Weird Heart beat when resting?

[GillianS]

Does anyone know of weird heart beats when resting? I have no heart irregularities when training. Only sometimes when I am resting. Either lying on my side on couch or when on an angle in bed... usually when typing. No missing beats just some beats feel "Larger" or more pronounced. Has anyone had anything similar? Thanks for any feed back. x

[Matthieu O’Halloran - "M@"]

Hey Gillian, I also get heart palpitations if I take a big amount of caffeine or energie drink like red bull.

Like you I dont feel it in training, just after, as it seems to be when the stimulants are wearing off...

If you dont take those stimulants, then I dont know...To me, it doesn't hurt, just feels funny and are very very occasional and short....

[GillianS]

oh I had not thought about that ... I dont drink red bull ... but for ages I was eating those roctane gels as I was getting ready for a race... eating race food in training and practicing for race day... interesting maybe it was all the post training caffine come down? Thanks for the feed back matt.

[Beck]

Yes, I agree with M@.  Probably caffiene/stimulant related.  I sort of sometimes get a "heart racing" feeling at rest.
But I wouldn't want to brush it off either- in case it is something more serious.  Perhaps keep an eye on it, and trust your intuition, and if you need to see a doctor, a visit can't hurt.

[DamienC]

I also get it, especially when I'm lying down, and have been down for a while.  It's not that it speeds up or anything, it just beats harder once or twice, kind of like taking a deep breath every now and again, eventhough you're not doing anything.

[Huggy Bear]

I have had that - I read up about it and found that it was common in fitter people.
But like all things check it out for yourself, I'm no doctor!!

[GillianS]

Damien C , you sound like you have exactly the same thing... do you ingest loads  of caffine in training? Thanks Beck.. I will go to the Dr if it gets any different.

[AndyDavies]

I have also had these symptoms in the past. Mine were due to being anxious about work/racing etc.. I did get tests done ECG etc just to put my mind at ease and then got some advice regarding relaxation techniques. Might be worth going to the quacks and setting your mind at rest as worrying about what is probably nothing may perpetuate the problem, as palputation are a symptom of anxiety!!

[DamienC]

Hey Gillian S, no, I hardly ever touch the stuff, I don't even drink coffee.  I'll only have Coke if I'm driving a long way, or if I need to stay awake and alert at night (like if I go out to supper with friends).

[rebekahkeat]

Hey apparently its quite common in Endurance athletes I have had something like this and it scared the hell out of me my heart would actually slow then do one big beat almost skipping a beat at times.I was born prem(and a twin) so i had the whole in the heart and it came up as scar tissue , i was also made to wear a halter and it showed irregular beats when i was asleep .
Funny enough though was they did all blood tests and it ended up being due to very low electrolytes and i only ever drank water.Apparently the Mg+ also helps conductivity of the heart,it was as simple as getting Mg+ tabs and drinking more electrolytes!Not sure if yours is the same but would hurt to have full blood test and electro's meausred?   to be honest I havn't had it since getting my electrolytes up to balance!Hope this helps!!

[Tamsin Lewis - "sportiedoc"]

Hey...

Most likely to be what we medics call a sinus arrythmia... nothing sinister.. and yes it is common in athletes as the heart muscle grows and sometimes the electrical conductivity of the heart lags behind.  It is commoner in women, and caffeine like any stimulant can bring out an arrythmia in those with vulnerable heart muscle.

Bek is right that it could be electrolyte related... the most common electrolyte to affect the rhythm of the heart is potassium... athletes can be prone to hypokalaemia (low potassium in the blood) - this is made worse by any episodes of vomiting or diarrhoea which leaches potassium out of the body.  Magnesium too as Bek alludes too... but Mg is common in many food stuffs so deficiences are relatively rare.

If there is no pain/shortness or breath associated with the heart rhythm irregularities then I wouldnt be worrying... cut out the caffeine and see if there is any improvement... alcohol too (in excess) can cause arrthymias - some complain of 'palpitations' the morning following a heavy night out .... but being an athlete - i'm sure this wouldn't be on your to-do list 

If you were to go to a Doc (not sure what country you in) - but in UK... they'd probably take a history - associated factors/precipatants etc... and consider doing a chest XRAY and ECG (trace of the heart) - a static ECG is unlikely to show anything abnormal because it reflects just the short time in which it is taken... a 24Hr Holter monitor may then be attached in order to try to 'pick-up' the presumed arrthymia... often this fails too...

So the short of it is... dont worry.
Keep your potassium intake up - Bananas are particularly good as are tomatoes and Kiwi Fruit... consider taking a Mg supplement (but in a low dose as too much Mg can cause  its own problems...)
Try a week of the caffeine...

Cheers

[DamienC]

A Holter is no fun!     Especially when you have to run hard or sleep!!

[rebekahkeat]

Ha ha i know how fricken annoying are those things...I think everyone would have some sort of an irregularity if they wore this thing around huh?

[GillianS]

Thanks a million for all the responses... dont think I will be rushing out for holter thingy anytime soon. My one and only heart rate monitor was thrown in a bush about 10 mins after I bought it. The boobie rash it caused meant it came to an untimely death. These holters sound far more expensive so I think I will pass. Glad to see I am not going mad or am the only healthy person with "weird heart beat"