Chest pressure, heart palpitations, sweaty palms, and dizziness: what could it be?

Folks, I honestly have no clue what’s going on with me lately... By nature, I’m a positive guy—someone who likes to joke around, an optimist, you name it—but for a little while now (this is probably the fourth time this has happened, and it’s the second day in a row out of those four), I’ve been getting this intense pressure in my chest, heart palpitations, and this sort of lightheadedness. It’s accompanied by this "darkness" when there's bright light—not like I'm losing vision, but more like a heavy sensory overload—along with sweaty palms and this tingling, needle-like sensation in my hands. It all feels like I'm about to spontaneously combust...

I try to stay level-headed and composed, but truthfully, it’s terrifying sometimes; I think it’s perfectly normal to be worried... For instance, this hit me yesterday right after a heated argument with my parents. So, this has happened four times in the last month—out of those four instances, three were triggered by agitation, whereas this most recent one today just came out of nowhere...

On top of that, I’ve been getting this pressure in my ears, almost like I’m standing at some massive altitude, which has also happened within this last month... I don't have any ringing or tinnitus, but there’s this sensation of "clogging" in my left ear occasionally, and a weird shift in how low-volume sounds hit me—it's almost "raspy," if that makes sense—though I can't quite put my finger on it...

Every single one of these four episodes is accompanied by a lingering sense of mild anxiety; it’s the kind of thing that genuinely rattles you...

Is it possible that all of this is stemming from one specific type of stress? I’ve made some pretty significant life changes recently—moved in with someone I love deeply (and the feeling is mutual)—but there’s still that occasional friction with my parents, you know how it goes... To be honest, I've started getting scared that something is actually wrong with my health. By the way, I'm 28. I don't drink alcohol or anything like that; the only thing is I smoke about a pack and a half, sometimes even two a day, and I used to drink a ton of coffee, though I've cut back on both significantly and am trying to quit...

When I was younger, I was constantly on the move, always outdoors and playing recreational sports like basketball, but for the last year or so, I've been spending a massive amount of time sitting in front of a computer screen...

I'm posting this because I'm genuinely curious to hear your thoughts on whether all of this might be interconnected...

Thanks a lot,

You’re showing classic symptoms of thyroid issues. You should head to your doctor so they can order some hormone panels.
Given how high-stress life is these days, these kinds of health problems aren't exactly rare anymore. The key is getting a diagnosis as soon as possible so you can start treatment before things get complicated.

Angela Wright said:You’re showing textbook symptoms of a thyroid issue. You should head to your doctor right away so they can order some hormone panels.
Given how high-pressure life is these days—and just the sheer amount of stress we deal with—these kinds of health hiccups aren't exactly rare anymore. The key is getting a proper diagnosis quickly so you can start treatment; otherwise, things could get much more complicated than they need to be.

The Shield? I’ve never had a single issue with my Shield, goodness gracious... but thanks for the heads-up. If this keeps up, I’ll definitely see a doctor and lay it all out for them. Though, I have to ask—why isn't it true that Shield issues are mostly a woman's thing? And for what it's worth, I don't have any of those swallowing difficulties that some people with those disorders seem to struggle with.

wiredraven82 said:Shield issues? Honestly, I’ve never had any trouble there, man... but thanks, if this keeps up I’ll probably head to the doctor and lay it all out... And also, why isn't the Shield or those related glitches more common in women? Like, personally, I don't even deal with swallowing issues like some people who have those types of disorders.

You really ought to get checked out—just so you can rule out whatever random scares are currently spinning around in your head.

Then again, it could just be a mild panic attack—and don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this like you're being a coward or anything, it's just a totally natural biological reflex where your body reacts to something it perceives as a threat, whether that's actually dangerous or not.

Your adrenaline spikes, your peripheral blood vessels constrict so you get those chills and a racing heart, and then you're hit with that cold sweat. You might feel dizzy too, or see spots because of the blood pressure shift. It's the whole fight-or-flight thing, basically just a stress response. It doesn't necessarily mean it's going to spiral into a full-blown disorder or illness, but it's better to know what's actually happening than to just sit there guessing and stressing out.

