Heart palpitations?

So, heart palpitations... specifically extrasystoles. What does that actually feel like when they hit?
I know everyone's experience is different, but has anyone here actually dealt with this? I'd love to hear what you guys felt like when it happened...

You can really feel that weird sensation where your heart just skips a beat during an extrasystole, and if you actually take a second to check your pulse, you'll notice that one beat just completely vanishes from the rhythm at the periphery.

And if you actually check your pulse, you can feel that beat just... vanish on the periphery right at that second.

Oh yeah, I'd need to be "lucky" enough to be checking my pulse at that exact millisecond.
I’m talking about that weird subjective feeling in your chest. Is it actually just an extra beat—like an extra systole—that gets compensated for by a longer pause immediately after?

It’s such a weird sensation... you almost feel like there’s an extra beat squeezed right between two regular heartbeats, along with this strange pressure in your chest. It only lasts for maybe two or three seconds, if it even happens at all.

I deal with extrasystoles quite often myself. How dangerous is this really, and can it actually be treated?😕 I'm also trying to figure out what causes them. I'm actually in the middle of getting some tests done right now, but you know how it goes—you just have to wait. If anyone has any insight, I'd appreciate the help.🙏

Sometimes extra beats don't even trigger a physical sensation, which honestly makes things a bit tricky. It’s all pretty complicated stuff, and I’m sure a top-tier cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic would have way more insight than I do, so you definitely shouldn't skip seeing a specialist.

Basically, a heartbeat happens when an electrical signal travels through your heart's own little nervous system. That pulse starts at one spot—like the AV node—and moves through the cardiac nerves to make the muscle contract, creating that beat we feel. You can actually see this process mapped out on a graph using an IBM, which most people know as an electrocardiogram.

So, an extrasystole can happen if that electrical signal decides to pop up in a weird spot in the nervous system, causing what feels like an "extra" beat popping in between two regular ones, either by itself or in a little series.
Or, it could be that this "off" impulse doesn't actually cause a physical thud at all, but it still shows up as a rhythm abnormality on your IBM (which doesn't necessarily mean it's harmless, though).
There's also the chance that a "normal" signal just gets interrupted or fails to finish its trip through the system—kind of like a heart block—causing the heart to just "skip" a beat entirely...
As for how it actually feels, some people say it feels like their heart skipped, or like Casey Palmer5 described, an extra thump, while others might deal with tightness, chest pressure, or just feeling generally off, like getting sweaty or pale.

At the end of the day, there are just too many moving parts and variables involved to ignore these kinds of sensations and skip a trip to the doctor. At least, that's my two cents.

👍

Is there any kind of medication that can actually cure this, or is it just something you have to deal with and take meds for forever 😲 ???
Ugh, I’m honestly just a nervous wreck because of it

Alexander Phillips4 said:Is there actually some kind of pill that can fix this, or is it just something you have to live with forever along with all the other meds?😲 ???
man, I'm honestly just spiraling a bit thinking about this

Look, at the end of the day, you really need an accurate diagnosis before you even start talking about treatment. Everything we've been discussing here doesn't necessarily apply to what you're actually dealing with. See, those extra heartbeats could be a direct heart issue, or they could just be a side effect of something else entirely—like a metabolic imbalance with your potassium or sodium levels, or maybe even hyperthyroidism causing tachycardia that leads to those palpitations... there's a whole list of possibilities.
If I were you, I'd head down to the nearest hospital and ask the staff if they can recommend a solid cardiologist, then grab a referral from your primary doctor (don't let them just brush you off without getting a specialist's opinion) so you can get scheduled for an appointment with a heart specialist as soon as possible.

So, I finally saw the cardiologist. We did the whole routine—an IBM, an echocardiogram, the works—and the guy told me my heart is actually doing just fine. I’m still wearing this Holter monitor today, though, and honestly, I’ve been feeling pretty lousy all day, so I’m curious to see what else they find.
I was wondering, though—could this be caused by some kind of hormonal imbalance? I totally forgot to ask him about it, but he did strongly suggest I go see my OB-GYN. 🙄

Alexander Phillips4 said:So, I finally saw my cardiologist. Did the whole routine—IBM, heart ultrasound, the works. The guy told me my heart is actually fine. I’m still wearing this Holter monitor today, though, and honestly, I’ve felt like garbage all day, so I'm curious to see what else they find. He did mention that those extra beats (extrasystoles) are there, but he insists the cause isn't an actual heart defect.
I just want to know if it could be some kind of hormonal imbalance?? I totally blanked on asking him, but he kept emphasizing that I should go get a checkup with my OBGYN.🙄

It doesn't necessarily have to be hormones.

Extrasystoles aren't treated like some major disease.

I deal with about 6,000 to 7,000 of them a day myself. Most of the time I don't even notice, but when they start acting up, it's pretty unsettling. Your heart just skips a beat, stops for a second, and you're just sitting there waiting for it to kick back in. So far, it always does.👍

So, I guess I’m officially joining the club of people dealing with heart palpitations. For me, it isn't exactly a pleasant sensation either; it feels as though my heart is thumping incredibly hard and deep in my chest, and then I get this momentary shortness of breath... it’s certainly not an ideal feeling when it hits while I'm at work (and my job involves constant face-to-face interaction with clients), but honestly, after a long conversation with my cardiologist, I feel much more at ease and don't let these skips rattle me anymore. You just have to accept it—it's just how you live your life now. And frankly, I wouldn't touch medication unless it was absolutely essential for survival.
Maybe try having just a small glass of red wine...

