Fast resting heart rate and palpitations

[Abs811]

I'm 40 years old and recently I've noticed my resting heart rate is 82bpm. I also notice that I get palpitations/pounding after eating a big meal and this can disturb my sleep. I'm slim, petite but I don't exercise much. Could this be cause by my anemia? My Hb is 10.4. Or could it be perimenopause? The pounding heart alarms me the most. Waiting on GP appointment. Anyone experienced this and can someone calm me down please?

If I were you I would request your thyroid levels were checked. I had this and it was hyperthyroidism. I ignored for so long that I ended up in hospital as my heart rate was so fast. Have you any other symptoms?

Thanks, I will ask for a thyroid check, I did think of this. No other symptoms except for the palpitations and fast heart rate. Did you have any other symptoms?
I keep checking my pulse religiously and constantly worrying

Hey OP I had this on and off. Became really conscious of my heart beating hard especially at night. Resting heart rate creeping up from 65-68ish to 75 over a few weeks (i have a fitbit but don't check it much! ). Happened on and off.

Have been checked out a few times and nothing showing up. Got dismissed as anxiety even though I wasn't consciously anxious. (I do get overly anxious, with physical symptoms, but that is when something obvious is stressing me).

I thought it might be hormonal. Tbh it's not happened for a while. I exercise regularly and am pretty healthy. I'd get checked out, maybe keep a record of when it's happening but try and not focus on it too much - everything says palpitations are pretty common.

Oh btw I'd had mild viruses which I think can hang around and affect your heart rate for longer than you might think.

OP, have U checked your blood pressure?

My adult ds (disabled) had a fast heart rate (it was double of mine, higher than yours) but what I only recently twigged was to check his BP, that was also high.
We have taken steps to reduce it and it seems to be working for both heart rate and pulse, both are now borderline normal. I am kicking myself not realising earlier.

Thanks all. My BP is always normal, I check regularly with a machine, even during the palpitations. My sister had a similar issue couple of years ago and had all the tests imaginable and all was fine with her, could this be hereditary??

It could very much be caused by anaemia.

Hi OP, yes other symptoms were super fast metabolism, massive weight loss, and I was only a size 8 to start. Shaking hands. Walking a short distance left me out of breath. But these symptoms were after a long time of ignoring the fast heart rate, I was busy with work and children and foolishly ignored my health.

I've been sent to hospital twice in the past year by my GP who has been horrified at my heart rate. Had ECGs and reviews by cardiologist who said as it's not an arrhythmia it's not a concern. I have regular palpitations too but have been through a stressful time and I'm perimenopausal so I put it down to that

Should have added I have low iron too, not anemic but lower than 50. I think it's meant to be around 100 for women

It’s frustrating ad the more you worry about it the worse it gets

@Blinky21 sorry to hear you also have palpitations. Can I ask what your resting heart rate is please? Also I'm 41 so could this also be perimenopause?

I'm 55 but for the past 4 years have had palpitations and a high heart rate, a couple of years ago I got a cardiologist appt through BUPA and found that yes I had a very high heart rate but normal blood pressure, I wore a monitor literally glued to me for 2 weeks and they found my heart going up to 200bpm at night while I slept and varying between 85-140 during normal daily life. I was diagnosed ( after MRI and other tests) with IST Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia, I take medication to slow my heart to a normal rate. Other than the first few months while we tweaked the dose so it wasn't too slow I'm doing fine.
I talked to the cardiologist about what's caused this out of the blue and apparently it's just a case of we don't know and also we are seeing slightly more cases of people having this after they have had Covid and long Covid.
I am menopausal and that's also a slight trigger apparently.
It's worth getting a full raft of bloods done to rule out other problems and then if they believe it's appropriate get referred to a cardiologist. The wait is long though as the NHS is buggered.
If it helps the cardiologist is happy with me having around 75bmp,

between 60 and 100 bpm is normal heart rate. Cardiology will not be concerned about anything within that range generally speaking.

However palpitations can be caused by anxiety, anaemia, and sometimes thyroid issues. And of course peri if in that category.

A cardiac monitor worn for a day or a week or whatever can detect arrythmias, but only if they happen when the monitor is attached. I had palpitations like crazy, but not one single event during a 24 hour monitoring!

I don't want to scare anyone, but I had Atrial Fibrillation in the end. It is not life threatening on its own, but if not treated with rate lowering drugs and blood thinners can increase risk of stroke. I'm doing great now and monitored once a year or so.

More than likely it is anxiety or anaemia. Have you had bloods done?

