Caffiene and heart palpitations?

Question

I went to the Dr. because I have heart palpitations. I was tested for 48 hrs with "the holter moniter". I had various different episodes while on the monitor, including an episode @3am when my heart skipped beats and went from high 60's to @150bpm! I was sleeping at the time it happened.
My Dr. suggested that I ween myself off of caffiene to see if this helps. My question is:

If I need to ween myself off of caffiene in order to have a regular heart beat, is there an underlying condition I might have or is this a reaction to the caffiene? If I have palpitations due to caffiene, does that mean my heart is actually weak?

I have palpitations every day atleast 5 times a day... sometimes as often as once or twice in a half of an hour. Lastnight, I had them more than ever. like every few minutes.

Answer 1

Nope. Heart palipitations are a side effect of caffeine. Side effects are what happen even in healthy people. It does not mean that you definately have an underlying condition. Ween yourself off like your doctor said, and see if it goes away. Heart palpitations are very common due to caffeine. They may just dissappear. Hope that is the case. Good luck and be well!

Answer 2

Palpitations are the result of dehydration. Dehydration is caused by the soft drinks you're drinking. Caffeine is just a part of it - it contributes to dehydration. But so do the rest of the ingredients in the beverages you're drinking. There are two kinds of water that is ingested into the body - "engaged" and "free". "Engaged" (already in use) water is the water contained in soft drinks and other "fluids". The body can't use any of these ingredients, and so it goes straight to the kidneys for disposal. The body needs "free" (fresh) water to perform the various functions and maintain good health. Many people are under the assumption that the kidneys are some sort of elaborate filtration system similar to what you might find attached to your kitchen sink. This is not true. The only thing the kidneys filter is the blood. This is because the blood is in an enclosed system. We don't drink blood every day to replenish it, and so it has to be filtered. We DO drink water every day (at least that's the way the body was designed), and so there is no need to filter the water. The body has no use for "engaged" water - it's already in use. And if you're drinking these kind of beverages, you're not giving the body the "free" water that it needs. Thus, you become dehydrated and develop health problems like palpitations and possibly worse down the road. Lay off the soft drinks and drink plain water - this is what the body was designed for. Otherwise, you could develop things like high blood pressure, kidney failure, diabetes, high cholesterol - or worse. I see where you replied that kids your age enjoy that kind of stuff. That may be true - but kids your age are also developing problems that were once thought of as old age diseases like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, cancer, diabetes, etc -- things that are caused by dehydration. No matter what, the time to do something right is the first time. After that it gets harder until, at some point, it becomes impossible. Take care of your health while you can. It may seem like you have all the time in the world right now, but you don't. One day you'll wake up and wonder what happened. Hopefully, you'll have no regrets.

Answer 3

Yes you may have an underlying problem, or you may not. The easiest culprit to rule out is caffeine and that is why your doctor suggested it. I would try eliminating any caffeine after lunch because caffeine can remain in the body for 9-12 hours. Remember medicines like Excedrin have caffeine in them. Also non caffeinated products like decaf coffee, actually have caffeine in them. Chocolate also contains caffeine, but in smaller amounts. Green tea contains caffeine.
NO it does not mean your heart is weak!! Your heart has an electrical system , in some people it takes a different electrical pathway resulting in a racing heartbeat. Sometimes the heart rate can get to 200 beats a minute!
Only an ECHO (which is an ultrasound of your heart) can truely tell if your heart is weak. Your doctor may order one to see what is going on in there.
If you ever notice your heart rate to be fast and you start to feel faint or dizzy, call your doctor. You do not want your heart rate to be 150 for an extended amount of time.
I hope this helps!

Answer 4

Try not to get too worked up. Basically, withdrawing from caffeine isnt going to do you any harm. Your Md suggested it because it may help your heart return to a natural rhythm. For most people, caffeine makes the heart beat faster which is okay, but for some people it may cause the heart to speed up and slow down. You will have more effects like headaches, mood swings, and fatigue when you withdraw from the caffeine but if you slowly reduce the amount you drink the symptoms should be less severe than going cold turkey (mmm...turkey).
*btw, the sleeping episode could be explained by having a bad dream or something stressful happening in your dream.

As for you having a weak heart, it seems more like you are just really sensitive to caffeine.

I'd call your Md and tell him about your fears. He will explain better than I can!

Answer 5

No you are just sensitive to it. I went through the same thing. I allow my self tea but use only 1/2 teaspoon per two cups. And use 1/2 teaspoon of reg coffee with 1 1/2 teaspoons of decaf per 2 cups. Treat it as a controlled substance and use a measuring spoon, dont cheat and guess the right amount.
also alternate tea and coffee and green tea. Each has a different type of caffiene and affect your body differently, yes I'm that sensitive to it I can tell. Also dont pound the tea or coffee, drink the 2 cups over 3 hours and dont drink it after 12 noon. Lot of rules but thats what you will have to do.

Answer 6

Caffeine is a stimulant for the heart, and it can cause it to skip a beat. It doesn't prove your heart is weak, but it does prove you need to go have it tested. A good cardio-treadmill test is best, and that will give you a very clear picture of your heart health.

Answer 7

Caffeine acts as a stimulant to your body, including your heart. Sometimes, its effects can speed up your heart. You don't have to weak yourself off of caffeine, you can stop cold turkey. Look at labeling on cans, coffee, tea, chocolate so you can tell whether there is caffeine in it or not. No, this does not mean your heart is weak.

Answer 8

Saturated fat is the main dietary cause of high blood cholesterol. Saturated fat is found mostly in foods from animals such as beef, beef fat, veal, lamb, pork, lard, poultry fat, butter, cream, milk, cheeses and other dairy products. Foods from plants that contain saturated fat include coconut, coconut oil, palm oil and palm kernel oil (often called tropical oils), and cocoa butter.
High cholesterol causes high blood pressure. The best thing for high cholesterol is Losing weight. A plant-based diet in conjunction with a properly conducted fast most often leads to a total recovery or a vast improvement in hypertension and angina.

Answer 9

Avoiding caffiene may reduce the problems you are having.