Heart palpitations

Palpitation is an awareness of your heartbeat. For example, your heart might feel like it’s pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly. This is often just for a few seconds or minutes. You may feel these sensations in your chest, throat or neck.

Palpitations might feel alarming but in most cases they aren’t a sign of any significant problems with your heart.

Phone 999 or go to A&E if:

You or someone else has heart palpitations and:

dizziness
sudden shortness of breath
chest pain
loses consciousness

Speak to your GP practice if:

You have heart palpitations and:

they keep coming back
they’re getting worse
they last longer than a few minutes
you have a heart condition
you have a history of heart problems in your family

Causes of heart palpitations

Common causes of heart palpitations include some lifestyle factors like:

stress
anxiety
panic attacks
lack of sleep
strenuous exercise
drinking too much alcohol
drinking lots of caffeine
smoking
taking illegal or recreational drugs

Medications

Heart palpitations can also be a side effect of some medications. This includes COPD and asthma inhalers and tablets for a thyroid problem. This may be particularly noticeable if you have just started taking the medication.

Speak to your healthcare professional if you think your medication may be causing heart palpitations. Do not stop taking a treatment without speaking to your healthcare professional first.

Hormone changes

Hormone changes can cause heart palpitations. This might happen during:

periods
pregnancy
perimenopause
the menopause

Medical conditions

Sometimes, a medical condition may cause heart palpitations. This includes:

a heart problem, like arrhythmia
an overactive thyroid
dehydration (not enough fluid in the body)
diabetes
infections
iron deficiency anaemia
low blood sugar level
some types of low blood pressure

Arrhythmia

Heart palpitations can sometimes be a symptom of an arrhythmia. Arrhythmia means there’s a problem with the heart’s rhythm.

Some common arrhythmias include atrial fibrillation and supraventricular tachycardia. If your doctor thinks that you have an arrhythmia you may be sent for some tests to assess your heart.

Managing heart palpitations

Do

try to reduce your stress levels
practise deep breathing exercises
drink less caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee, energy drinks and some fizzy drinks
eat a healthy diet

Further support and advice

Lifestyle factors like smoking, alcohol and drugs can trigger heart palpitations.

You can get advice on giving up smoking through Quit Your Way Scotland. Phone them on 0800 84 84 84 (8am to 10pm, Monday to Friday) for further information.

Drinkline provide advice for anyone who is worried about their own or someone else’s drinking. You can phone them on 0800 7 314 314 (8am to 11pm, Monday to Sunday) for further information.

NHS inform has details of services that provide support for people affected by drugs.