

Because your heart is beating too fast, it can't fill with enough blood. This is a rapid heart rhythm starting from your heart's lower chambers. They're the "skipped heartbeat" that many of us feel sometimes. These are among the most common arrhythmias. Premature ventricular contractions (PVCs).It can cause heart palpitations, fainting, or heart failure. This is caused by an extra pathway through a part of your heart called the AV node. AV nodal reentrant tachycardia (AVNRT).When that happens in your heart, it can cause a fast rhythm. Think of it as an extra road on your way home as well as your usual route. You can have a rapid heart rate because of an extra pathway between your heart's upper and lower chambers. This is a rapid heart rate, usually with a regular rhythm. Paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia (PSVT).It happens most often in people who have heart disease and in the first week after heart surgery. This is usually more organized and regular than atrial fibrillation. Your heart might beat more than 400 times a minute. The upper chambers of your heart contract in an unusual way. They’re harmless and generally don't need treatment. Tachycardia is more than 100 beats per minute. Bradycardia is a heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute. When they begin in the atria, or upper chambers, they’re called supraventricular.ĭoctors also group them by how they affect your resting heart rate. If they start in the ventricles, or lower chambers of your heart, they’re called ventricular. Things in the world around you, like air pollution, can make an arrhythmia more likely.Īrrhythmias are divided up by where they happen. High blood pressure, diabetes, low blood sugar, obesity, sleep apnea, and autoimmune disorders are among the conditions that may cause heart rhythm problems. Alcohol, tobacco, and recreational drugs can raise your risk. Some types of heart disease can also run in families. Your odds might be higher if a close relative has had an arrhythmia. Things that may make you more likely to have an arrhythmia include your: Things in your daily life like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, or exercise.Problems with the electrical signals in your heart.Heart injury or changes such as reduced blood flow or stiff heart tissue.The wrong balance of electrolytes (such as sodium or potassium) in your blood.You could have an arrhythmia even if your heart is healthy. Weakness or fatigue (feeling very tired).Palpitations (a feeling of skipped heartbeats, fluttering, or "flip-flops").Your doctor may spot an uneven heartbeat during a physical exam. What Are the Symptoms of Arrhythmia?Īn arrhythmia can be silent, meaning you don't notice any symptoms. If you feel something unusual happening with your heartbeat, get medical help right away so doctors can find out why it's happening and what you need to do about it. Or you might not notice anything.Īrrhythmias can be an emergency, or they could be harmless. It may feel like your heart skipped a beat, added a beat, or is "fluttering." It might feel like it’s beating too fast (which doctors call tachycardia) or too slow (called bradycardia). It means your heart is out of its usual rhythm.
