Strategies to Calm Rapid Heart Palpitations

Those palpitations you feel in your chest could be anxiety. And I know you might not have expected it, but let me explain everything!

Tachycardia is diagnosed when a person has more than 100 beats per minute. It’s a phenomenon that can be associated with cardiovascular diseases, but also with psychological conditions. In fact, one of the most significant symptoms of anxiety is rapid heart palpitations.

Some patients report feeling as if their heart is about to jump out of their chest because of how fast and strong it beats. It’s normal for patients to rush to the emergency room with this sensation, fearing it might be a heart attack. The thing is, medical tests often show that the heart is completely fine. When this happens, one of the possibilities doctors consider is anxiety.

It’s Not Your Heart, It’s Your Anxiety

Usually, rapid heart palpitations caused by anxiety start “for no apparent reason”, making it a symptom that can be mistaken for a heart condition.

So, how can you tell if it’s anxiety and not a heart attack? Let’s take a look:

1. Difference Between a Heart Attack and Anxiety Palpitations

If it’s a heart attack, rapid palpitations will start suddenly and escalate into debilitating pain. On the other hand, if it’s anxiety, the palpitations won’t turn into pain but will remain consistent over time, maintaining their rhythm.

It’s important to note: rapid palpitations caused by anxiety are typically sustained over time.

🚨🚨 Warning: If you have a history of cardiac arrest and frequently experience anxiety and tachycardia, you should visit a cardiologist and a psychologist for a comprehensive evaluation and treatment.

2. Presence of Other Symptoms

Here’s a list of other anxiety symptoms that may accompany tachycardia:

  • Intense fear or worry.*
  • Overthinking.*
  • Irritability or sensitivity.*
  • Insomnia.
  • Trouble concentrating.*
  • Increased or decreased appetite.
  • Unexplained body aches.
  • Mood swings.*

*These are key symptoms that must be present in some way to confirm anxiety.

3. Stressful Event

Pay attention to what has happened in your life in the past few days and try to identify the presence of a stressful event or trigger that may have caused your anxiety.

Keep in mind:

  • The stressful event can be significant or very small and seemingly insignificant, but it still has an unconscious effect on your mind.
  • It could be a recent event or something that happened long ago (even years ago).
  • It’s an event that caused fear, shock, annoyance, anger, or distress.

Difference between founding event and trigger: Sometimes, the founding event of anxiety is far in the past, but specific triggers in the present activate your rapid palpitations.

4. Rule Out Medications, Sleep, and Diet

To determine whether rapid palpitations are caused by anxiety, it’s essential to rule out the influence of medications, sleep and diet. Here’s how:

  • Some medications can cause tachycardia as a side effect. If you’re on treatment, report this symptom to your doctor.
  • If you’ve taken a medication you don’t usually consume (e.g., emergency contraception or a psychotropic drug), your body might react by increasing your heart rate.
  • Irregular sleep or lack of rest can trigger tachycardia.
  • Excessive consumption of sugar, caffeine, or even ginger can cause rapid palpitations.

As you can see, it’s important to understand your body and pay attention to your habits and routines to distinguish between rapid palpitations caused by anxiety and those caused by other factors.

Plan to Calm Rapid Heart Palpitations Caused by Anxiety

Do you want to know if you suffer from clinical anxiety? Try this test.

Before the sensation of rapid heartbeat triggers a panic attack, I recommend following this action plan:

  • Connect with your breathing, inhaling and exhaling through your nose.
  • Breathe as slowly as possible. It might be difficult at first, and your breaths may feel rapid, but make an effort to slow down the pace.
  • To help focus your attention on your breathing, place one hand on your chest and feel the up-and-down movement as you breathe.
  • As you breathe, let thoughts pass by, one after another, without fixating on any of them.
  • If a scary thought about your rapid heartbeat arises, dismiss it immediately, understanding that it’s anxiety and your heart is fine.
  • This exercise can last as long as you need to calm down.

  • Once you’ve finished the exercise, it’s important to take notes and keep a record of:

    a) Symptoms associated with rapid palpitations.

    b) Triggering events of the palpitations.

    c) Emotions felt before the rapid palpitations began.

  • Talk about how you feel with someone you trust. This will be vital once the rapid palpitations subside.

To make this plan effective and improve your technique for handling anxiety-induced rapid palpitations, I recommend the following work routes available in our web:

Exercises to Overcome Nervous Crises

This route includes 4 units with exercises, techniques, and tools to help you:

  • Connect with your body and identify anxiety signals.
  • Activate your relaxation system to reduce rapid palpitations.
  • Confront emotions like fear and nervousness that may be triggering your rapid heartbeat.

Tips for Managing Feelings of Fear

This route offers techniques to:

  • Change your perception of fear and prevent it from turning into panic.
  • Train your mind to activate calm responses against frightening thoughts.
  • Engage your body to face fear-related emotions.

If you’re interested in improving your well-being, reducing anxiety, and feeling better, we’re here for you at memeonlyme with work routes and psychological guidance.👋