But if your heart races a lot—or if you notice your heartbeat is often irregular—then you should see a doctor. Even though most racing heartbeats are caused by common situations like stress or fevers , some irregular heartbeats are caused by serious heart conditions like atrial fibrillation.
People who have these conditions need monitoring and treatment from a cardiologist heart doctor. Normal hearts beat 60— times every minute. Fast heartbeats can last for seconds to hours. Not all cases of a racing heartbeat are dangerous. These can include the following:. If you notice that your heart is beating faster than normal, look for obvious explanations first:.
You can also try keeping a diary of your symptoms and write down what you were doing before you started to notice your heart was beating fast. Sometimes a fast or irregular heartbeat can be a sign of a serious heart condition.
These conditions include the following:. Atrial fibrillation is one of several heart conditions that can cause an irregular heartbeat. People with A-Fib have electrical signaling problems in the upper part of their heart. Atrial fibrillation is a serious condition that can be life-threatening. This part of the two-part pumping phase the longer of the two is called diastole. The second part of the pumping phase begins when the ventricles are full of blood.
The electrical signals from the SA node travel along a pathway of cells to the ventricles, causing them to contract. This is called systole. As the tricuspid and mitral valves shut tight to prevent a back flow of blood, the pulmonary and aortic valves are pushed open.
Atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a rapid heart rate caused by chaotic, irregular electrical impulses in the upper chambers of the heart atria. These signals result in rapid, uncoordinated, weak contractions of the atria. Atrial fibrillation may be temporary, but some episodes won't end unless treated. Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of tachycardia. Atrial flutter. In atrial flutter, the heart's atria beat very fast but at a regular rate.
The fast rate results in weak contractions of the atria. Atrial flutter is caused by irregular circuitry within the atria. Episodes of atrial flutter may go away themselves or may require treatment. People who have atrial flutter also often have atrial fibrillation at other times.
Ventricular tachycardia. Ventricular tachycardia is a rapid heart rate that starts with abnormal electrical signals in the lower chambers of the heart ventricles. The rapid heart rate doesn't allow the ventricles to fill and contract efficiently to pump enough blood to the body.
Ventricular tachycardia episodes may be brief and last only a couple of seconds without causing harm. But episodes lasting more than a few seconds can become a life-threatening medical emergency. Ventricular fibrillation. Ventricular fibrillation occurs when rapid, chaotic electrical impulses cause the lower heart chambers ventricles to quiver instead of pumping necessary blood to the body.
This can be deadly if the heart isn't restored to a normal rhythm within minutes with an electric shock to the heart defibrillation.
Ventricular fibrillation may occur during or after a heart attack. Most people who have ventricular fibrillation have an underlying heart disease or have experienced serious trauma, such as being struck by lightning.
Mayo Clinic electrophysiologist Fred Kusumoto, M. When your heart is beating too fast, it may not pump enough blood to the rest of your body. This can starve your organs and tissues of oxygen and can cause the following tachycardia-related signs and symptoms:. Some people with tachycardia have no symptoms, and the condition is only discovered during a physical examination or with a heart-monitoring test called an electrocardiogram.
Premature heartbeats may occur when resting. Sometimes premature heartbeats are caused by stress, strenuous exercise or stimulants, such as caffeine or nicotine. Heart arrhythmias may not cause any signs or symptoms. A doctor may notice the irregular heartbeat when examining you for another health reason. If you feel like your heart is beating too fast or too slowly, or it's skipping a beat, make an appointment to see a doctor. Seek immediate medical help if you have shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near fainting, and chest pain or discomfort.
A type of arrhythmia called ventricular fibrillation can cause a dramatic drop in blood pressure. Collapse can occur within seconds and soon the person's breathing and pulse will stop. If this occurs, follow these steps:. To understand the cause of heart arrhythmias, it may be helpful to know how the heart typically works.
The heart is made of four chambers — two upper chambers atria and two lower chambers ventricles. The heart's rhythm is normally controlled by a natural pacemaker the sinus node in the right upper chamber atrium. The sinus node sends electrical signals that normally start each heartbeat. These electrical signals move across the atria, causing the heart muscles to squeeze contract and pump blood into the ventricles.
Next, the signals arrive at a cluster of cells called the AV node, where they slow down. This slight delay allows the ventricles to fill with blood. When the electrical signals reach the ventricles, the chambers contract and pump blood to the lungs or to the rest of the body.
In a healthy heart, this heart signaling process usually goes smoothly, resulting in a normal resting heart rate of 60 to beats a minute. Complications depend on the type of arrhythmia. In general, complications of heart arrhythmias may include stroke, sudden death and heart failure.
Heart arrhythmias are associated with an increased risk of blood clots. If a clot breaks loose, it can travel from the heart to the brain, causing a stroke. Blood thinners can lower the risk of stroke related to atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias.
Your doctor will determine if a blood-thinning medication is right for you.
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