Paplpatations - has anybody changed their lifestyle and it’s made a difference?

[comfyslippets]

Have been suffering with palpatations on and off for about 12 years. Had heart checked with ecg/24 hour ecg/echogram 10 years ago. Cardiologist said my heart just beats slightly different to other people’s but was nothing to worry about and to just ignore it. So I have. This winter though has been a bad one for me, upsetting break up, money situation isn’t great etc. then about six weeks ago I got the flu and was in bed for about 6 days. It left me with a chest infection which I had antibiotics for but since then I keep getting bouts of palpatations that last for an hour or two (like a jumpy heart every few minutes). Had an ecg yesterday which showed no concerns but had it again this morning. Waiting on blood results.
My diet isn’t great and I need to lose a couple of stone and take no supplements.
My question is, has anybody suffered with palpatations and improved them/made them better by changing their diet/taking supplements or losing weight.
Alart from being overweight I am quite healthy, go to the gym, app 8000 steps a day, no alcohol, non smoker, no caffeine.
Thank you if you’ve lasted this long 😂

have you been monitored during a palpitation at all?

As a complete non-expert in this field I would assume that losing weight would lesson the burden on your body and heart, and would therefore be very much worth it, whether or not the palpitations stop completely.

Did the cardiologist/GP mention your weight?

Think I did before when I had a 24 monitor and they said I had an ectopic heartbeat. Trouble is I never know when they are coming, sometimes I don’t get them for weeks, then I’ll have loads all in one day

Yes, I think you are right and I think I’ll go down this route. Nobody has ever mentioned it which I’m quite surprised at actually. My PT did a body composition thing recently and it said my body fat is 46.4% which is obviously not good

I have a condition where I get the sensation of my heart “flipping” in my chest. If I take my pulse when I’m having a run of them it seems to skip a beat as I have the feeling (when it’s bad it can happen every 3 or 4 beats for an hour or so). I was told it wasn’t anything sinister. I’ve also a couple of times had vitamin D deficiency , and the heart issue is definitely much worse when that occurs. I’ve stayed on a vitamin D supplement, and it very rarely happens now.

I suffer from palpitations too. Its horrible but you can stop them. Take a cold shower, drink iced water or the one that always works for ms is to take a deep breathe and bear down hard as if you are doing a poo for as long as you can. And do any of these 3 asap. The longer the palipations go on the harder they are to stop and I have had to be cardioverted in hospital a few times with drugs (horrible).or stopping my heart (even worse).
You are doing everything else right. Are you on a betablocker?

Yes had this for years. I ended up going cardiologist privately and redid tests and extra. I also had low bp for a bit because of anemia (ferretin very low but blood iron was within range so be aware of this). Had echocardio, stress test, holter (with bougie dr) and he said to just rest when this happens. Now I rarely get them because he prescribed me over the counter magnesium and potassium, fixed my vit d deficiency as someone said above and I'm still being medicated for low ferritin almost a year on. Also keep major hydrated 3L a day, I'm V active and eat mad healthy (had fat liver from eating too many choc but because I didn't put on weight I didn't think it was an issue) so had major health overhaul and the ectopic beats are VERY rare.
I'm due to have surgery soon and have a lot going on and I have found regardless of all above I've had 3 episodes in two weeks which is unusual considering I went months without issue. Its not as bad as it was prior when my health and deficiencies were worse.
Not everyone is the same - I was told on nhs its just how it is with some people and didn't really get help or reassurance or advice but I did all above and it helped a lot. Everyone is different though! Any qs feel free to pm me. I've had it for years and tbh it was scary especially after birth of eldest because I became really scared of dying 😅 now I'm fully reassured after all the tests I did last year and it was worth every penny! Feel free to pm, I know how shit it is!

I have an ectopic beat too, it was noticed during pregnancy when the palpitations got worse. Mine is like yours in that I may notice it a few times in a day, then not for ages. For me it’s not pleasant but because I know it’s not serious I just steady my breathing and it passes. I’m not sure if diet etc helps but I’ve been eating well and losing weight since Jan and now I think of it, feels like a while since I had one. Who knows but getting healthier can only be good eh, worth a try?

Iron tablets can help

also dehydration can lead to palpitions

but yes weight management and less strain on your heart has to help

also improving cardio fitness with plenty of walking will help

May not necessarily be linked to weight. A relative had this and he is v slim and active. Linked to calcium levels and parathyroid gland.

Take 100% magnesium daily

Take 5000 iui Vit D daily until June then drop to 2000 iui

Take 18mg iron 3 days a week

Take a B vitamin complex with B12

Take a Vit C and Zinc supplement for 2 weeks

Focus on loosing weight and get outside and walk everyday rain or shine. Try and build up distance and speed.

Go back to the GP and say your palpitations are coming back and you would like to have another holter monitor to just check they are still benign as it has been 10 years and things can change as you age. Also ask for your TSH (thyroid) to be checked and a general check up/bloods.

It happens to me occasionally when my iron stores are low, or I'm low on other key nutrients (magnesium, potassium).

Thank you all so much for your advice everyone. I’m definitely going to make some lifestyle changes and look at supplements. Think the Vitamin D is a definite as is magnesium. Think it may be trial and error. It’s nice to know others are in the same position, as horrible as it is

Thank you for posting this, it’s really interesting. I’m definitely going to try this

Well done! I’m going to do this too. Thank you for your post

This is exactly me! I’ve been wondering about Vitamin D. It’s being checked in my bloods that I had done yesterday so it’ll be interesting to see what it says. Thank you

Thank you for this. It seems crazy that you’re told to just get on with it. I don’t blame you for going private, I would if I could. I also always have low blood pressure so that’s something to look at too. I am actually a bit of an exercise addict and it’s making me not want to do it at the moment, which is horrible. I’m going to sit later and look at all the excellent advice I’ve been given here today. I may message you if that’s ok (thank you for that)
Good luck in your upcoming surgery as well x

There are many reasons for having palpitations, some are benign and others should be treated or medicated. They can be tricky to diagnose when they’re sporadic but not impossible with longer term cardiac monitors and other tests.

Please do not take health advice from strangers on the internet, you are symptomatic, go back and ask more questions from your doctor and get a proper diagnosis and treatment if required.

My DH was having palpitations but by the time he went to the dr, they'd run tests and say all fine. But then one day it happened and he got all faint and had to lie down and someone called an ambulance. They arrived while it was still ongoing and immediately ran an ECG and because of that they could see that there was something wrong with the ECG during the palpitations. Turns out he has Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome. Could that be an option?

Thank you for this. You are very right and I am seeing the dr and waiting for bloods etc. I was really just also wondering what other people do to possibly help with them. Kind of trying to get different advice/opinions to think what to do.
It’s also quite difficult because the drs just say ignore them and that’s it

Have you had your Iron levels checked. Low iron gives you palpitations...

Ask for a referral to a cardiologist from your GP. You may need to go private but at least you’ll get the right care.

They could be harmless ectopic beats but you are right to get them checked out, especially if they have got worse. You should hopefully get a holter monitor to wear for longer, I got one for a week. Also to be aware of things that can trigger them such as caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, dehydration, stress, menopause (don't know if any of those apply to you). Worrying about them also makes them worse....

Regarding magnesium, as someone who has Atrial Fibrillation, (similar in many ways to palpitations etc. but much more serious due to risk of stroke....) I can recommend Magnesium Taurate, it is brilliant for a jumpy heart!

There are so many varieties of magnesium out there, any of which will normally help deficiencies, but Taurate is especially good for jumpy heart issues. My cardiologist agreed but his view was, if it helps you, take it!