Hey Lady Gaga... I’d tell you welcome to the club, but it’s not exactly 🙄
The same thing happens to me too. Sometimes it skips so hard it feels super awkward. I ended up talking to my cardiologist about it because I was honestly terrified, but I finally managed to shake that paranoia. A little skip here, a pause there, then I'm fine. The only time it really sucks is when I can't fall asleep at night because of it.

Scott Allen10 said:You can actually feel your heart "skip a beat" during an extrasystole. If you're checking your pulse, you'll notice a missed beat at your wrist right when it happens.

It’s more accurate to say an extrasystole is just an extra beat wedged between two regular ones.

What even is systole? It's just the heart contracting, using its muscle power to squeeze blood out into the arteries.

Kevin White5 said:I think it’s more accurate to say an extrasystole is just an extra beat occurring between two regular heartbeats.

So what actually is systole? It's basically when the heart muscle contracts, squeezing hard to pump blood out into the arteries.

Alright, fair enough, I get where you're coming from—that way is definitely easier to wrap your head around. But with extrasystoles acting as those arrhythmias you see on an IBM, they don't always trigger a full myocardial contraction.
If it does cause a contraction, you'll feel that extra thump between your usual beats.
But if it doesn't trigger the actual squeeze, the beat just disappears, making it feel like your heart "skipped" a beat because there's nothing felt at the pulse point, even though the IBM shows the electrical impulse traveled through the myocardium. That’s really what I was getting at earlier, but honestly, whatever, your way of explaining it is much simpler to follow.

Scott Allen10 said:An extrasystole—that heart arrhythmia you see on an IBM—might or might not trigger a myocardial contraction.
If it triggers a contraction, you feel an extra beat between your normal ones.
If it doesn't cause the heart to contract, the beat just disappears. The heart "skips," and you don't feel a pulse at the periphery, even though the IBM shows the electrical impulse passing through the myocardium. That’s what I meant earlier, but whatever. Your way of explaining it is easier to grasp.

I was just defining systole as a contraction.
I wasn't talking about extrasystoles specifically...

And most extrasystoles don't actually cause a contraction, right?

Ugh... let's not overcomplicate this. People got the gist of what I was saying.🙂

But I think people can usually feel their own extrasystoles. They're pretty common in anxious people or caffeine addicts... and they aren't typically dangerous in most cases. Correct me if I'm wrong.

Don't sweat it too much. I lived a pretty wild, reckless lifestyle myself, and I felt like my heart was being run over by an eighteen-wheeler every single day until I finally figured things out.
First, the panic set in. I went on this massive hunt for answers, seeing the top cardiologists in the country and burning through a small fortune in medical bills. Eventually, the anxiety got so bad I developed panic disorder and ended up seeing a psychiatrist, who finally solved the whole "skipping heartbeat" mystery.
Basically, it’s all tied to your nervous system. For me, it flares up when the weather changes, when I get stressed out, or when I have a few drinks in the evening and settle in with a cigarette or two.
The good news is you can handle this pretty quickly if you take action. If luck is on your side, you can just head down to the pharmacy and pick up some Xanax—at least 3mg.
The moment you feel that first skip, reach for that little box containing your "magic pill" for calming your nerves and swallow one. If one doesn't do the trick, two will, and you'll be fine for the rest of the day.
The faster you act, the sooner it stops!
After that, you can go back to drinking or smoking if that's your thing; honestly, you can live a totally normal life. Just force yourself to stop obsessing over it. If you keep constantly asking "why me?" or "how is this happening?", you're only making yourself miserable!
😁

It’s safe. I already went through the whole cardiac workup and everything came back clean. The doctor basically told me to cut back on the coffee, stop smoking, lay off the booze, and manage my stress... maybe pop a Xanax here and there to chill out, though I don't go that route. It usually hits me hardest during PMS, so it's probably just my hormones acting up.

My Holter monitor mostly picked up things during the night... honestly, I don't even really pay much attention to it anymore.😎

Stress is easily one of the biggest culprits behind those annoying heart palpitations—you know, that "skipped beat" feeling. And honestly? You don't even have to realize you're stressed for it to happen. It’s just that constant, grinding pressure from daily life building up until your heart decides to act out. I bet almost everyone has felt that sensation at least once. It can hang around for a few days or just linger indefinitely. But look, if you start dealing with dizziness, chest pains, or anything else sketchy, you seriously need to go see a doctor.

For starters, try to backtrack and see if any recent chaos in your life triggered this. Maybe try some natural stuff to take the edge off—things like passionflower or valerian root. As for coffee—it's not the monster people make it out to be; if you're just having two cups a day, you probably don't need to cut it out entirely. Cigarettes, though? That's a different story. They crank up your heart rate, spike your blood pressure, and mess with your muscle tone, so if I were you, I'd quit them cold turkey.

Me too, guys. It’s pretty much the same story for me as it is for most of you. These heart palpitations started popping up about four or five years ago. I’ve been through the wringer with cardiologists, getting all kinds of tests done, and everything comes back perfectly fine. My heart is healthy, yet this weird skipping sensation just won't quit. For a while, my doctor put me on Lexapro, and while I was taking it for about a year, I didn't feel a single skip. I eventually stopped because I thought I was cured, but then—two months later—it all came rushing back. Honestly, I'm over the meds; the side effects just aren't worth it. I know deep down it’s tied to my lifestyle, but changing how I live isn't exactly easy. I guess you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Three different specialists have told me the exact same thing: don't worry, your heart is healthy. But still, when it happens, the fear is real. Does anyone have any advice on how to actually deal with the anxiety of it all?