Heart beat feeling like it is pounding very hard...feeling and hearing each beat

[Reverie]

I have been experiencing these same symptoms (as soxfan) for about 13 years now. I believe what you are experiencing are either PAC's (Premature Atrial Contractions), or PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions). The parts of the heart (Atrium and Ventricle) beat out of their normal order, causing the sensation of a HARD beat (not fast).

This is very interesting and something I often described to people it felt like. As sometimes my heart can feel more like it's clicking than beating. Do you know how you can get this tested?

 

[Marco]

This is very interesting and something I often described to people it felt like. As sometimes my heart can feel more like it's clicking than beating. Do you know how you can get this tested?

This is very topical as I've just started getting these ectopic heartbeats since Friday. Only at the start noticeable when lying down but now I'm aware of them I can feel the odd flutter when standing also. I've had the thumping heartbeat from many years now but this skipping a beat is new to me.

I'm pretty sure it's just 'benign' ectopic heartbeats but still something else I could do without.

 

[Sushi]

This is very topical as I've just started getting these ectopic heartbeats since Friday. Only at the start noticeable when lying down but now I'm aware of them I can feel the odd flutter when standing also.

I had these symptoms for a long time. Severe atrial fibrillation also developed, though these frightening episodes only happened occasionally. I did some online research and learned of L-Taurine's effect of heart rhythm. Here is one article.

Recently, I went to the cardiologist with a friend of mine who had been experiencing a benign arrhythmia for two years. Before the visit that I attended, my friend had been tested thoroughly with a stress test, ultrasound, EKG and Holter monitor. It's the next visit that I went to, where he was offered the ablation/pacemaker procedure by his cardiologist. He did not immediately opt for that since he is a curious sort and wanted a few opinions. On my recommendation, he saw a functional medicine physician afterward, who ordered a blood test to evaluate his micronutrient status. Lo and behold, he was found to be deficient in taurine and magnesium.

Taurine is a natural amino acid, and magnesium is a mineral, both of these were purchased at the health food store along with an herbal supplement of hawthorn extract. His heart sank into a near-perfect rhythm within two weeks, after suffering for almost two years.

And here is the study that convinced me to try high doses of L-Taurine.
Elimination of cardiac arrhythmias using oral taurine with l-arginine with case histories.

Since starting high dose L-taurine 9 months ago I have not had another episode of atrial fibrillation and only get a tiny amounts of f"eeling my heart beat while lying down."

My experience! But my cardio has also given this his blessing.

Sushi

 

[Marco]

Thanks @Sushi

Magnesium, taurine and CoQ10 were the first things that crossed my mind so it's good to hear that there's some mainstream support.

 

[rosie26]

There is a good technique for correcting a fluttering, out of sync heartbeat. A doctor taught me about 20 years ago. I only saw him once, never saw him again.

I don't know what the name of the technique is (I may not have this completely as he told me, but it still works the way I do it) he told me to sit down, hold my arms straight down my sides and then to roll my chest down into my stomach and silently go hmmm pushing your breath down at the same time. Only takes 2-3 seconds. It works each time for me. It has been fantastic. My heart gets straight back into sync quickly.

Always important to get doctor to check your heart out, like I did in the first place though.

 

[Marco]

I don't know what the name of the technique is (I may not have this completely as he told me, but it still works the way I do it) he told me to sit down, hold my arms straight down my sides and then to roll my chest down into my stomach and silently go hmmm pushing your breath down at the same time. Only takes 1-2 seconds. It works each time for me. It has been fantastic. My heart gets straight back into sync quickly.

Always important to get doctor to check your heart out, like I did in the first place though.

Thanks rosie. I'll do both.

 

[Gingergrrl]

Since starting high dose L-taurine 9 months ago I have not had another episode of atrial fibrillation and only get a tiny amounts of f"eeling my heart beat while lying down."

@Sushi Can you remind me how much Taurine you take per day when you say "high dose." I have never had a-fib (checked endless times) and all tachy is sinus rhythm and I currently take 1000 mg of Taurine per day. Do you take more than this? I used to take 2000 mg per day but then wondered if it was giving me insomnia (although now I am not sure why I thought that?)