There are threads on this here http://www.reddit.com/r/topic and over here http://www.reddit.com/r/topic , so maybe take a look.

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Donna Johnson16 said:you really ought to go get checked out—if only to shut down all those "what if" scenarios currently spinning through your head.

That said, this could very well just be a mild panic attack. Don't take that the wrong way; I'm not saying you're some kind of coward—this is a perfectly natural biological reflex where your body reacts to something it perceives as a threat, whether that threat is actually there or not.

Your adrenaline spikes, your peripheral blood vessels constrict—which leads to that shivering sensation and a racing heart—and then the cold sweats hit. You might even feel dizzy or see spots due to the sudden shift in blood pressure. It's the classic fight-or-flight response; essentially, it's a physiological reaction to stress. This doesn't necessarily mean it will spiral into a chronic disorder or a serious illness, but it is far better to know exactly what happened than to sit there guessing and worrying yourself sick.

Check out this thread here http://www.reddit.com/r/topic and this one over here http://www.reddit.com/r/topic ; they might give you some perspective.

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Well, if this keeps up, I'll head to the doctor. If they tell me to go see a specialist, fine—I'll follow the referrals. And yeah, I'll look through those threads...

I always used to think stuff like this wouldn't happen to me, but here we are. 🙂 Clearly, I'm not a robot... haha. I'm joking, mostly—not that I'm exactly in the mood for jokes right now—but that's just how I am, I try to lighten things up when I can. Seriously though, thank you. You're right; seeing a professional is the most logical move here.

I mean, what can I even say to you? If you’re dealing with some kind of heart stuff, you really need to get it checked out and sorted immediately—and for the love of God, quit smoking... though honestly, it feels like you already know that part.

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Donna Johnson16 said:Honestly, what else is there to say? If you're dealing with cardiovascular issues, you need to catch them and get treatment immediately—and for heaven's sake, quit smoking. But then again, I have a feeling you're already well aware of that.

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Of course... 🙂

wiredraven82 said:Hey everyone, honestly, I have no idea what’s going on with me lately... Usually, I'm a pretty positive guy, always cracking jokes, an optimist and all that, but for about a month now, I’ve been dealing with this weird sensation—this is probably the fourth time it's hit me, and actually the second day in a row for this specific stretch. I get this heavy pressure in my chest, my heart starts racing, and my head just feels light and fuzzy, almost like everything goes dark when the lights are bright—not like I'm actually blind, but just this overwhelming sense of heaviness... then my hands start sweating and I get this tingling, like tiny needles in my palms, and the whole thing just builds up until you feel like you're about to explode...

I try my best to stay chill and keep my cool, but man, it really scares the life out of me sometimes, and I think it's totally normal to be worried... For instance, it happened yesterday right after a blowout argument with my parents, so that’s four times in the last month; three of those were triggered by being worked up, but today, this fourth one, just came out of nowhere...

On top of that, I've been getting this intense pressure in my ears, almost like I've suddenly climbed to the peak of Mount Everest, and that's also happened within this past month... It's not like there's ringing or anything, but there's this weird "clogged" feeling in my left ear sometimes, and the sound waves seem to change volume or get this "rough" quality—I can't quite put my finger on how to describe it...

Every time this happens, it's accompanied by this low-level anxiety, and honestly, it just makes you jumpy, you know?...

Do you think all of this could be caused by a specific kind of stress? I've had some big life changes recently; I started living with someone I care about deeply, and she feels the same about me, but there's still that occasional friction with the parents, if you know what I mean... And now, I'm genuinely a bit terrified that something's wrong with my health... By the way, I'm 28. I don't drink alcohol or anything like that, though I do smoke about a pack and a half, sometimes even two a day, and I used to drink a ton of coffee, but I've cut back on both significantly and I'm trying to quit...

Back when I was younger, I was always on the move, constantly outdoors and playing sports like basketball, but for the last year or so, I've been spending a lot more time glued to my computer...

