Is it anxiety or heart problem?

[Amytat]

Is it anxiety or heart issue

My heart jumps up and down on the apple watch while sitting down.

I don't know to belive or no

[Marc787]

I would suggest to make an appointment to see your doctor.

[Hidden]

Just check for concern relieve. Could be anxiety could be you sat up stood up.

[Hidden]

Your pulse is going to vary and when anxious, it will vary even greater depending on how you feel. I posted this elsewhere, but whether it's a heart issue depends on your risk factors for heart disease...age, family history, smoking status, drinking status, diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. All this show is you're experiencing tachycardia; an increased pulse that's above 100. So many factors can make a pulse vary...were you moving, stimulants (caffeine, nicotine), did you just eat (nor-epinephrine hormone increases after a large meal...heart rate goes up), anxious? You're also taking the pulse from an electronic device that can be incorrect...such as if a bone impedes it's reading. Those 99's could be the reason for the drops. Some attempts at relaxation maybe?

Regardless, I wish I had copied and pasted what I got from a nurse on heart/anxiety, if you are ever in doubt, get it checked out. Know your risk factors for heart issues and know the results from the tests for peace of mind. I would advise seeing your doctor no matter what. Show him this data. While you were having tachycardia, the numbers aren't overly worrisome...some hospitals, opinion/personal situation only here, would discharge you with a pulse in the 100s if it came down substantially. Much like blood pressure, it varies second by second...and then is influenced by chemicals and our own physical activity...and the device itself has manners as to which the read outs may not be 100% accurate. I would attempt to use deep breathing techniques/mindfulness/meditation for now to see if the number decreases. If things worsen, get help immediately. I do think you'll be okay. During one of my worst anxiety attacks, my pulse was hovering between 140-160 BPM. EKG in the ambulance and a blood test showed no heart issues. Unfortunately, this information doesn't give enough to rule any heart issue other than that you were experiencing tachycardia. Get it looked at and hopefully, as I'm more likely to suspect, it was just a bout with panic or anxiousness. Take care and I'm hoping the best for you!

[Minnie87 in reply to Hidden]

Hiya that post was great!

Can I just ask you how long your heart was at that high rate for?

I’ve been to the hospital with the same three times in the last week and had my heart was racing and skipping and going at 150bpm for hours.the ecg and monitor only showed tachycardia the whole time I was there and chest x Ray and bloods were completely normal.

I cannot believe that anxiety can do that!

[Hidden in reply to Minnie87]

Hey Minnie,

Thanks, yeah, whatever I can do to help. My pulse was that high for several hours. Doctors aren't really too concerned about that versus the sinus rhythm of the heart. If your heart is beating 160 beats per minute and it's doing it without any issues, they'll likely just focus on relaxing the body and mind. Anxiety can absolutely cause and be the factor in it all. It truly is amazing, but the heart really is a tough muscle/organ as long as we keep it healthy. My question that led me to start promoting the words that I'm giving was this...paraphrasing..."So many people I try to help and sympathize with have health anxiety dealing with heart attacks. Is there anyway to tell a difference...whatsoever?" The answer is no for the most part unfortunately. The nurse I spoke with said the best thing to do is know your risk factors for self-comfort. Make sure to go to well-visits and to have the heart checked out (echo, EKG, blood tests) if you ever have your doubts.

If there's no issues and your risk for heart disease/attacks is minimal, the best thing you can do is try to take peace in the results. I explained that for most, this doesn't necessarily help at all or for very long. She then said that to make a plan for action. If you're around someone, explain that you're feeling unwell, it's probably anxiety, but you'd like to them keep an eye on you while you attempt to calm down. If something bad "were" to happen, there is still apt time to get into an emergency room where reversal of the issue is possible (again, varies on what the heart issue would be, but let's just go with a common heart attack). Being near an AED is always a plus. I wanted to start pushing awareness of the risk factors because I think if we keep saying "you're probably okay" or "see a doctor now", we aren't addressing the cause. If we can be heart healthy, we decrease the likelihood of heart problems immensely. At that point, hopefully with health anxiety, we can worry about something else at last.

I hope this helped....it sucks to pass along that there's no way of knowing, but there are ways to limit the odds and chances.

[Dee075]

Hi , mine was doing the same thing went to ER three times all work was normal . I know now it’s anxiety because I was so stressed . It’s hard to believe but our bodies react to us the way the stress react to it . Please try to find peace . Ask me any questions if you need to and best of luck

[Agora1]

Amytat, whether the apple watch is accurate is not the question here.

It's about you becoming obsessed with the numbers shown on that watch

keeping you in an excessive state of anxiety.

My suggestion is to take off the watch, set up an appointment with a doctor

and find the true answer you are looking for. I've been where you are at and

seeing a professional finally put my mind at ease. xx

[Hidden in reply to Agora1]

This post all the way. I finally took off my Fitbit because, as Agora says here, I became more obsessed with a high number than anything. The heart can beat fast and still be doing the exact job it should be doing. Again, that's not to discount your results and worries, but I've found that looking at the watch hurt more than it helped. I've put myself in an anxious state merely peeking at it, seeing a heart rate above 100, and then freaking out.

[Nobster]

Hello , Been there and done this myself and had every test I see the sun. Having an irregular heart beat or Rhythm is no concern unless you have other symptoms. Although the heart is quite a simple organ it will make it 100% clear to you if there’s an issue or something wrong.

My cardiologist put it this way :

“An ECG machine costs around £50,000 and requires constant calibration and servicing so that it’s accurate enough to diagnose a heart problem”. “So an Apple Watch or similar for £100-£1,000 sure as hell isn’t going to do the trick.

Think he has a point. Ha ha.

[Hidden in reply to Nobster]

To even make this worse....my EKG came back normal from a doctors and all good but the "analyzing robot" put "possible myocardial infarction" (heart attack). Doc said, "Not sure, why that's on there, but no, you didn't have one."

[Amytat]

Thank you all for this

So happy I have you guys