Heart rhythm problems or Heart Arrhythmias are an occurrence when electrical impulses in the heart, which are meant to coordinate heartbeats, do not function properly. This causes one’s heart to beat too slowly or too fast or just irregularly.
Heart Arrhythmias are often harmless. A few people may experience irregular heartbeats and may feel a flutter or may experience a racing heartbeat. However, some heart arrhythmias may cause some alarming signs and symptoms that could be life threatening.
Timely treatment for arrhythmia can help control and even eliminate irregular heart beats that are a cause for concern. This condition is caused when the heart is weak, and the best of protecting yourself from this condition is to follow a lifestyle that is heart healthy.
There are a number of things that can cause this condition and they include: scarring of the heart tissue that could have been caused by a heart attack, cardiomyopathy could cause changes to your heart’s structure, coronary heart disease caused by blocked arteries, diabetes, high blood pressure, drinking excessive alcohol or caffeine, smoking, hyperthyroidism or overactive thyroid gland, stress, certain medications, drug abuse and electrical shock.
Symptoms
In most cases, you may not even experience any alarming signs and symptoms and it is likely that your doctor will tell you that you have a heart arrhythmia before you even realize it.
A few symptoms that should raise a red flag with this condition include: a fluttering in one’s chest, tachycardia or a racing heartbeat, bradycardia or a slow heartbeat, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizziness, fainting or near fainting and lightheadedness.
While these symptoms may not always lead to serious problem, often they could be heart threatening as well.
When should you see a doctor
You should see a doctor when you experience the symptoms mentioned above all of a sudden and when you do not expect them at all. VF or Ventricular Fibrillation is a type of arrhythmia that is life threatening. It happens when one’s heart beats in rapid and erratic electrical impulses. This will cause the ventricles or pumping chambers in your heart to quiver as apposed to pumping blood.
This leads to an ineffective heartbeat, which in turn leads to your blood pressure plummeting and blood supply being cut off to vital organs. Someone who experience VF will collapse in a matter of seconds, and will stop breathing and will not have a pulse. When this happens, a few important steps have to be followed, which you should consult with your health practitioner to find out.
There are many types of arrhythmias and your underlying heart disease can be blamed for it. Lifestyle changes for a healthy heart along with treatment prescribed by your doctor are an absolute must. These changes will help you not only manage the problem but also prevent the condition.
The lifestyle changes that you should make include: Quit smoking, eat food that makes your heart strong and keeps it healthy, take time out for physical activity, reduce caffeine and alcohol intake, reduce stress and stay happy.
It is extremely important that you consult with your health practitioner if you experience symptoms of heart arrhythmias, so that you can start seeking treatment immediately. Speaking with a Registered Holistic Nutritionist can help you create a diet that helps keep your heart healthy. You can also find some great solution in homeopathy, which will keep your heart strong, so consider this alternate route as well to stay heart healthy.
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