I'm posting this because I'm really curious to hear what you guys think—if you think all of this is somehow connected...

Thanks so much

I'd say you're having panic attacks. Speaking from personal experience 😢. I'm a cheerful, optimistic person too, but I went through some major life shifts (like losing my job) and I deal with panic attacks quite often. Unfortunately. It's not even like I'm consciously getting worked up; it's likely just my subconscious doing its own thing. I really think it's the same situation for you.

frozenorca63 said:I’d say you’re dealing with panic attacks. Speaking from my own experience 😢—and look, I’m generally a pretty upbeat, optimistic person—but life throws some curveballs, like losing a job, and suddenly I’m having these attacks quite frequently. It’s unfortunate. It isn't even that I'm consciously choosing to be stressed; it's more likely my subconscious just taking the wheel. I suspect that might be what's happening with you, too.

So, what have you actually done about it? Is there some kind of standard protocol to follow—meaning, have you actually gone to see a doctor yet?🙂

wiredraven82 said:So, what did you end up doing about it? Is there some kind of standard protocol you followed, like did you go see a doctor or anything? 🙂

Yeah, I went, and they diagnosed me with some mild neurological anxiety and prescribed a bunch of stuff—antidepressants, sleeping pills, the whole works, like Lexapro and Ambien. But honestly, I decided to skip the heavy meds since I wasn't feeling *that* bad, so I just started drinking St. John's Wort tea, maybe two cups a day. Whenever a panic attack would hit me out of nowhere, I’d just try to breathe through it and wait for it to pass; sometimes I’d take some Lexapro, but by the time it actually kicked in, the episode was usually over anyway 🙂. Personally, I really think what you're dealing with sounds more like panic attacks, because if it were something seriously medical, those symptoms wouldn't just show up randomly—they'd be constant. I remember back when I was dealing with a brain tumor a long time ago, my headaches never left me, and my behavior changes were always there, not just happening every once in a while
. Now that I know my own body better, whenever I start feeling that tightness in my chest or get dizzy, I'll either take some Lexapro or just go hit a kickboxing class to burn off the energy... Anyway, just try to cut out whatever is stressing you out and deal with the root cause. Good luck!

frozenorca63 said:I went in, they diagnosed me with mild neurological anxiety and prescribed antidepressants and a handful of other stuff—Lexapro, Ambien, things like that. I eventually decided against taking the antidepressants or the Ambien because I wasn't in a truly desperate state; instead, I started treating myself with St. John's Wort tea, drinking about two cups a day. Whenever a panic attack would hit, I’d just try to stay calm and wait it out—maybe take some Lexapro if needed, but by the time it actually kicked in, the episode was already over 🙂. Personally, I suspect what you're dealing with are panic attacks—if it were something more serious, the symptoms wouldn't be intermittent; they'd be constant. For instance, back when I had a brain tumor, the headaches were persistent, not sporadic. Behavioral changes were also constant, not just happening every now and then..
Now, I know my own body well enough—as soon as I feel anxiety or dizziness or whatever else creeping up, I'll take some Lexapro or go hit a kickboxing class... Basically, just try to eliminate the stress—remove the actual cause of why this is happening. Good luck!

Kuzim, I saw my doctor today and she told me to just take some Lexapro when it hits; she's going to run blood work and an EKG, check my Shield and all that. But honestly, I agree—the best remedy is simply getting rid of the stress.

wiredraven82 said:Man, I swung by my doctor's office today and she basically told me to just take some Xanax when things get hairy, then she's gonna pull some blood work, run an EKG, and check out my Shield to make sure everything is running smooth, but honestly, the real fix is just cutting out the stress entirely, you know?

