Why do I always feel my heart pounding?

Oops, I feel excited again!

In life, many people have experienced "heart pounding", and some people experience this frequently.

In modern society, staying up late has become a daily routine for many people, but what comes with it is that you often feel your heartbeat speeding up, which makes people worry that there is something wrong with their heart...

What is the reason for "heart pounding"? Does staying up late for a long time increase the risk of heart disease? What are the distress signals of the heart? The editor will highlight the key points for you!

1

What is the “heart pounding” feeling?

The symptom of "beating heart" is common in various types of arrhythmias, such as tachyarrhythmias and ectopic arrhythmias.

The causes of arrhythmia include physiological factors and pathological factors.

Physiological arrhythmias are more common in normal people when they smoke, drink large amounts of coffee, strong tea, drink alcohol, engage in physical activities, are emotionally excited, or nervous. Generally, no special treatment is required and the symptoms will disappear on their own.

Pathological arrhythmias include many different types, such as atrial premature beats, ventricular premature beats, atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, sinus tachycardia, supraventricular tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, etc. Arrhythmias can be caused by some pathological factors, such as organic heart lesions, fever, hyperthyroidism, anemia, shock, myocardial ischemia, congestive heart failure, etc.

Pathological arrhythmias require active treatment of the underlying disease, and medication or interventional therapy may be required when necessary.

2

Will staying up late for a long time increase the risk of heart disease?

Abnormal sleep rhythm will affect the function of the body's autonomic nervous system, including the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.

The sympathetic nervous system can enhance the body's response under stress: increase heart rate, increase blood pressure, dilate trachea, enlarge pupils, etc.

The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for maintaining many physiological functions of the body in normal state: slowing down the heart rate, lowering blood pressure, promoting gastrointestinal motility, etc.

When staying up late, the sympathetic nerves of the human body are in an excited state. Over time, the burden on the heart increases, the body's self-regulation ability is impaired, and the risk of various heart diseases increases.

3

What are the heart's distress signals?

The most common symptoms of heart system diseases include chest tightness, shortness of breath, palpitations, shortness of breath, reduced activity tolerance, pitting edema of the lower limbs, and pain in the left shoulder and back.

Many non-specific manifestations are easily overlooked because the symptoms do not directly reflect the heart. For example, there may be unexplained tightness in the throat, nausea, loss of appetite, toothache, fatigue, mood changes, etc. without obvious causes in the recent period.

If the above symptoms occur, you should pay attention to them, seek medical treatment and intervention in time to avoid delaying the disease.

4

How to protect heart health?

1. Maintain a good lifestyle. Quit smoking and drinking; maintain a good attitude. Long-term negative emotions can cause high blood pressure, weight gain, and harm heart health; eat a light diet and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits; control weight; combine work and rest, avoid overwork, and get enough sleep.

2. Exercise appropriately. A reasonable amount of exercise can increase the heart's tolerance and myocardial contractility.

3. Control primary diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, hyperthyroidism, anemia, organic heart disease, etc.

4. Regular physical examinations: Early detection and early treatment directly affect the prognosis of the disease.

Source: Science China (ID: Science_China)

Expert of this article: Zhao Jing, attending physician, Department of Geriatrics, Third Medical Center, PLA General Hospital

This article was reviewed by Li Jiehui, Associate Chief Physician, Department of Cardiac Surgery, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences

Producer: Liu Hong Chen Jingchun Editor: Zhang Linglin

Proofreading: Liang Tiantian, Cai Mengxiao, Yan Hai