartbeat some days it scares me half to death. I also went to the doc and they did and ecg found nothing did and ekg was normal and i had to wear a heart monitor for 24 hours and thats when they find the irregular heartbeat. The doctor didnt give me any meds he said that its normal and i shouldnt worry about it. But i feel that i need a second doc to look at my heart because its really getting to me.

Answer 4

Had the exact same thing when I was about you age. My resting heart rate was 130 bpm - had to get a 24 hour heart monitor attached, but nothing was found to be wrong. I still however had a fast heart rate and had palpitations for years. The doctors thought this was stress or anxiety, but I did not feel stressed or anxious. Now I go the gym regularly and this seems to have sorted things out.

Answer 5

had this problem for 20 years, at one time was missing every third beat . you can have this even though your heart is healthy, had camera in mine , spent 2 weeks in hospital, nothing wrong. you are probably anxious at the moment which can cause the irregular heartbeat , people will tell you to calm down which you cant because its happening to you not them and you think your times up. that is natural and will be with you for a while. you may find yourself taking your own pulse and checking that your heart is still beating, all natural human nature. meditation worked for me even though i thought it was crap before i tried it, i relaxed and that helped. i was also put on a beta blocker which regulates the heart beat, that helped. if your blood pressue is ok you should be ok. do not drink fizzy drinks at all (vital) and cut down on tea and coffee and try and relax, stress affects people in many ways.

Answer 6

I had the same problem too and like a few others posted here,, it turned out that my body couldn't tolerate the caffiene. Remember caffiene is in a lot of food products too,, not just cola and coffee. If I eat anything chocolate I get the problem, which has caffiene!! I love chocolate too,,,bummer...:)

Answer 7

Keep clear of foods containing MSG - monosodium glutamate. Found mostly in chinese foods, pizzas ....... Check this out on google - there are lots of things containing this & avoidance might make all the difference to your condition. Good luck.

Answer 8

there are many possibilities as you have discovered but the most common is too much coffee,I had the same problem and on the advice of my doctor I switched to decaffinated and the problem vanished

Answer 9

Knowledge is your best weapon, educate yourself on cardiac arrythmias, and also on hypothyroidism, or hyperthyroidism. Lots of information on the web. Knowing where things are coming from and how they happen is your first step to deciding how to deal with it... Good luck to you. Here are some links to get you started.
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200000
http://www.endocrineweb.com/hypo1.html
http://www.medicinenet.com/hyperthyroidism/article.htm

Answer 10

Here's a whole artical about it. I hope it helps. Hope everything turns out well for you. I'm sorry you have to go through this :(