I’ve got a good feeling those tests are going to come back totally clear for you. I went through the exact same thing myself. If something like Xanax or any other meds can chill you out, then you're definitely dealing with panic attacks or just straight-up anxiety... I'm pretty much almost through the worst of it, though I'm still fighting the battle every day, and let me tell you, it's no joke, but you just have to push through it.

frozenorca63 said:I honestly think if you run some tests, everything will come back fine. That was my experience. If something like Xanax or a similar sedative calms things down for you, then you're likely just dealing with panic attacks, stress, or anxiety. I’ve almost made it through—I'm still fighting it, and it isn't easy—but you have to push through it.

Just because it turned out that way for you doesn't mean he's in the same boat. There's a whole list of symptoms here that need to be taken seriously and thoroughly investigated. Sure, something like Xanax might help mask a symptom like tachycardia or heart palpitations by relaxing the muscles, but it doesn't necessarily fix the root cause. And that root cause could very easily be a Shield issue, which, by the way, hits men and women equally hard, wiredraven82. Regardless, it's a good move to consult a doctor and get all the necessary testing done.
In my opinion, anxiety is a much more difficult diagnosis to deal with than a thyroid disorder, and it's significantly harder to treat.

Angela Wright said:Just because you went through that doesn't mean he will, Dragon. There’s a whole list of symptoms here that really need to be taken seriously and checked out thoroughly. Something like Normabel might help manage things like tachycardia or heart palpitations since it helps relax the muscles, but that doesn't necessarily fix the root cause—which, by the way, could easily be the Shield, and that hits men and women just the same, Dragon. Regardless, it’s definitely for the best that they talked to a doctor and are getting all the necessary tests done.
Personally, I think anxiety is a much tougher diagnosis to deal with than thyroid issues; it's way harder to treat.

I totally agree. I personally struggle with both anxiety and hypothyroidism 😢. Honestly, dealing with the hypo is easier for me. But lately, I've noticed so many people coming up with these exact same symptoms that are actually just the fallout from stress, anxiety, and panic disorders. Like I mentioned before, when you're facing a serious underlying illness, those symptoms are constant, not just popping up every now and then. Panic attacks only happen occasionally. Yeah, anxiety is a whole different beast... but back when I was dealing with a brain tumor, my head didn't just ache four times a month; it hurt every single damn day. My entire personality shifted 24/7, not just every once in a while. So, when symptoms are sporadic like this, I lean toward thinking it's stress rather than something more severe. It looks like his doctor is leaning toward the stress theory too.

frozenorca63 said:I’m with you on that—I deal with anxiety myself, and I’ve also got hypothyroidism to contend with. 😢Personally, I find having health insurance makes everything a bit easier to manage. But lately, I’ve been noticing a massive surge in people presenting with symptoms that are clearly just fallout from stress, anxiety, or panic disorders. It’s a pattern—as I mentioned earlier, when you’re actually dealing with a serious, underlying illness, those symptoms don't just pop up once in a while; they are constant. They’re relentless. With panic attacks, sure, they hit you sporadically. And look, anxiety is a whole different beast entirely... but there's a distinction to be made here. When I was battling a brain tumor, my head didn't just ache four times a month—it hurt every single day. It wasn't some occasional shift in how I felt; it was a total transformation of my entire being, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. So, when someone tells me their symptoms are intermittent, my gut tells me it's stress rather than a life-threatening pathology. Even his doctor seems to be leaning toward the stress theory.

Look, I’ll be straight with you—about a month ago, I started hearing this constant ringing in my ears. I’m not going to lie, it spooked me quite a bit; I know someone who deals with this kind of thing constantly, and they eventually become hyper-fixated on it—always straining to listen, wondering if they can hear something that isn't actually there. Then, things took a turn. I started dealing with sweaty palms, heart palpitations, the whole works. But honestly, when you bundle all of this together, it’s clearly just a massive amount of stress. A month ago, I couldn't have even imagined myself sitting here writing about this, yet here we are.

I’m honestly baffled by how much Normabel actually settles me down—I’ve never really had to rely on it until this current mess. During my checkup yesterday, my doctor told me my heart rate was unusually high for someone my age (I'm only 28)—we're talking 100 to 104 beats per minute—and my blood pressure hit 150/90. It was one of those moments where you just can't believe what you're hearing, because normally I sit right around 80 bpm with a steady 120/80 pressure. To make matters even more confusing, I checked again today and everything looks perfectly normal: 80 beats per minute and 120/80.

