Random heart rate peaks and lightheaded when exercising

[hobbycat]

I’m new here - am I in the right place ?

In August I noticed that since June my heart rate would randomly peak just of a very short while mostly. 168 was highest. I don’t notice these at all. (Captured on my Fitbit).

I’m on T3 thyroid medication and I’ve reduced that a little in response. Though, now, weeks later, although this has helped, there are still peaks.

Also, I run 2 x 5km a week and more worryingly is that more frequently of late when I run I get palps and feel very lightheaded. Usually when I stop for a minute or two everything settles and I’m okay to restart (though I always wonder if that is madness - is it?).

And on my last outing my heart rate seemed harder and faster than usual and it stayed elevated and took a while to settle.

I’m due to get an NHS recording device in January which feels like eons away and they (cardio admin) have implied I’ll get Kardia. To speed up the process I’ve bought one but feel I’ve got no hope of capturing what needs to be captured. By the time I get my phone out the moment has gone, and the most useful monitoring would be while I am running after about 20mins. A recent stress test got me no where need the point where my heart starts going weird.

Please can anyone advise on what sort of consultant to see? (I’m considering going private because the waiting is so stressful). I had an echo a couple of years ago and that was fine. It’s all about my electrics and my T3.

In the meantime might beta blockers be an option?

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

Hi Hobbycat. Certainly this forum is for heart issues. You are in the right place! But we just try and help each other with the benefit of our experiences and some support at difficult times.I hope you will get some helpful advice from other runners here, who seem to analyse their fitness in real detail, and possibly also ideas on which kind of Cardio to see, but we don’t give medical advice.

[Thoughtiwasfit]

Have you tried using a chest strap to monitor your heart? I wear a watch that showed the same sort of spikes that I'd never seen before my recent heart attack, but when I wore a chest strap what my watch had thought it had seen did not show on the recording from my chest strap. My wife wondered if I had a biphasic pulse that was double counting on the watch because it measures your heart rate in a different way.

[Suziib]

Don’t set too much by your fit bit, while it’s invaluable for exercise, sleep patterns, resting heart rate and getting you moving it also can measure steps when you are driving, mine has even recorded me running whilst washing my hair.Keep on at you gp or cardiologist for more accurate monitoring

[hobbycat]

Hi HappyJo, thanks for all your info. I did capture a ‘possible A fib’ when I went very slow running at the weekend which I’ve emailed to NHS cardio - no idea if they will respond. I find this all so hard