How to STOP "Scary" Heart Palpitations

Few things are worse (or scarier) than palpitations that come every few seconds and won’t seem to go away.  It feels like your heart is about to give up.  I have often focused on permanent remedies that will remove heart palpitations for good, but there are some temporary techniques/solutions that will hopefully stop or slow them down for a while.
I’m not saying that these work for everyone (or that you should try any or all of them), I am just saying that someone, somewhere on the internet has claimed that it worked for them (I will do my best to provide links to where I found it so you can dig deeper if you would like). There are many different types of heart palpitations and many different causes, so what works for someone else may not work for you. Also, many of these cures were likely the result of multiple factors and not just one single thing. And as always, please don’t try any of these without first consulting your primary care physician and/or your cardiologist.

Overview:

1. Go See A Cardiologist.  Not all irregular heartbeats are created equal.  While it is true that most heart palpitations are benign and are nothing more than a nuisance, some irregular heartbeats mean that there are more serious problems lurking elsewhere.  You need to get checked out.  I will say this over and over again, but I cannot stress the importance of seeing a cardiologist and getting the proper tests done.  Get a stress test, blood test, EKG, Hoilter Monitor, and any other test the Cardiologist thinks is necessary.  I know that these visits can be expensive (trust me), but they are worth it.
2. Examine Your Nutrition.  I personally think this is the best place to start after seeing a cardiologist.  I thought I ate decently healthy until I began tracking what I eat.  Wow, was I wrong.  Also, this is the most cited area when it comes to cures for palpitations (i.e. “Just drink more grape juice and you’ll be fine” or “all you need is more Magnesium”).  So under this topic I will explore three aspects of Nutrition:
   • Food
   • Supplements
   • Medicine
3. Monitor Your Fitness.  We all have heard that exercise is good for your heart and it’s even better for reducing stress, so it makes sense to go about it the right way.
4. Learn How To Sleep.  I think sleep, or lack of sleep, contributes greatly to the cause and severity of palpitations.

Does Drinking More Water Help Stop Heart Palpitations?

I have seen a number of comments online from people who say that drinking more water has helped or cured their heart palpitations. I think this is for two reasons:

1. They were dehydrated and dehydration can cause heart palpations. When you become dehydrated your body is depleted of minerals that help regulate the bodies natural rhythm (sodium, magnesium, potassium, etc).
2. Water helped them with digestion of heavy foods. One of the biggest things I noticed when I started drinking more water was that my body did a better job of digesting food. I felt better too. I think a big cause of heart palpitations come from irritation of the Vagus Nerve that runs throughout your body including your stomach. Which I believe is also why eating too much can cause heart palpitations as can IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).
3. So I highly recommend that do yourself a favor and drink more water. I’m not saying ONLY drink water, but definitely make it a higher priority if you don’t already. I’ve even tried mineral infused water (like Smart Water) and I really like it. I’ve tried Vitamin water too and worked it into the rotation as well, especially since it has a lot less sugar than Gatorade or other sports drinks. I really enjoy coconut water too. This one is a good one to try if you’ve never had coconut water(I prefer it to others I’ve tried).

Word of caution: Drinking Too Much Water at Once Can Actually Cause Heart Palpitations – drink in small amounts. Don’t gulp down a large amount of water too quickly.

Techniques to Stop Heart Palpitations Immediately:

1. Cough.  Yep, a plain o’l cough can supposedly reset the rhythm of your heart.  I have tried this with limited success, but others seem to think it works great.
2. Bear Down.  There is no real polite way to say this, but the whole idea is to clinch your stomach muscles to mimic the act of going to the bathroom – pushing out a bowl movement (careful here…you don’t want to mess up and do the real thing…).  For some reason this reroutes the circuits and the palpitations sometimes go away or at least slow down a little.
3. Cold Water.  Splashing cold water on your face or taking a cold shower shocks your body and resets your normal heart rhythm.  I am sure this works for some people, but I hate taking cold showers, so I usually pass on this one unless the palpitations are really bad.
4. Valsalva Maneuver.  A large cause of heart palpitations is the vagus nerve.  So stimulating the vagus nerve, which can affect heart rate, will sometimes stop palpitations and possibly restore your normal heart beat. To do the Valsalva maneuver you hold your nose and close your mouth while attempting to breathe out with some force (think of blowing up a balloon). Another technique is to make a fist and blow into it like you are blowing up a balloon.  If done correctly, you may experience immediate relief from your palpitations.  This technique is similar to “Bearing Down” mentioned above.

Calm-down breathing exercise

Breath Counting
Close your eyes, take a few deep breaths and then breath in naturally (don’t worry about rhythm) through your nose and out through your nose. When you breath out through your nose count “one” to yourself. Keep doing that all the way to five and repeat. Focus on the numbers (maybe even try to picture them mentally). Soon your mind will wander, but that is good. Just keep coming back to your five count.

NEXT: Over 30 Possible Heart Palpitation Cures

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Author: Marsha Mellow

Hello dear friends. Welcome to Natural Medicine Box. My name is Melody and I love love, love natural medicine. This is my passion and joy of living. I hope you enjoy your visit today and please visit often. Thank you! View all posts by Marsha Mellow