 

[Sushi]

@Sushi Can you remind me how much Taurine you take per day when you say "high dose." I have never had a-fib (checked endless times) and all tachy is sinus rhythm and I currently take 1000 mg of Taurine per day. Do you take more than this? I used to take 2000 mg per day but then wondered if it was giving me insomnia (although now I am not sure why I thought that?)

I am taking 4250 mg spaced out in doses throughout the day. If you look at the study, they were giving much higher doses. I tried 1000 mg and it didn't do the trick. Taurine isn't specific for Afib, but rather heart health and rhythm problems. It might work for tachy--who knows? But it is unlikely to hurt. Two cardiologists gave me green lights on this.

Taurine shouldn't give insomnia but rather should help with sleep--but I know you have responded differently than others to supps and meds.

Sushi

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

I am taking 4250 mg spaced out in doses throughout the day. If you look at the study, they were giving much higher doses. I tried 1000 mg and it didn't do the trick. Taurine isn't specific for Afib, but rather heart health and rhythm problems. It might work for tachy--who knows? But it is unlikely to hurt. Two cardiologists gave me green lights on this.

Taurine shouldn't give insomnia but rather should help with sleep--but I know you have responded differently than others to supps and meds.

Sushi

I'm interested in trying taurine. @Sushi, can you tell us the source or brand of your taurine, just to make shopping easier? Are you taking taurine with meals or on an empty stomach? Thanks.

 

[Sushi]

I'm interested in trying taurine. @Sushi, can you tell us the source or brand of your taurine, just to make shopping easier? Are you taking taurine with meals or on an empty stomach? Thanks.

I am just using an inexpensive source--Vitacost brand, 850 mg per capsule. I have been taking it with meals except for the dose at bedtime. I haven't seen anything written on the with meals or on an empty stomach aspect.

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

I am just using an inexpensive source--Vitacost brand, 850 mg per capsule. I have been taking it with meals except for the dose at bedtime. I haven't seen anything written on the with meals or on an empty stomach aspect.

OK, thanks. I see now that it's fairly inexpensive, so no worries about finding the right brand. Some amino acids need to be taken on an empty stomach, but this doesn't sound like one of them. If it worked for you by taking it with meals, that's good enough for me.

 

[Gingergrrl]

I take NOW brand Taurine 1000 mg (per pill) and usually do take it with meals but am not sure if it matters like you said.

 

[meli083]

Hi all, first post here.

I have had the same symptoms of what some have posted here. For the past 5 weeks I have been dealing with heart issues. My main issues are a "heavy" heart beat that shakes me and is very noticeable and left-side chest pain (including left arm, shoulder, back and neck). Heart rate at rest is 55 to 60. Sometimes, the pounding heart beat is accompanied by chest pain (sometimes includes back and left arm), which scares the heck out of me! And, occasionally, the heavy beating will happen alongside my heart rate shooting up to 90-95 bpm! That's within the normal range (60-100) but it also scares the heck out of me because of the 30-40 bpm jump.

I am tired of constantly feeling my heart beat out of my chest. For the reasons mentioned, I have been unable to sleep at my usual time and am lucky to fall asleep at midnight after a 10-12 hour workday! How can I sleep when my heart beat pounds out of my chest shakes me and it's all I can hear over most/all other noises? Not to mention the chest/left upper body pain. It's really frightening.

Tests have been countless EKGs (due to ER & Urgent Care visits), a few chest x-rays, echocardiogram and stress test. All came back "normal". Cardiologist said I had an above-average exercise capacity for the stress test. No leads yet . My doctor is putting me on a 30 day holter event monitor and is considering a cat-scan & angiogram.

I'm glad to see the above solutions. I have quit taking fish oil a few weeks ago so I'll get back on it. Also, the Taurine sounds interesting. L-arginine was mentioned too. I'll have to experiment with these. Thanks to everyone that created this amazing thread.

