I know there’s a lot of messages on here regarding ectopic beats but finding them very unnerving still. I’m 37 year old female - healthy - and started noticing mine a couple of years ago and after countless trips to A&E and then various ECG tapes and a heart scan I was told they were harmless ectopics most likely brought on my anxiety (I suffer with severe health anxiety and OCD). There’s no known family history of heart disease or other heart problems...
I learned to tolerate and accept them and they settled down for a while but have started up again over the past few months. I mostly notice them in the evenings watching tv and when lying in bed before going to sleep. I get quite a few regularly over a couple of hours and it always feels like my heart is stopping and tummy drops as if I’m on a rollercoaster! The strong thud from the late beat makes me feel sick in the pit of my stomach quite often. Never feel dizzy though. Are these really harmless and as common as I’ve heard? I only know one other person who experiences them... wish I could get rid of them but avoid medication at all costs as I also take medication for epilepsy abeit very mild. I don’t want to take supplements etc. Have increased magnesium naturally (almonds, spinach etc) and cut down on caffeine - I don’t drink alcohol. I just want to find out if they really aren’t a cause for concern and I’m sure if I go to my GP about it again they’ll just put it down to anxiety which unfortunately is a biscuits circle!
If anyone could offer any reassurance or advice it’d be hugely appreciated x
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Geo26
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hi, since you have been checked and nothing untoward showing then ectopic beats are most likely and really are fairly usual and harmless. its more noticeable when in a quiet setting such as in bed, anywhere there are no distractions really! you could try to reduce them by changing to decaff tea and coffee and maybe also have thyroid checked as that can contribute to them.
They are very common, and most people that are aware of having them do have to just learn to live with them. I’ve had them (that I’m aware of) for the last 11 years, having developed an arrhythmia that’s triggered by ectopic beats. Occasionally I’ll have a spell where it’s literally the odd one I notice for a few months, but more usually I feel the majority of them each day. I average a dozen by holter monitor, but it used to be hundreds a day before making lifestyle changes (alongside medication to lower my heart rate due to the arrhythmia I have), and there are people that have literally tens of thousands of ectopics each and every day.
In terms of lifestyle, the things medically known to increase the frequency of ectopics beats are:
Caffeine (all, including in teas)
Dark chocolate
White chocolate
Some medications, including but not limited to asthma inhalers, antihistamines, and pseudoephedrine found in cough and cold medicines
Recreational drugs
Smoking
Alcohol
Stress
Insufficient sleep
Some people also maintain that spicy food sets them off and find improvement by cutting that out. Not everyone has lifestyle triggers, so some people could exclude or adjust all of these things and see no benefit, but for others it can make a huge difference. On medication alone to try and prevent my arrhythmia, I was still having very frequent bouts. After my last major ep that put me in A&E needing treatment, I decided enough was enough, and spent time excluding the above to work out which things (if any) effected me. In doing so, I reduced my ectopic beats enough that I went from sometimes having 2 or 3 episodes of arrhythmia a week, to not having had one at all since 2015. I still have ectopics, as I said, but the burden is massively reduced, and if I do accidentally have something I’m sensitive to, or if I burn the candle at both ends, it’s very apparent by the palpitations it triggers. For me, cutting out caffeine completely was necessary, and that’s probably the thing I miss most even 6 years on, but it’s worth it over all for not having as many ectopics.
Whilst exclusion and lifestyle factors don’t work for everyone, if they are really bothering you, my argument is always that you have nothing to lose by giving it a bash.
Yes they are generally completely harmless. I was part of a Cardio Study at Barts in London in the 80's as every 10th beat (aprox) was an ectopic, so that was in the tens of thousands every day. I didn't think I would reach 40 yet alone 77. I still have them, sometimes in runs but very much less due to medicine. If you medical tests are fine, then from a patients point of view you will be fine.
Thank you all for your words of wisdom and reassurance. In terms of triggers there’s not a lot I can cut out as I don’t drink, smoke or have caffeine 🤷🏼♀️
I’m sure they’re harmless but they really do feel awful when they occur and it panics me that I’ll go to bed and not wake up in the morning because my heart will have stopped!! They did seem to go away (or at least I didn’t notice them) for a good few months so with any luck this’ll happen again soon. I have been super stressed over the past couple of months so I’m assuming that’s a contributor...
