How to stop heart from beating hard

Heart palpitations are when your heartbeat becomes more noticeable. They're usually harmless, but get help if you keep getting them or you also have other symptoms.

Table of Contents Show

What heart palpitations feel like
Causes of heart palpitations
Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:
Treatment for heart palpitations
When to see a doctor
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What heart palpitations feel like

When you have heart palpitations, your heartbeat feels uncomfortable or unusual. You may feel it in your chest, neck or throat.

Your heartbeat may feel like it is:

racing or beating very fast
irregular, with skipped or extra beats (ectopic beats)
pounding or thumping
fluttering

Heart palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer.

Causes of heart palpitations

Heart palpitations are common and not usually a sign of anything serious.

Common causes include:

strenuous exercise
lack of sleep
stress and anxiety
medicines (check the leaflet that comes with the medicine)
alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and recreational drugs

Sometimes heart palpitations can be a sign you're going through the menopause. Some people get them during pregnancy.

Less often, they can be caused by a condition such as iron deficiency anaemia, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or a heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia).

Non-urgent advice: See a GP if:

You have heart palpitations and:

they keep coming back or 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

Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if:

You currently have heart palpitations with any of these symptoms:

chest pain
shortness of breath
feeling faint or fainting

Find your nearest A&E

Information:

If you've had these symptoms but they've now stopped, ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment, call 111 or get help from 111 online.

Treatment for heart palpitations

Treatment for heart palpitations depends on the cause. They often do not need to be treated.

Avoiding things that can trigger palpitations, such as stress, smoking, caffeine and alcohol, can help.

You may have an electrocardiogram (ECG) to help find out what the cause might be. This is a test where small pads are stuck to your skin to check the electrical signals coming from your heart.

If your palpitations are caused by a heart problem, you may need medicines or a procedure to help correct your heartbeat.

Heart palpitations (pal-pih-TAY-shuns) are feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart. 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.

Symptoms

Heart palpitations can feel like the heart is:

Beating too fast
Flip-flopping
Fluttering rapidly
Pounding
Skipping beats

Heart palpitations may be felt in the throat or neck as well as the chest. They can occur during activity or at rest.

When to see a doctor

Palpitations that are infrequent and last only a few seconds usually don't need to be evaluated. If you have a history of heart disease and have palpitations that occur frequently or worsen, talk to your health care provider. You may need heart-monitoring tests to see if the palpitations are caused by a more serious heart problem.

Seek emergency medical attention if heart palpitations occur with:

Chest discomfort or pain
Fainting
Severe shortness of breath
Severe dizziness

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Why is my heart beating extremely hard?

Heart palpitations (pal-pih-TAY-shuns) are feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart. Stress, exercise, medication or, rarely, a medical condition can trigger them. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless.

How do I stop my heart from beating so hard?

Treatment for heart palpitations They often do not need to be treated. Avoiding things that can trigger palpitations, such as stress, smoking, caffeine and alcohol, can help. You may have an electrocardiogram (ECG) to help find out what the cause might be.