 

[CFS_for_19_years]

@meli083, atenolol helps me with the pounding heart. I totally understand how the pounding interferes with sleep. The downside with atenolol is that it decreases melatonin production, so you may need to take melatonin or increase it if you're already taking it.

 

[meli083]

@CFS_for_19_years Thanks for the response. I have heard beta blockers can help with the heart-related issues I've been experiencing. My doctor and cardiologist have not mentioned them yet (they still think nothing's wrong).

I am going to entertain the idea of taking atenolol. Hopefully I can fix this with just the above suggestions. I am currently not taking any prescription drugs and would like to keep it that way. If this gets too bad (which it is) then I may have to.

 

[MeSci]

@CFS_for_19_years Thanks for the response. I have heard beta blockers can help with the heart-related issues I've been experiencing. My doctor and cardiologist have not mentioned them yet (they still think nothing's wrong).

I am going to entertain the idea of taking atenolol. Hopefully I can fix this with just the above suggestions. I am currently not taking any prescription drugs and would like to keep it that way. If this gets too bad (which it is) then I may have to.

Do you have ME/SEID, @meli083?

 

[*GG*]

How about a little levity?:

gg

 

[meli083]

Do you have ME/SEID, @meli083?

I've never thought about that. I haven't gotten good sleep like I used to and am lucky to get 8 hours a night. I wake up multiple times from my sleep most of the time unless I take something that relaxes me.

Never mentioned anything to the doctor because last time I had sleep problems (8 years ago) he just prescribed me 10 mg Ambien. I became too dependent on them and it was extremely hard to stop. So I never mentioned my sleep problems to anyone again.

Do you think my left chest pain and pounding heart could be related to that?

 

[MeSci]

I've never thought about that. I haven't gotten good sleep like I used to and am lucky to get 8 hours a night. I wake up multiple times from my sleep most of the time unless I take something that relaxes me.

Never mentioned anything to the doctor because last time I had sleep problems (8 years ago) he just prescribed me 10 mg Ambien. I became too dependent on them and it was extremely hard to stop. So I never mentioned my sleep problems to anyone again.

Do you think my left chest pain and pounding heart could be related to that?

Only if you have it! This is a site about ME/CFS/SEID. Maybe if you want to keep discussing things here you should put something in a signature that gets appended to messages, or in text that appears with your avatar, saying that you don't have ME. Otherwise people will assume that you are a fellow-sufferer, which could lead to misunderstandings on both sides. The pounding pulse seems to be very common in ME, but the cause of yours may be completely different.

 

[kisekishiawase]

I have been experiencing these same symptoms (as soxfan) for about 13 years now. I believe what you are experiencing are either PAC's (Premature Atrial Contractions), or PVC's (Premature Ventricular Contractions). The parts of the heart (Atrium and Ventricle) beat out of their normal order, causing the sensation of a HARD beat (not fast).

I have noticed that the discussions in this thread are referring to two different conditions. Some people are talking about Tachycardia, POTS, heart racing, etc., which cause the heart rate to elevate to a scary level. Others, like Soxfan and Kisekishiawase, are talking about heart pounding (as in beating really intensely, but not fast), which is what I experience. This is where a person can feel the heart pulsating all the way down to the fingers, and you can actually see your chest thumping/bouncing. It feels like it's going to burst out of your chest at any moment. All the while, your heart rate is still generally at 70-80 bpm. I just wanted to clarify the difference.

One day back in about 2002, I was at the gym working out on the rowing machine, all of a sudden my heart started going berserk! I thought I was going to have a heart attack or something! I began having these sorts of episodes about once a month at first. After a few months, it was about once a week. Within a year, I was having them daily. I had gone to the doctor a few times to discuss it, and they did a stress test EKG on me. Found nothing too out of the ordinary, just an occasional PAC. Around the time I began having them daily, they put a Holter monitor on me. They discovered that 30% of ALL my heartbeats were PAC's!

Today, it is almost constant 24/7. It is less noticeable when I am standing or sitting, but still there. When I lay down it's much worse. And when I lay on my left side it's intolerable. Right side is a little better. Laying on my back seems best. In the morning, they are more gentle, over the course of the day, they get stronger. The closer to bedtime I eat, the worse they are.