It’s very hard not worrying about your heart ‘missing’ a beat countless times a day when you have very bad health anxiety but I’ll try my best to get used to them...again.
It may help slightly if you think of them in a different way. They’re not actually a missed beat, they’re one that comes slightly too early. The proper term for them is a premature ventricular/atrial contraction (depending on which bit of the heart they originate from): because the beat is premature, it makes it feel like you’re missing a beat, but it’s actually just a longer pause in between beats than the one that came either side.
I'm right with you about the ectopics and in me they have triggered atrial flutter or svt. Fast regular HR. Still trying to get a proper diagnosis. It's almost impossible to see a specialist at my hosp. I'm on a 33 week waiting list. I also saw someone privately a month ago, even he hasn't got back to me. Also on a waiting list for an echo and event monitor. As of yet nothing. I take Digoxin, Verapimil and Apixaban from my GP. He's done as much as he can but also told me he's no expert. Best of luck.
I began to experience noticeable palpitations for the first time in my life post menopause about six years ago. For 18 months I had full-on skipped beats which freaked me out although a check revealed they were harmless. They stopped and then about two years later they came back, but this time as extra beats as in boom-boom-boom-boomboom! I didn’t’ get those checked out and they were actually easier to cope with in that form. They lasted 13 months and stopped. My heart sank when last Xmas missed beats started up yet again and although I had promised myself I would see my GP if I got another episode, I didn’t get round to it. Happily they too have subsided. I get no other symptoms apart from a very, very rare episode of about 2-3 seconds of very rapid beats which go with deep breathing. I suspect mine are menopause related.
Search YouTube for "Sanjay Gupta York cardiologist".
He has lots of videos about ectopic heart beats.
He says that 70% of the population get them, but only people who are generally anxious or have had previous heart problems tend to notice them. And then the more anxious they get the more they notice them.
Dear Geo26 - you have all my sympathies, I too suffered dreadfully, but as many of the comments here already state, anxiety is the main contributing factor. Mine improved by three main methods, and one of them, I'm sure, you're going to think "what a mad woman?!" but, I'm just stating the truth:- 1. after A&E visits, ECG's etc.,, being told they weren't harmful helped considerably.
2. cutting out even decaff tea., I now drink Red Bush tea, as apparently, there is still caffeine in decaff tea, strange flavour to begin with, but I stuck with it, and now I love Red Bush, (just tea bags in any supermarket). and :-
3. the craziest tip that helped me:, at night, when trying to get to sleep those dam ectopics, I now get comfy on my right side, and I literally cuddle a normal sized, feather pillow, close to my chest and down my body, whether it absorbs the vibration, don't know, but I've tried it with foam or other pillows - doesn't do the job, but feather one does, please give it a go.Good luck and all the best.
Like many here I get ectopics too. Mine are usually some every day that I can feel. When they were really bad I registered a little over 11,000 in a 24hr Holter monitor. After dealing with them for a while they're definitely tied to anxiety the most. (I also have some health anxiety)
I switched cardiologists about 6 months ago, mostly because the cardiologist I started seeing was more comfortable speaking German than English(I live in Germany). My German is nowhere near good enough to do medical discussions, but I also didn't feel like he was the kind of doctor who was going to put my mind at ease.
Fast forward to my new cardiologist, no language barrier, he did lots of tests all the way up to an angiogram and is doing a good job explaining things and reassuring me.
I know you said you don't want to supplement, but I tried increasing some vitamins through diet and it never made a significant difference in my bloodwork. I am also hypothyroid, so that could be an additional factor. But he's kept a close watch on the big picture of my health, including my different vitamin levels. He put me on magnesium, potassium and vitamin D plus my daily multi-vitamins and it seems to have made a difference in both the frequency and severity of the ectopics.
Like others here have said, if you've been checked out, the ectopics are fairly common and generally harmless. They can be scary for sure. Learning to live with them was the hardest thing. I've given up hoping that they'll just go away entirely. That doesn't seem to be the case for most people and it just made it harder for me every time I'd go a spell without them and then they'd start up again. So now I just assume I'll have them from time to time and I don't let them cause me too much anxiety.
