Why Does The Heart Keep Skipping A Beat & What To Do About It?

Do you feel your heart skipped a beat? Heart Palpitation is common, and you don’t need to worry if it happens irregularly. It is a reason to get worried if heart palpitation occurs frequently. You may experience your heart skipped a beat or fluttering rapidly or beating too fast. Unusual beats will end automatically but if your heart keeps skipping a beat you need to consult a doctor and seek medical treatment. You must have the idea why the heart keeps skipping a beat and what to do to treat and prevent it!

The heart is a vital organ that pumps the blood, oxygen, and nutrients throughout the body. A normal heart beats 72 times per minute when at rest and normally the beat rate is 60-100 times per minute. Several reasons cause premature or early heartbeat interrupting the heart’s regular rhythm. When the premature beat arises from the upper chambers of the heart (atria), it gets termed as Premature Atria Contraction- PAC, and if the premature beat arises from the lower chambers (ventricles), it gets termed as Premature Ventricular Contraction.

The heart receives a premature signal which squeezes the heart before it gets time to fill with blood which feels like skipping a heartbeat. The pause in between the continuous heartbeat is felt when the heart contraction is unable to stream blood flow to the body. Healthy people of all age bar experience the premature beats in common. But there are certain reasons for which the premature beats occur frequently. Lifestyle, food consumption, medication, and other heart-related issues are the reasons behind skipping a beat more frequently.

It is a bad idea to ignore the condition if you experience skipping of heartbeat frequently! You must consult a doctor. The doctor will analyze the symptoms and perform certain tests for detecting the condition and seriousness. Accordingly, the doctor will suggest the treatments and start treating the patient.

The doctor will try one or a combination of the treatments after analyzing the condition:

• Medication- Medication is indeed the initial treatment phase for skipping heartbeat. The doctors prescribe Antiarrhythmic drugs like calcium channel blockers and beta blockers. If these medicines do not work effectively to treat skipped heartbeat , the doctor will prescribe a stronger dose of Antiarrhythmic drugs. The stronger dose of drugs will work directly on sodium and potassium channels.
• Catheter Ablation- If the doctor is unable to detect the conditions and the exact reason of the irregularity of the heartbeat, the doctor will opt for Catheter Ablation. In this process, the doctor will insert small wires through the leg veins to the heart. The small wires will trigger Arrhythmia which will make it easier to identify the area and send energy to the scars for stopping the irregular beat.
• Electrical Cardioversion- The doctor may also opt to give Electrical Cardioversion treatment for heart skipping a beat in which a shock gets streamed to the heart enabling the heart’s rhythm to come back to normal condition.

You can follow these simple techniques to bring the condition of skipping heartbeat under control if it doesn’t require medical attention:

• Avoid Stimulants- Avoid consuming nicotine, alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, certain cold medicines, energy drinks and food with high carbohydrate and high sodium contents.
• Reduce Stress- You can try yoga, meditation and certain exercises including deep breathing to lower blood pressure and to prevent skipping heartbeat.
• Avoid Consuming Illegal Drugs- Avoid consuming illegal drugs like amphetamines and cocaine.
• Avoid Health Supplements- You need to avoid certain nutritional supplements like bitter orange, hawthorn, ephedra and valerian to manage the condition of skipping heartbeat.
• Avoid Food That Your Body Reacts- Avoid consuming food that your body reacts. Allergies for food may trigger the causes for skipping the heartbeat.

Don’t take the condition lightly if you frequently experience the symptoms of skipping of the heartbeat. Consult the doctor immediately if the heart keeps skipping a beat frequently and diagnose the condition. Take immediate steps for treatment to control the condition before it gets harsh!