Most people will experience panic attacks or anxiety during their lives. When your body wants to escape from harm and danger it goes into a panic attack or anxiety mode. This will cause your heart rate to elevate and beat harder. It’s not easy living with these two conditions and they can definitely impair the quality of your life. They can even lead to depression. Panic attacks have the same symptoms that can mimic atrial fibrillation, which is a heart disease meaning irregular heart beat. Do you know how to tell these two conditions apart?
Tachycardia can cause anxiety
Abnormal heart rhythms or tachycardia is when your heart beats more than 100 times per minute. Tachycardia can occur in people with healthy hearts and in people who had prior heart problems. Abnormal heart rhythm isn’t triggered by exercise or other activities and can cause symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, lightheadedness, heart palpitation and can even cause death.
5 Clues That Indicate Abnormal Heart Rhythms
1. Symptom pattern
If your anxiety makes your heart race, then something causes stressful feelings that lead to elevated heart rate. If you notice your heart starting to race, followed by anxiety it might mean that something is wrong with your heart.
2. Seizures or passing out
Panic attacks and anxiety can rarely cause a person to pass out. If there’s no warning sign before you pass out, the risk of a heart problem increases. If you have ever experienced a seizure or have passed out while exercising, you should check in with your doctor.
3. Hyperventilating
Panic and anxiety can cause you to hyperventilate. You can experience tingling and numbness in the tips of your fingers and around your mouth. Also, if you faint or feel lightheaded, it means that your blood pressure is probably falling which is an indication of abnormal heart rhythm.
4. Triggers
Tachycardia often results from a trigger, extra heart beats in the heart chambers. Most people experience extra beats at times, but people with heart problems often feel them. People with anxiety experience increased heart rate, but without skipped or extra beats.
5. Weakening heart
The heart responds in a normal way in people with anxiety. On the other hand, people that suffer from an abnormal heart beat need to treat their issue because it can weaken their heart and cause heart failure. Elevated heart rates caused by anxiety don’t cause the heart to weaken.
Monitor your heart to detect anxiety or tachycardia
The best way to learn if you’re suffering from anxiety or heart issues is to monitor your heart. A heart monitor will record your heart rhythms day and night and will help you find your diagnosis. Make an appointment with your doctor and he will set you up with a heart monitor and help you discover if something is wrong with your heart.