Hi there. I too suffer from anxiety and OCD. What a nightmare! I totally know where you are coming from and I suspect your problem comes from. Have you tried mindfulness. I have a book called Mindfulness a practical guide to finding peace in a frantic world. By Mark Williams and Danny Penman. This is a great book and helps you get through each day with a few minutes mindful exercises. You can look up mindfulness and also headspace links and see if it’s something you could have a go at. When I get so down I talk to people on this site. There are many on here who suffer with anxiety and they have been a great help to me. Some of them are so positive. I suspect like me you are not one of those! I hope you can eventually get some relief from all this worry. If you need to talk we are all here for you . Please don’t hesitate. Please take care.
You should be pleased with the replies and perhaps after digesting them calmed by them too.The only thing to add that hasn’t been said and maybe it’s important to most people is hydration. I believe sleep and keeping hydrated are the two lifestyle issues to get your head around.
Stressing in normal about something that’s out of our control, we all do that, but in time with all the help you will get from professionals and help communities (like the is one) you will become to own your own new normal. Good luck
Thank you for mentioning hydration. I knew lack of sleep definitely has an impact on my ectopics, but I hadn’t thought of hydration. I do think that I probably don’t always drink enough. I seem to find it hard to remember to drink when I don’t feel particularly thirsty. Must get better at that...
I'm 72 and have had ectopics since I was about 38. I also suffer from health anxiety. I had none for about 8 years then suddenly this year they started up again when I got worried about my BP and some breathlessness. It took a long time to actually catch any bouts of ectopics on a test bt once they did I was also told they were harmless. I know how distressing they can be; I had one a few weeks ago that seemed to miss about 3 beats and evrything went dark before that "thump" kicked in. That really scared me but they are settling down again now. I'm still here so I guess they we re right LOL.
I've had ectopic beats since I was in my 30's I'm now 64. I started running at 54, did my first half marathon at 56, my first marathon at 62, and my first triathlon at 63. I also suffer from anxiety and know how debilitating this can be in reference to the heart mis-beating - on bad days where it's mis-beating at least 50% of the entire day, it's exhausting, and I'd be lying to say it doesn't bother me. But I now know my body, what it can do, and what I can do for it. Sometimes if it's just going on and on I get out for a brisk walk, pushing up the heart rate for 30 mins or so usually brings it back to normal - that's me - but worth trying. Like the rest of us, your anxiety just makes it worse as you're focused on the heart and what it's doing. I have recently started to take 1229,6 mg magnesium L-aspartate (Magnesiocard) and a mixture from my herbalist which is cratageous and other natural wonders that really all together have settled my heart which is less prone to mis-beating these last couple of weeks. Hang on in there, if you want the name of my herbalist just say
This is all such helpful advice and is appreciated so much. It’s lovely to know that I can find somewhere to ask questions where people actually understand what I’m talking about as like I said previously, I don’t know anyone that experiences them!
I take other medication which is why I prefer not to add anything else into the mix, even herbal but I’ll definitely try drinking more water and cutting down on (decaf) tea - I love a cup of tea! 😔
There’s just so worrying when they happen. I was told by my gp that it’s an early beat with a stronger one afterwards but it ALWAYS feels like a missed beat to me.... the strong thud afterwards always makes me feel like I’m about to drop on a rollercoaster... does anyone feel like that? Lasts less than a second but still unnerves me every time! Lately I’ve even wondered if I’ll wake up the next morning after going to bed 😥 I don’t drink, smoke, never taken drugs and my bmi is normal so it always baffles me as to why I have symptoms/problems like these and others don’t.... just unlucky I guess.
Thanks again for all the help and reassurance. It means a lot x
You have certainly stirred up convo on this one.. 🤣
I thought I’d cracked them after the usual 24 hour tape and told they are benign and nothing to worry about I was all good..
But then I had an ASD closure and they come back with a vengeance.. both PVC’s and PAC’s on the same ECG courtesy of my Apple Watch to confirm.
They have changed after my procedure and have become more thuddy..they are definitely brought on by excitement or anxiety for me as when I watch sport or get stressed at work they go mad..
I actually don’t get them if I have a glass of wine, probably because I relax more but it’s not really exceptable to drink wine all day unfortunately..
Thank you all. It is definitely the thud and butterfly feeling that upsets me and worries me. I’m lying in bed feeling an awful lot right now and it makes me worry that my heart will eventually just end up stopping!!! The thudding is such a horrible sensation. They’re definitely much worse in the evening, particularly when I’m still and not doing very much. Wondering whether to go back to the gp about them... I know they’ll put it all down to anxiety though!
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