Stress Anxiety Caffeine Nicotine Alcohol Dehydration Fever Certain medications Hormonal changes Electrolyte abnormalities Abnormal heart rhythms Some heart rhythm disorders can require medical evaluation and treatment.
When Palpitations Are More Concerning Palpitations deserve urgent attention when they occur together with:
Chest pain Severe shortness of breath Fainting Severe dizziness Confusion Extreme weakness A rapid or irregular heartbeat combined with these symptoms can be more concerning than an isolated brief palpitation.
Dizziness, Lightheadedness, or Fainting Feeling dizzy occasionally can happen for many reasons.
Standing up too quickly, dehydration, overheating, low blood sugar, medication effects, and other factors can cause temporary lightheadedness.
But unexplained fainting or repeated episodes of severe dizziness should not simply be ignored.
The heart plays a major role in maintaining blood flow to the brain.
If the heart rate becomes extremely slow, extremely fast, or irregular, blood flow to the brain can sometimes temporarily decrease.
This can cause dizziness or fainting.
Fainting during physical activity is particularly important to discuss with a healthcare professional because it can sometimes be associated with an underlying cardiovascular problem.
Fainting Is Different From Ordinary Dizziness A person who briefly feels lightheaded after standing up may have a relatively simple explanation.
Actually losing consciousness is different.
If someone suddenly collapses or becomes unresponsive, the situation should be treated seriously.
If the person is not breathing normally or cannot be awakened, emergency medical assistance is required immediately.
Nausea, Sweating, or Unusual Discomfort Some heart problems can produce symptoms that people mistakenly blame on the stomach.
These can include:
Nausea Vomiting Indigestion-like discomfort Unusual sweating Weakness Lightheadedness This can be particularly confusing because nausea and stomach discomfort are extremely common and usually have non-cardiac causes.
But when these symptoms occur together with chest pressure, shortness of breath, unusual fatigue, or upper-body discomfort, they can be warning signs of a heart attack.
Some people, particularly women and older adults, may experience less obvious heart-attack symptoms.
This does not mean that women or older people never experience chest pain. Chest discomfort remains a common symptom.
