Irregular heartbeat, this is what you should know

The heart is an important organ whose job is to pump blood throughout the body. One sign that your heart is healthy is the number of normal heart beats per minute. Conversely, you may experience certain health conditions or problems if your heartbeat is irregular. So, what causes this condition and how to deal with it? Come on, find out the answer in the following review.

What are the signs and symptoms of an irregular heartbeat?

An irregular heartbeat is one of the main symptoms of arrhythmia. People who experience this abnormal heartbeat, may feel the heart beat slower, faster, or even as if there is a missed heartbeat.

You can feel this abnormal heartbeat by pressing one hand in front of your left chest. You can also check the pulse on the wrist or the side of the neck.

Note that a normal heart rate ranges from 60-100 beats per minute (BPM). If you find your pulse at less than 60 or more than 100 beats per minute at rest, this is a sign of an irregular heartbeat.

If you experience irregular changes in your heart rate, accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath, chest pain (angina), or a feeling of feeling faint, see your doctor or get medical help right away.

What causes an irregular heartbeat?

There are various things that can cause a slower or faster heart rate according to the Mayo Clinic, namely:

Psychological activities and conditions

The heartbeat can initially become irregular when you do physical activity, for example, exercising. In addition, changes in normal heart rate can also be triggered by your psychological condition, for example when you are anxious and afraid.

Certain habits

Certain habits turn out to be the cause of your heartbeat to be faster or slower than it should be. Habits that trigger this condition include drinking too much caffeinated or alcoholic beverages.

Heart problems

Some of the heart diseases that can cause a faster or slower heartbeat are:

Arrhythmia. Heart rhythm disturbances that occur due to electrical impulses that coordinate heartbeats not working properly. As a result, the heart rate will be faster (tachycardia) or slower (bradycardia) than it should be.
Congenital heart defects. A heart that is not fully formed during pregnancy can cause congenital heart disease in babies. This condition is very common causing an abnormal heartbeat.
Heart blood vessel problems. Coronary heart disease or atherosclerosis attacks the blood vessels of the heart which later causes symptoms such as irregular heartbeats.
Heart attack. Various heart diseases that are not treated properly can lead to heart attacks. Sometime before a heart attack occurs, some people may feel a change in heart rate.

Have certain health problems

Apart from heart disease, there are several other health problems that can trigger an irregular or abnormal heartbeat, such as:

Diabetes (the body's inability to regulate blood sugar levels).
Dehydration (lack of body fluids such as electrolytes that affect the electrical impulses of the heart related to the heart rate).
An overactive (hyperthyroid) or underactive (hypothyroid) condition of the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone.
Hypertension (high blood pressure that can cause the walls of the ventricles to become thickened and stiff, affecting the heart rate)

How to deal with an irregular heartbeat?

How to deal with a faster or slower heart rate depends on the underlying cause. If it doesn't lead to illness, such as exercise, then you don't need to worry. A heart rate that was faster or weaker can return to normal.

Meanwhile, if the change in heart rate is caused by excessive consumption of caffeinated drinks and alcohol, so as not to cause problems, start limiting these habits from now on.

However, changes in heart rate due to certain health problems can be treated in the following ways:

Reduce stress

Stress is very easy for people who have anxiety disorders, depression, or panic attacks. In order to prevent abnormal heartbeats, you need to consult a doctor. The doctor will open counseling and help you to deal with stress, such as following meditation therapy or therapy with other activities.

Take medicine

People who experience irregular heartbeats due to medical conditions will usually be prescribed medications by a doctor. Some of the drugs taken include:

Medicines to keep blood pressure stable for diabetics, such as metformin.
Medication for lowering high blood pressure for people with hypertension, for example, diuretic drugs.
Medicines to suppress or stimulate the activity of the thyroid gland in people with hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism. For example, the drug for hyperthyroidism is methimazole (Tapazole) and propylithiouracil, while for hypothyroidism is the synthetic thyroid hormone drug levothyroxine.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs, blood-thinning drugs, and arrhythmia drugs for people who have heart problems.

Surgical procedure

If medicines fail to treat the irregular heartbeat, a surgical procedure may be performed. Some of the types of surgery that are performed include:

Heart bypass surgery to treat severe heart blood vessel problems by increasing blood flow to your heart.
Ablation of the catheter to block abnormal electrical impulses, so they no longer cause an abnormal heart rate.
Pancreas transplant surgery for patients with type 1 diabetes, so that insulin in the body can return to work properly.