Here’s the thing—over the last month, I’ve been dealing with this weird glitch in my system, though it was pretty sporadic at first. I’d say maybe four times total. But then, things shifted. For the past three days straight, I’ve been hit with these sudden bouts of symptoms—my heart starts racing out of nowhere and my palms get all sweaty. It isn’t an all-day ordeal, though; it usually lasts about 20 or 30 minutes, popping up once or twice a day. The strange part is that as soon as I actually decompress and get back to doing what I love, it just vanishes—completely on its own—until I barely even notice it happened.

I’m curious about one thing—have you ever experienced those weird, low-volume "hums" in your ear? Not like a loud ringing, but more of a strange, "raspy" texture to the sound? Along with that, I get this constant popping sensation whenever I swallow or yawn. It actually got to the point where I went to see an ENT specialist at a Mayo Clinic facility in New York City just to get checked out. They told me the inside just looked a bit red and handed me some drops... and while there has been some slight improvement, the symptoms keep resurfacing.

I’ve got bloodwork scheduled for this Tuesday—they’re going to run a full panel, including my hormone levels and checking on my thyroid function—and once that's out of the way, I'll likely be heading straight into an EKG. After all the results are in, we'll finally have a clear picture of what's actually going on.

I should probably mention that my life took a turn quite abruptly—extremely abruptly, actually. It wasn’t some negative shift, mind you; far from it. But it was a change nonetheless. I’ve always considered myself an optimist—a glass-half-full kind of guy—but I’m also a bit of a loner at heart. I’ve mastered the art of being comfortable in my own skin even when I was juggling multiple relationships back in the day, but lately, I’m constantly by someone's side. Honestly? It hasn't been an issue at all. In fact, I’ve adjusted perfectly fine—it’s actually quite great. I don't shy away from the occasional disagreement with the older generation, and I certainly don't fear responsibility. It’s just one of those things where, as the saying goes: I don't know what the hell is going on. 🙂

I only know one thing for certain: I don't do "surrender." I refuse to just sink into the anxiety and let it take over. I’ve always been the type of person who—when things get at their absolute worst—doubles down on the fight instead of throwing in the towel. That’s how I’m handling this, too. So, if this really is clinical anxiety (though, honestly, it might just be straight-up, overwhelming stress)—well, then me and "it" are going to go head-to-head. We'll settle this once and for all. Heh. 😁

Honestly, I’m dealing with every single one of those symptoms myself, though I think it’s mostly just anxiety acting up. As far as my thyroid goes, everything seems totally fine there.

wiredraven82 said:Look, I know exactly what you're going through...

I’m telling you, this sounds just like pure stress or anxiety to me. Personally, I didn't get those popping sensations, but my blood pressure absolutely spiked because of the anxiety! You wouldn't believe it—I've had low blood pressure my entire life, but last year everything hit the fan; I lost my job and lost three people who were incredibly close to me. After all that chaos, my blood pressure just went haywire. I actually ended up in therapy, and honestly, once I got myself sorted out, my numbers went right back to being perfectly normal without any meds. When that tightness or whatever hits me, I get these dizzy spells, and my heart rate jumps from a steady 65 up to 100 during a panic attack. At first, my hands and feet would go numb, and one time I even started stumbling a bit, which really freaked me out that something was wrong with my brain. Like I mentioned before, I've dealt with a brain tumor and an aneurysm in the past. But here's the thing: up until a year ago, I NEVER even bothered with a routine physical at the doctor, even when I was dealing with serious illnesses. I just didn't care about that stuff, but once the anxiety kicked in, I turned into a total hypochondriac and started overthinking every little sensation.
Hang in there, maybe try some St. John's Wort; it's a pretty gentle natural antidepressant. For me, taking a B complex really helped, specifically this one: http://www.twinlab.com/product/stress-b-complex-caps.