Ectopics

[Geo26]

Hi, just wanted to get some info on how common ectopic heart beats really are by asking if anyone (mainly women I guess) is in their 30/40s with no previous heart conditions or underlying health problems? My ectopics are going crazy lately but doc isn’t worried and says it’s due to anxiety/stress (I am very anxious and stressed lately!) just want to find out if I’m as much of a minority as I think!? Thanks x

[Hidden]

They are extraordinarily common, you’re not in a minority at all. The BHF goes so far as to say most people will experience ectopic beats, the difference is that many people are unaware of having them. They don’t feel them at all, or maybe only one in a blue moon, or they occur during sleep so go unnoticed that way. We do know that you are more likely to notice them after being diagnosed with a heart problem, but plenty of people with completely healthy hearts and no underlying health conditions at all notice them, too. We still don’t know why only a relative minority are acutely aware of them, or why some people have a dozen in a day and feel every single one, but others might have 10,000 in a day and only feel one or two (if any at all). We also don’t understand why they happen. The only thing we have been able to do successfully is establish when they’re something to worry about, which for the vast majority they’re not. Annoying, inconvenient, sometimes worrying in the early stages of living with them, but not actually a problem for most.

[Geo26 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for the reassurance x

[Smileyian]

Very very very common. Some people do not even know they have them ! I have had for over 40 years. Def not life threatening if deep down that is your concern. Your doctors will advise.

[HANDY1 in reply to Smileyian]

Hello Smileyian I am 59 and I too have Ectopic beats. Mine seem to be constant but I never really feel them until I lay in bed. I power walk every day and never suffer from shortness of breath, exhaustion or pain…. nothing but my ectopic beats seem endless. What are your symptoms like?

[peterjones105]

I've had them all my life and just ignore them, since given up caffeine totally for over two months the frequency has lessened significantly and only noticeable if all is quiet and I am totally at rest, I believe that stress and anxiety do increase frequency as does alcohol.

[Qualipop]

That's around the age that mine started. I spent about 2 years trying to find out what caused them. An ECG only measures a brief moment in time; holter monitor never caught any. Eventually I had the stress test ona treadmill; again no extopics during eth test but they sat me down to recover with the electrodes still attached and bingo; I had a long run of ectopics. They said that they could see where they we re coming from and they were totally harmless. That was 4 0 years ago. I still get them, mainly when i'm stressed or anxious. I can go for months and months without any.

[Serendipidy3]

I’ve had atrial ectopics all my life, got worried as I got older and just had a 2 week monitor stuck to my sternum, feedback no abnormalities and frequent ectopics, consultant was happy 😊

[Niki_]

Do you know how many you have in a 24 hour time? I’m 41 I started getting them at 40 I take some natural supplements ie: taurine , l-arginine and magnesium and that has reduced them a lot!

[soppysokes]

you seem to have had evry check available and have confirmation your palpitations are harmless-which is very,very common. quite likely caused by your anxiety. If thyroid is out of cank it can add to the problem but thats easily fixed usually if any issue there.

[bantam12]

A lot of people including me have had increase in ectopics since covid vac.

[Geo26 in reply to bantam12]

Is that normal then and at all worrying or a cause for concern??

[bantam12]

I have several heart problems so I don't think its anxiety related in my case, I had the vac a month ago. If you are very symptomatic and feel it's more than anxiety ask for further testing, you have to be persistent !

[Geo26 in reply to bantam12]

I had a lot of testing a couple of years ago... countless tapes and a scan of my heart which didn’t show any problems... I do suffer with severe health anxiety so is the most likely cause...

[Tongle]

I have very scary bouts of them every so often and am again going through a round of tests.I found out that if you took 100 people off the street with no symptoms...70 of them would be having ectopic without even knowing.

Once you notice them...it's hard to stop focusing on them and that can cause anxiety.

If they are not accompanied with other symptoms like pain, shortness of breath, dizziness etc....you are probably OK.

Always a good idea to check them out though!