Heart palpitations: Causes & Symptoms
Heart palpitations are when your heartbeat becomes more noticeable. They’re usually harmless, but get help if you keep getting them or you also have other symptoms.
Causes of heart palpitations
Common causes include:
- strenuous exercise
- lack of sleep
- stress and anxiety
- medicines (check the leaflet that comes with the medicine)
- alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and recreational drugs
Less often, they can be caused by a condition such as iron deficiency anaemia, an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) or a heart rhythm problem (arrhythmia).
What palpitations feel like
When you have palpitations, your heartbeat feels uncomfortable or unusual. You may feel it in your chest, neck or throat.
Your heartbeat may feel like it is:
- racing or beating very fast
- irregular, with skipped or extra beats (ectopic beats)
- pounding or thumping
- fluttering
- palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer.
See a GP if:
You have heart palpitations and:
- they keep coming back or they’re getting worse
- they last longer than a few minutes
- you have a heart condition
- you have a history of heart problems in your family
Treatment
Treatment for heart palpitations depends on the cause. They often do not need to be treated. If you suspect poor sleep may be the cause of your heart palpitations, click here for our comprehensive sleep guide
Avoiding things that can trigger palpitations, such as stress, smoking, caffeine and alcohol, can help.
You may have an electrocardiogram (ECG) to help find out what the cause might be. This is a test where small pads are stuck to your skin to check the electrical signals coming from your heart.
If your palpitations are caused by a heart problem, you may need medicines or a procedure to help correct your heartbeat.
Page last reviewed: 07 June 2022
Next review due: 07 June 2025