It is extremely worrisome, and stressful. And like many of the posters here, I was having, and still have trouble sleeping. Over the years, I've been able to experiment, and identify some things that help me (or don't help).

I don't have high blood pressure, I am not overweight, and my heart rate is normal.

I have hypo thyroidism, and take Levothyroxine, 125 mcg. I wondered if that was contributing to my heart pounding, so a year ago, I stopped taking them for about 2-3 months. That didn't help the heart pounding though, and made me feel lethargic and sick, so I resumed taking the thyroid meds.

I've taken multi vitamins, and Vitamin C. They didn't help.

I've tried drinking tons of water. That helped with other issues, but not my heart.

I bought a RESPeRATE device, that sort of uses bio feedback to lower heart rate/BP. With that I learned that with deep breathing exercises I could diminish the heart pounding to a level that would allow me to relax and fall asleep. After awhile, I didn't need the device anymore to do it. The device didn't solve my problem, but it gave me a tool I could use to manage the cycle of stress/heart pounding/more stress/more heart pounding, etc.

I also did an exclusionary diet, where I cut out all caffeine, soda pop, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, sugar, meat, etc., then gradually reintroduced things back in. I found that by cutting all that out of my diet, the heart pounding almost completely stopped!

The biggest contributing factors ended up being sugar, nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol, in that order. The biggest problem is sugar. There is sugar added to almost everything we eat or drink. It's in places we don't expect, like ketchup, salad dressings, mayonnaise, most sauces (including spaghetti sauce), most fast food has sugar sneaking into burgers, burritos and tacos, bread, buns, and the list goes on. I try to buy things that have reduced or no sugar, which means reading a lot of nutritional information labels. I still allow myself to eat a piece of cake or pie or some ice cream once or twice a week, but I pay the price when I lay down to go to sleep (definitely will have some heart pounding going on).

Now I only drink decaf coffee, and I have quit smoking, rarely drink soda pop .

As far as alcohol, I have noticed that even though a couple glasses of wine helps me relax and reduces the heart pounding in the short term, after a couple hours the pounding is worse than it was before I drank the wine. I still drink, but try to limit it to weekends.

I've also learned, like one poster said, that if I exercise (in my case jogging) at least every two days, it also helps reduce the pounding sensation at night.

Overall, I've learned that I can have some control over the symptoms, and if I'm really diligent, I can almost eliminate the pounding.

Hopefully, these observations can be of help to some of the people who are suffering from this debilitating problem.

I actually have both palpitation and tachycardia. How lucky
I know about ectopic beats and i got it sometimes but its different and it happens only a few seconds. While the palpitation could happen everybeat all day. I wore holter monitor but doctor say still a ok. As in i dont die. Like its only between life and death. But theres more. Living but disabled and sick all time is different than living productive, healthy life. Imagine having a car or phone that crash/hang every minute and trigger by normal activity how can it be functional.

For pac or pvc isnt the beat not in normal rhythym?
Its really sad how this issue still hasnt been 'unfold'
There are many people who heart issue could be triggered by food some by sleep, tiredness, etc. (Including me) I guess it got to do with vagus nerve. Also adrenaline, insulin connection.

But even though we cut down on food that triggers it. Still its not the root of the cause. Because normal mechanism should not get that problem so there must be something wrong and the food only affect it, also other thing. But what is the real diagnose of the real cause? Obviously its not healthy, normal but because theres nothing they can do we gotta endure it.
As long as we dont really find the real cause its still vague

As for the trigger there are many of course (sometimes i got worse by only minor thing and sometimes for something i cant figure out) but we cant find it all if we dont know the real cause to it to it let alone fix it once and for all.
So far we can only find out by experience whats making it worse and try to avoid it. But the problem still there. And continue and it could come up whenever theres a trigger which sometimes unexpected, unavoidable.

Just like how many people experience the attack during sleep. im desperate to find a cause let alone a way out of that torture.
Mine just started happen out of nowhere.
In past there are times when it got better but then it came back.