@Quizine how was the atrial fibrillation diagnosed? My 24hr ecg came back showing palpitations but they said it was all fine?!

Well it is not an immediate diagnosis for sure. Firstly it was put down to stress and anxiety, but I insisted that I didn't feel I had that. Palpitations and Afib have similar symptoms which makes Afib difficult enough to diagnose.

Anyway, the main difference is that Afib is a misfiring of electrical currents in the upper chambers of the heart and it can last a while, whereas palpitations can be momentary or just now and then (awful when you have them even for a few seconds though, I know). So I had ECG monitor. Nothing showed, then I felt dizzy weak and sweaty one day and thought I was having a cardiac arrest. Off I went to A+E and they had me on this and that monitor, ECG, cardiac echo and all sorts. My heart rate was 180 and it wouldn't come down. BP was ok, a bit on the high side but they weren't concerned as they put that down to me being frightened out of my wits! It was a pattern on the ECG that led to the diagnosis in the end.

So it is not easy to differentiate between benign palps and Afib, but with the right monitoring and the right specialists (electrophysiologists) they can.

I had a cardioversion (the paddles like on the TV "Clear!"), but that didn't work, and it often doesn't, so it was drugs and more drugs, eventually all was calmed down. I get occasional bouts even with the treatment, and it is terrifying, but I have strategies for dealing with the rapid beats and erratic rhythms. These can be used for palpitations also, and work very well for me most of the time.

I'm typing an essay now, so if anyone wants to know what I've been advised to do to help get rid of the palps I'll put it in another post.

@Quizine wow, that's mad! Shame that it had to get that bad before you were diagnosed correctly. Glad to hear you have appropriate treatment now.

I'd be interested in what you do to help the symptoms/palpitations as I do struggle to keep calm when I have them.

try Passion flower and Hawthorn drops/tea

@CreatingHavoc

Bear in mind that the manoevres I use are designed to help lower a racing heartbeat. If you have other symptoms like the ones I mentioned above, dizzy, sweating, chest pain etc. don't do anything but get to the hospital instead. I don't want anyone to think these manoevres are a miracle cure and I don't want anyone to take risks either!

Anyway, I use the following -

the Valsalva Manoevre (google it also), basically take a huge breath in and hold for as long as you are comfortable with and at the same time bear down as if (TMI) straining to have a bowel movement. Then breathe out. It can reset the heart rate and bring it down.

Take a drinking straw and use it between pursed lips to breath in and out. Slowly.

Cough very deep and hard several times. Really cough hard.

Stick your face/head in a sink or bowl of very cold water. The shock of it helps reset things.

As I said, these don't always work but are worth a try if your heart is racing and racing. Take no risks though please, listen to your body, you will know if you are feeling unwell in comparison to having a few skipped beats or a bit of a racing heart now and then.

Likely to be caused by anaemia yes. Are you taking iron?

I had the same. Was hyperthyroidism. Went from about 58 to 80 resting heart rate in 6 weeks. As I have an Apple Watch and run a bit, I like stats so I think I caught it fairly quickly. Other symptoms for me were tiredness (thought I had a virus to begin with), frequent bowel movements, weightloss and, oddly, itchiness. GP took me seriously straight away. Had a blood test. Now take meds and all fine.

@Quizine thanks, I do struggle to stop the palpitations and racing heart that come with anxiety so these techniques may help. I've tried so many breathing exercises but they don't seem to help much.

Sorry for late response, its normally in the low 90s but has been known to go up to over 120 resting, once it was 140

I have this. Diagnosed with sinus tachycardia and orthostatic intolerance. My heart goes from about 60 sitting to 120/130 standing up.

I'm on beta blockers but recently they made my heart too low (48) and I got a long run of ectopics which scared me. I've stopped taking them for now but it means that my heart races when I stand up and also when I eat. I also get waves of heat and lightheaded when I'm eating sometimes.

Had 24hr ECG and echocardiogram and cardiologist isn't worried. It's horrible though as I get anxiety and when your heart is doing 130 just when you're standing doing nothing it's very hard not to feel anxious, which means it's a never ending spiral.

I think mine started after having covid (probably) in March 2020 but as there were no tests they won't call it long covid as covid infection isn't confirmed. I actually think it's also caused/made worse by stress and anxiety. I'm sure that if I could go on a 6 week holiday somewhere warm and sunny with no responsibilities I would be magically cured!

Both myself and two friends have had this and had to wear the monitors in the last couple of years. The dr said we were too young for peri menopause symptoms (38/39) but my another friend said she remembers her mum having it at this age too.. so I don’t know.