Anxiety & crazy heart palpitations

[Nameisanon12]

Hi! I'm a 19 year old female. I believe that I have some kind of anxiety disorder but haven't got diagnosed yet. But I'm always anxious and have had a few panic attacks within the last 3 months! Anyways, I've just recently started having heart palpitations where it's a really hard heart beat and I can feel it in my lower neck! Usually it's once or twice a day but lately it's been a lot more. My chest gets really tight after and my heart hurts and starts racing and my left arm feels weird. Is this just anxiety? Or is it more serious???? I'm crazy anxious and at college so I don't know what to do.

[jessicao]

I'm 19 and get them too especially when anxious. It's like a huge thud in my chest and it feels like my heart flips. Everyone gets them at some point and anxiety makes you much more prone to getting them and feeling them. They used to really freak me out but I went to my doctor and had a simple ekg and check up done and he said they are nothing to worry about, it's just my stress. If you can get a handle on your stress and anxiety they will most likely start to become less frequent. I'd suggest going to see your gp and talking about your anxiety and palpations just to put your mind at ease. Write if ever you need and best wishes (:

[Nameisanon12 in reply to jessicao]

Thank you so much, this has certainly put my mind at ease! And I'm sure I'll feel even better when I get to the doctors soon. I just don't deal with anxiety well, I am trying different methods to relax. Once again thank you so much & same to you just tell me if you need anything! (:

[ngyyyisex]

i have had anxiety and panic attacks for exactly a year now. i have had all symptoms that come with anxiety and have overcome them all

the heart palpitations you feel is from the adrenaline spike due to anxiety, when you feel anxious or nervous your body will fuel itself with adrenaline as a normal response, and when you are not burning off the adrenaline through exercise there will be a build up of moreand more in your body.. this ia what causes that big 'thud' you feel, this thud is really due to a skipped heart beat. the more anxious you are will result in more adrenaline, the more adrenaline will result in heart palpitations (the skipped beat and ultimately the big thud).. noticing this happening will make you more anxious and the cycle will continue all over again. Overcome this and you will notice the palpitations begin to stop

While with your left arm feeling weird is also a symptom of anxiety, anxiety can cause any type of symptom that your mind latches on to, it's purely psychosomatic but it is very real to the person experiencing it. your left arm feeling weird can be explained by anxiety and your blood pressure increasing, and even feeling pressure in your chest could be from the anxiety and the imbalance between carbon dioxide and oxygen through the increase of oxygen intake and not exhaling CO2 (can't remember the proper word to describe it).

even the pressure you feel at your heart could be caused from just stress in general from anxiety or from the blood pressure spike.

again i know all this because i experienced it all myself, it took me 5 short months, which felt like years to overcome it. i wish someone had explained it all to me earlier so it would have been an easier road for me.. but i hope my knowledge and experiences can help you

[ngyyyisex]

Also, as hard as it is to try calm down, the best way to manage your anxieties is to meditate.

it's different for everyone but you have to find what works for you.

remember to try get sleep, lack of sleep also makes anxiety worse.. so even listening to calm music to meditate can help?

i also noticed you are studying, so maybe even focusing on your studies rsther than purposely trying to distract yourself from anxiety.

i hope all the best for you. i'm not on this site as often anymore.. but if there's anything i can help with, let me know

[Nameisanon12]

Thank you so, so much! You're advice honestly just lifted a ton of weight off of my shoulders I've been struggling with anxiety for about seven months now. When I was younger I had major anxieties but throughout middle and high school that all went away for the most part, but suddenly in college my anxieties have come back and hit me like a semi truck to put it lightly! It's much harder since I'm in college and I have to calm myself while in class or I'll be on the verge of an anxiety attack while taking a test. If you could name off a few of the best things that help you relax and stay calm that'd be super helpful, but just everything you said has helped tremendously and it's so nice to know someone has been through this and has overcome it!!

[SherLB]

Go to the clinic at your school if they have one and get checked out. You are having heart palpitations which are common and the vast, VAST majority of the time are not dangerous. The most common causes are not enough sleep, being dehydrated ( drink lots of water!), too much caffeine.. too much sugar causes them in some people , as does aspartame in diet cokes. Some medications ( especially things like Ritalin and Adderall ) cause them. I can't give you medical advice but for me, taking magnesium helps -- please google heart palpitations and I think you will feel less worried. Yoga and meditation and simply deep breathing can help calm your heart rhythm, too.