Heart skipping beats?

jennmodugno
jennmodugno Posts: 363 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
So normally I aim for something like a 75-ish% heart rate when I work out. It may go a little higher, it may be a little lower, but that's the goal. But at the end of the night, I go through my kata - a set of karate movements strung together - at full speed and full power, to build strength and endurance.

I get to the end of it and check my heart rate. 99%. Yikes! Ok, definitely too high. I begin to walk around slowly to calm my heart and breathing. But then I notice something funny: My heart is beating four or five times, then pausing for a count of two. It beats four or five times, then pauses for a count of two. Over, and over, and over.

I admit, I was a bit concerned. My husband is a trained EMT, and just to be on the safe side I went and told him. He looked me over, felt my pulse, and with concern had me walk around for a while while he watched. It took some time, but it finally stopped skipping and we decided there was probably no danger. But he's just an EMT, and had never seen this sort of thing.

So my question to all of you is - is this reasonably normal? I mean, I definitely need to watch my heart rate and keep it lower. I know that, and I will. But is the whole skipping heartbeats a normal side effect of working out too hard? Has anyone else had this happen? If it happens again I'll go talk to my doctor, but I figured I'd get some input here first.

Replies

  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
    I wouldn't wait to see if it happens again to speak with your doctor. Don't mess with anything weird happening with your heart.

    I've never heard of it before in someone who didn't have a medical condition with their heart.
  • TrailRunner61
    TrailRunner61 Posts: 2,505 Member
    Are you drinking a lot of caffeine or could you be dehydrated? Those things can cause that. If it keeps happening or you have other symptoms, go get checked out by your Dr. asap!
  • jennmodugno
    jennmodugno Posts: 363 Member
    I'm really not much for caffeine - I hate the crash. I did have a can of coke with dinner before working out, but only half. The odd thing is, aside from feeling rather tired and a little lightheaded, which could be attributed to working out all by itself, I felt absolutely fine.
  • bellesouth18
    bellesouth18 Posts: 1,071 Member
    I have an arrhythmia, which makes my heart feel like a washing machine out of balance sometimes. My doctor prescribed magnesium not long ago because it started acting up again a few months into this diet of mine. If I were you, I'd get myself to a doctor. It could be an electrical problem like I have, it could be a chemical imbalance, or it could be a serious problem that needs immediate attention. You only have one heart. Go to a doctor.
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
    I've dealt with heart arrhythmias since I was about 17 (almost 28 now). I still get them, but after extensive tests when I was younger the doctor saw nothing that was really wrong-- just told me to stay hydrated since he noticed a flap between two valves that was concave--something that can be attributed to hydration issues.

    Of course, if this is the first time you've ever been aware of this kind of thing, you should definitely see a Doctor--before you work out again. Arrhythmias are not something to take lightly.

    Wishing you all the best

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