Can Stress Cause Irregular Heartbeat
Cortisol is the human body’s main stress hormone, and while it is necessary it is nasty stuff when there’s too much of it coursing through your blood. That’s what’s happening when a person is overly stressed and their adrenal glands are being kicked into overdrive producing the stuff. Cortisol has very pronounced effects on the body, and in some situations those effects are beneficial. But if it’s not related to your survival and you’re frazzled simply because life is too much right now then it’s not going to beneficial at all. Most people will know that stress will make them irritable and sleep poorly, but can stress cause irregular heartbeat?
Stress can be a factor in an irregular heartbeat, and when cortisol is at work to that extent there is going to be an inevitable rise in blood pressure and this can be cause of an atrial fibrillation. But the question should likely more be can stress and anxiety cause an irregular heartbeat. That’s because often the same reason you feel tightness in your chest or throat with an anxiety attack is related to the same workings that go into having an irregular heartbeat. Adrenalin is part of the chemical equation too, and between cortisol and adrenaline the heart is strongly stimulated to start beating faster and harder.
Many people misidentify adrenaline as epinephrine, but they’re different. Adrenalin will get you revved up in general, but epinephrine is the one that promotes the classic fight-or-flight response where you’re need to choose what’s your best plan for survival. Both can make your heartbeat accelerate and you may get an irregular heartbeat if you were already prone for a tachycardia and either hormone is at work at the same time as cortisol is.
But being overly stressed means it’s going to be that cortisol / adrenaline mix, and what any doctor will tell you is that if you’re like this too often then your overall health in general is going to suffer. Your cardiac health may be a part of that, so let’s look at can stress cause irregular heartbeat in more detail with this entry.
Depression Factor Too
Most people who develop an atrial fibrillation won’t have been aware that was something on the horizon for them. It is possible to have an irregular heartbeat and not even be aware of it or feel any ill effects because of it, but if your fibrillation is a very strong one then you definitely will be aware of. Is it a situation where it’s valid to ask can stress cause irregular heartbeat? It certainly can be if you have chronic stress, and it can also be the case if you have depression too.
Mental health disorders can be a factor into accelerated or irregular heartbeats, and there is so much in the body that is regulated by the right balance of neurotransmitters. Being depressed won’t cause an irregular heartbeat on its own, but it may factor into other bodily function that do affect the heart that way. It will also have nothing to do with can stress cause irregular heartbeat, but one piece of general heart health advice for older men is to not overdo it when playing high-intensity sports or spending quality time with high-intensity women.
Both may be a great way to relieve stress, but if you have if you have an irregular heartbeat because of stress or anxiety then you need to be mindful of not straining your heart too much out there on the court or in that other scenario there.
Ectopic Beats
DJs and other electronic dance music enthusiasts may rave about epic beats, but here we’re going to be talking about a type of heartbeat only. When people use the expression their heart skipped a beat it means they were very surprised with something happening so unexpectedly, but that will also have no relation to arrhythmias and can stress cause irregular heartbeats. The actual clinical term for a skipping heartbeat is an ectopic heartbeat. This is slightly different from an irregular heartbeat, but it can be a cause for concern in much the same way.
A skipped heartbeat itself isn’t that much out of the ordinary for a lot of people, and it only becomes something to see a doctor about if it starts happening more regularly or you get dizziness or light headedness to go along with it. If you have any major heart health concerns or you’d like to know much more about can stress cause irregular heartbeat then your family doctor will probably be fine with referring you to an overweight cardiologist.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The above information is intended to increase awareness of health information and does not suggest treatment or diagnosis. This information is not a substitute for individual medical attention and should not be construed to indicate that use of the drug is safe, appropriate, or effective for you. See your health care professional for medical advice and treatment.
