Perimenopause Heart Palpitations

Every so often, a woman will experience perimenopause heart palpitations aside from the usual perimenopause symptoms like irregular bleeding, mood swings, depression, short-term memory loss and the like. It feels like a pulse that makes you think that your heart has a life of its own and wants to jump off your chest.

Also known as cardiac arrhythmia, this is sometimes accompanied by hot flashes and/or night sweats. Considered as a result of female hormone imbalance, either you feel that your heart just skipped a beat or it beats like there’s no tomorrow. This could also be possibly caused by the beginnings of a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) treatment. There is also the possibility of alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, decongestants and some diet pills – these have chemicals that invigorate the heart and are the most common causes of heart palpitations.

Of course, there are other causes that could require serious and/or immediate medical attention, like hypoglycemia, anemia and certain thyroid disorders. Or it is also a possible indicator that there’s something amiss with your heart. So naturally, the perimenopausal woman will obviously be worried as this is already connected to the heart. So to be sure, go to a cardiologist to rule out any heart-related illnesses.

There are some things you can do to bring back your heart beat rate to normal. Avoid caffeine and alcohol during perimenopause. It not only affects your heart beat, it affects your sleeping habits as well and is a usual suspect in night sweats and hot flashes. Go on a healthy diet without taking diet pills as these are definite contributors to cardiac arrhythmia as well.

If you are doing your regular exercises and you feel your heart beating fast, gradually stop whatever this is you are doing. Lie down and breathe. Breathe through your nose, and breathe out through your mouth. Do this for 5 minutes to stabilize your heart’s condition. Also, don’t worry too much as this can cause your pulse to skyrocket again. Try doing meditation and relaxation exercises. Doing one after waking up and one in the evening can reduce if not completely prevent heart palpitations.

Know what your normal heart rate is, and try to ask a doctor how you can take your pulse. This is so that when an episode comes out, you will be able to decide if you’re having heart palpitations or not. If the arrythmia goes along with tightness in the chest area, dizziness or even the slightest fainting spells, then forget your fear of hospitals and have yourself checked out right away.

Always remember that as perimenopause is a normal phase that women go through, then so do the symptoms that go with it, heart palpitations being one of them. As long as you’ve had yourself checked out to eliminate the possibility of heart problems, then you’ll be fine.