What is the most common cause of irregular heartbeat?

Coronary artery disease, other heart problems and previous heart surgery. Narrowed heart arteries, a heart attack, abnormal heart valves, prior heart surgery, heart failure, cardiomyopathy and other heart damage are risk factors for almost any kind of arrhythmia.

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Is irregular heartbeat always serious?

An irregular heartbeat, or an arrhythmia, occurs when your heart beats too quickly, too slowly or irregularly. Many arrhythmias are harmless and don't require treatment, but some cause severe symptoms or are signs of more serious health problems.

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Can an irregular heartbeat go back to normal?

Can an irregular heartbeat go back to normal? Yes, heart arrhythmias sometimes go away on their own.

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What is the best treatment for irregular heartbeat?

Defibrillators are devices that restore a normal heartbeat by sending an electric pulse or shock to the heart. They are used to prevent or correct an arrhythmia, a heartbeat that is uneven or that is too slow or too fast.

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Why do I suddenly have an irregular heartbeat?

Stress, exercise, medication or, rarely, a medical condition can trigger them. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless. Rarely, heart palpitations can be a symptom of a more serious heart condition, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), that might require treatment.

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Apollo Hospitals | What causes an Irregular Heartbeat?

31 related questions found

What is the difference between heart palpitations and arrhythmia?

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rhythm, where the heart beats irregularly, too fast or too slowly. A palpitation is a short-lived feeling of your heart racing, fluttering, thumping or pounding in your chest. An occasional palpitation that does not affect your general health is not usually something to worry about.

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How do you feel when you have arrhythmia?

Symptoms of arrhythmias include palpitations, feeling dizzy, fainting and being short of breath, although having these symptoms does not always mean you have a heart rhythm problem. Arrhythmia Alliance's heart rhythm checklists can help you gather information to discuss with your GP if you have any of these symptoms.

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What does a cardiologist do for irregular heartbeat?

Treatment for heart arrhythmias may include medications, therapies such as vagal maneuvers, cardioversion, catheter procedures or heart surgery.

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What does a doctor do for irregular heartbeat?

Heart arrhythmia treatment may include medications, catheter procedures, implanted devices or surgery to control or eliminate fast, slow or irregular heartbeats. A heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent heart damage that can trigger certain heart arrhythmias.

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What should I avoid with irregular heartbeat?

Mercy Clinic Cardiology has six things that can aggravate arrhythmia:
  • Too much caffeine. One or two cups of coffee a day is probably fine. ...
  • Alcohol. Heavy drinking can cause damage to your heart cells and cause extra heartbeats. ...
  • Sodium. ...
  • Tyramine. ...
  • Herbal supplements. ...
  • Oversized portions.

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Can you live a long life with irregular heartbeat?

Whether or not Afib shortens a person's lifespan depends on whether or not he or she can get their heart rate and anticoagulation under control. If controlled, then Afib doesn't shorten a person's lifespan. If these two things are not under control then Afib can shorten one's lifespan.

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Can anxiety cause irregular heartbeat?

But if the question is whether or not anxiety can cause a heart arrhythmia, the answer is yes - and it's surprisingly common. So common, in fact, that the vast majority of heart arrhythmias are considered harmless when they are linked to anxiety or stress.

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What happens if you don't treat irregular heartbeat?

Some types of arrhythmia are harmless and don't require treatment. Others can put you at risk for cardiac arrest. Many are in between these two extremes.

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Can a healthy heart have an irregular heartbeat?

Many people are unaware of minor irregular heartbeats, and even completely healthy people have extra or skipped heartbeats once in a while. Palpitations are more common as you age. Usually, these occasional arrhythmias are nothing to worry about.

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How do I get my heart back in rhythm naturally?

Exercise regularly

Exercise can improve overall cardiovascular health and help restore the heart's natural rhythm. It can also help reduce stress and anxiety. Cardiovascular exercise helps strengthen the heart, which can prevent or reduce palpitations.

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What if my blood pressure monitor says irregular heartbeat?

Go immediately to the doctor if you have additional symptoms with your irregular heartbeat or you've had a heart attack or other heart stress. According to Dr. Hummel, those symptoms include fainting, dizziness, chest pain, swelling in your leg or shortness of breath.

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What are 4 reasons behind an irregular heartbeat?

Many factors can affect your heart's rhythm, such as having had a heart attack, smoking, congenital heart defects, and stress. Some substances or medicines may also cause arrhythmias.

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Does irregular heartbeat mean heart failure?

Arrhythmia can lead to heart failure, and heart failure can lead to arrhythmia. The heart acts as a pump, sending oxygen-rich blood out to the body and oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs. To execute its duties, it must contract with sufficient power at a regular rate throughout our lives.

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When should I be worried about irregular heartbeat?

An occasional abnormal heartbeat is not cause for serious concern. However, if symptoms last for long periods of time, are significant or come back time and again, it's important to seek medical attention. “If you have fainting, swelling in your leg, shortness of breath—seek medical attention right away,” Dr.

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Does arrhythmia make you tired?

Arrhythmias may decrease the blood flow in your brain and body causing heart palpitation, dizziness, fainting or even death. If you have bradycardia, you may feel tired, short of breath, dizzy or faint.

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How do I know if I have anxiety or arrhythmia?

The pattern or rhythm of a heart beat can also tell you what's going on: a panic attack typically brings a constant rapid heart rate, while AFib causes an erratic heart rate. If your heart seems to be skipping beats, or speeding up then slowing down and speeding up again, it's more likely that AFib is to blame.

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Can you drive with an irregular heartbeat?

You can drive with an arrhythmia as long as it doesn't cause symptoms that make it dangerous for you to drive. If you have an arrhythmia or an ICD (implantable cardioverter-defibrillator) that makes it dangerous for you to drive, your doctor might suggest that you stop driving, at least for a short time.

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Is it normal to have heart palpitations every day?

These sensations are called heart palpitations. For most people, heart palpitations are a once-in-a-blue-moon occurrence. Others have dozens of these heart flutters a day, sometimes so strong that they feel like a heart attack. Most palpitations are caused by a harmless hiccup in the heart's rhythm.

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How many skipped beats is too many?

To make sure your palpitations are not a sign of something more serious, let your healthcare provider know if: You experience new or different palpitations. Your palpitations are very frequent (more than 6 per minute or in groups of 3 or more)

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What is the best position to sleep in with heart palpitations?

In general, the consensus seems to be that sleeping on your left side is better for most people. It may reduce GERD and sleep apnea more than sleeping on your right side. The only exception is that people with congestive heart failure or heart palpitations might benefit from sleeping on their right sides.

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