My Results - Self-care for Palpitations

Below are recommended lifestyle choices and behaviours that may help you improve and maintain your health.  Some you might already be doing.  Great, keep going!  Others might be new.  Perhaps you could give them a try?  The information is from trustworthy sources used by doctors and other health professionals.  The results are personalised to your sex, age, and health condition (palpitations).

Section 1 - Recommendations with High Level of Evidence

These recommendations are from primary and secondary sources of health information, including clinical guidelines from national medical organisations and systematic reviews of well conducted research.

  • Below are causes of palpitations not related to underlying heart problems such as cardiac arrhythmias and structural heart disease.  (NICE, 2020)

    Psychosomatic disorders:

    • Anxiety and panic attacks
    • Depression
    • Somatization disorders

    Systemic causes:

    • Hyperthyroidism
    • Hypoglycaemia
    • Fever
    • Anaemia
    • Hypovolaemia
    • Orthostatic hypotension
    • Phaeochromocytoma

    Drugs:

    • Sympathomimetic agents in inhaled beta-2 agonists (such as salbutamol), antimuscarinics (such as ipratropium bromide), and vasodilators (such as hydralazine).
    • Recent withdrawal of beta-blockers.
    • Drugs that prolong the QT interval, including non-sedating antihistamines (such as terfenadine), macrolide antibiotics (such as clarithromycin and erythromycin), antipsychotic drugs (such as risperidone), some antidepressant drugs (such as citalopram and escitalopram, tricyclics, and monoamine-oxidase inhibitors), and antifungals (such as itraconazole).
    • Alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, heroin, amphetamines, ecstasy, and cannabis.

     

  • If there is a recent stressful life-event, psychiatric counselling may be of help.  In patients with symptoms of anxiety and depression, a specific therapy is warranted.  (EHRA, 2011)

     

  • People should seek qualified advice on driving and work if appropriate.  (NICE, 2020)

Section 2 -  Recommendations with Moderate Level of Evidence

These recommendations have some evidence of effectiveness, but may have insufficient quality or quantity of evidence to be in a clinical guideline. Therefore, these options are safe for you to explore but, ideally, in consultation with your healthcare provider.
  • None found.

Section 3 - Information from Other Sources

This information is from other sources, such as websites from trusted health organisations. The information is usually good quality, but may be unreferenced, incomplete, or updated only periodically.
  • Heart palpitations are common and not usually a sign of anything serious.  (NHS, 2022)
  • Unless the palpitations are caused by a heart condition, heart palpitations rarely require treatment. Instead, a health care provider might recommend taking steps to avoid the triggers that cause palpitations.  If palpitations are caused by a heart condition, such as an irregular heartbeat (arrhythmia), treatment will focus on correcting the condition.  (Mayo Clinic, 2022)
  • Common causes of palpitations include:
    • Strenuous exercise  (NHS, 2022)
    • Lack of sleep  (NHS, 2022)
    • Stress and anxiety  (NHS, 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2022)
    • Medicines.  Check the leaflet that comes with the medicine.  (NHS, 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2022)
    • Less often, heart palpitations can be caused by iron deficiency anaemia (NHS, 2022), an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or a heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia).  (NHS, 2022; Mayo Clinic, 2022)

Section 4 - To Avoid

These 'To Avoid' recommendations highlight things to avoid as they might make your symptoms or condition worse.

Recommendations with High Level of Evidence (Section 1)

NICE (2020) recommends reducing or avoiding:

  • Stress
  • Caffeine
  • Alcohol
  • Smoking
  • Drugs that can precipitate or exacerbate palpitations (see list above)

Information from Other Sources (Section 3)

The most appropriate way to treat palpitations at home is to avoid the triggers that cause the symptoms.  (Mayo Clinic, 2022; NHS, 2022)

Mayo Clinic (2022) advises people with palpitations to:

  • Reduce stress.  To reduce stress, try relaxation techniques, such as meditation, yoga or deep breathing.
  • Avoid stimulants, such as alcohol, caffeine, and nicotine.  Some cold medicines and energy drinks can make the heart beat too fast or irregularly.
  • Avoid recreational drugs (e.g. cocaine and amphetamines).

References

Important

This information is updated regularly based on clinical guideline updates and developments in the scientific literature. If you have any comments on this information, please contact us. We welcome all comments. Thank you!

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