In this article we will discuss the first of the anxiety symptoms that we listed in our previous article which was an introduction to the subject. The first anxiety symptom is "palpitations of the heart."

To start our understanding of heart palpitations, let us see what is palpitation: 

Palpitations of the heart are generally described as sensations of heartbeat that would feel either regular or irregular pounding of the heart. From this description we can see the main keyword is "pounding." 

Usually we are unconscious of our heartbeats, but when we start using the word "palpitation," it means that we become conscious of our heartbeat. This is an unpleasant sensation and awareness of our own heartbeat. The sensation can also involve a realization of skipped or stopped beats. 

Heart palpitations can be felt in more than one place: It can be felt in the chest, throat, or even in the neck. Palpitation is not a strange feeling, as we all experience it. In general some of the most common palpitations causes are said to be the following:

1- Anxiety (Remember from our previous articles how we found that anxiety is a factor of stress.)

2- Strong Emotion such as excitement or fear.

3- Some antidepressant medications 

Since our concentration is on the subject of anxiety and our objective is to understand what is anxiety, we need to focus on palpitations that are caused by anxiety. So let us see what do anxiety palpitations feel like:

Palpitations caused by anxiety are described as a feeling of a racing heart, skipping beats, a heart that feels as if it is jumping around. Strong beating and pounding, the heart flutters, it feels as if the heart is stopping and the chest is flopping.

Palpitations of the heart might be associated with other symptoms such as:

1- A feeling of tightness of the chest.

2- A feeling of shortness of breath.

3- A feeling of Dizziness

4- The extreme is having a blackout.

We need to be very careful when trying to understand why we are having heart palpitations. This symptom is shared with other medical conditions. These medical conditions that are usually associated with palpitation include:

1- Abnormalities in the heart valves.

2- Defects in the heart electrical system.

3- Low red blood cell count

4- Cardiomyopathy. To help you understand what this term really means, we found you this definition that uses everyday language: "A condition in which the heart muscle is damaged and can’t pump blood efficiently. This may occur when the heart has become enlarged or the walls of the heart have thickened or become rigid from one of many different causes."

Now if we know that there is no medical condition that is causing palpitations of the heart, the following is advised to follow to avoid anxiety caused heart palpitations:

1- Re-valuate and change your diet but avoid diet pills. It is also recommended that you follow one of the well established detox programs.

2- Try to avoid caffeine and cigarettes.

3-  Learn how to relax. In our Businessfountains anxiety store we have added a good amount of material that cover this subject. You can find a link to that area below.

If you are experiencing palpitations what you need to do first is to understand the cause of those palpitations. Then you can take the course of action necessary to overcome this symptom. It is very important to stop palpitation as it can result in the tiring of the heart muscle.

We will continually introduce material for you to better understand what is Anxiety. We will continue our research and bring you more information to cover as many aspects as possible of anxiety. Meanwhile you can check the list of materials and tools that we gathered for you to tackle and solve anxiety for yourself and others at: 

1- BusinessFountains Store: This is the main area of Anxiety Material that we are collecting.

2- Anxiety Self Help Library: This section mainly includes anxiety related audio books and other audio materials. Audio books are very useful when you don't have time to read a book. For more audio book listings and categories you can go to our Audio Book Section.

3- Our channels for providing you with more anxiety information and solutions are increasing. It will be completely inappropriate to add links to all those sections in our articles. You can check out all our anxiety information channels at our Anxiety Centre by clicking on the red banner below.