MamasHealth.com Home Heart Disease Pages Acyanotic Angina Atherosclerosis Arrhythmia Blood Pressure Cholesterol Coronary Disease Cor Pulmonale Cyanotic Healthy Heart Heart Disease Heart Disease Risks Heart Disease Stats Heart Defect Treatments Heart Failure Heart Murmurs Heart Palpitations Human Heart More Bloodpressure Myocarditis Questions to ask your Doctor Rheumatic Heart Disease Links Email Mama Heart healthy oils Sign up for the MamasHealth Newsletter	What is a Heart Palpitation? Heart palpitations are sensations that feel like pounding or racing. Sometimes it feels like your heart skipped or stopped beats. Palpitations can be felt in your chest, throat, or neck. If you have heart palpitations, you should contact your doctor to make sure it is not caused by a serious condition. Your doctor will perform tests to determine the cause and whether the heart palpitations are treatable or not. Heart palpitations are also called: Heartbeat sensations Irregular heartbeat Palpitations Rapid heart rate Racing heart Tachycardia What Causes Heart Palpitations? There are many causes of heart palpitations. The most common causes are: Exercise Anxiety Stress Heart Disease Caffeine Nicotine Cocaine Diet pills Hyperventilation Overactive thyroid Anemia Low levels of oxygen in your blood Medications Mitral valve prolapse Can Heart Palpitations be Prevented? Whether or not heart palpitations can be prevented will depend on the cause. Reducing stress and anxiety can help lessen your heart palpitations. Emergency Symptoms Call your doctor immediately if: You have fainted or someone you are with loses consciousness. You have shortness of breath, chest pain, unusual sweating, dizziness, or lightheadedness. You feel frequent extra heartbeats You have risk factors for heart disease like high cholesterol, diabetes, or high blood pressure. You have new or different heart palpitations. Your pulse is more than 100 beats per minute (without exercise).	Featured Book
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