Many of us have experienced panic or fear throughout our lives; Both diseases have symptoms similar to heart disease: for example, they cause atrial fibrillation or an irregular heartbeat. But how do you tell the difference between a heart attack and a nervous breakdown and whether you have heart disease or just anxiety?
The symptoms of anxiety and panic are natural reactions that help your body escape danger or harm immediately. These symptoms quickly increase your heart rate and increase the force of each beat, And these symptoms are similar to those of atrial fibrillation. If you encounter a wolf in the middle of the desert, your inner fear will help you escape danger. This is a natural reaction. But sometimes, your mind and body can become anxious under the influence of abnormal reactions.
Anxiety and panic symptoms can have a significant impact on quality of life. Severe anxiety is caused by depression; It can also cause depression. Five to 11% of people will experience generalized anxiety disorder in their lifetime; People with this disorder experience severe anxiety symptoms most of the time, and this problem is not limited to six months.
The Difference Between a Heart Attack and a Nervous Breakdown
I was dealing with a patient in his 70s who had suffered from constant anxiety and panic throughout his life. After taking numerous useless anti-anxiety medications, he decided not to leave his house for fear of experiencing anxiety and panic again. However, after examining him, I realized that every experience that causes him anxiety is caused by a rapid heartbeat. This problem was eventually resolved with a simple procedure called ablation.
Shortly after the ablation, the patient attended a relative's wedding without fear. After almost 40 years, it was the first time he had participated in such a large family event.
Tachycardia can cause anxiety
An abnormal heart rate greater than 100 beats per minute from the upper chambers of the heart is called supraventricular tachycardia (SVT). This problem can occur in the hearts of healthy people as well as in the hearts of people who have already suffered injuries or heart problems. In most people, SVT develops randomly, without exercise or other activity. SVT causes symptoms such as heart palpitations, dizziness, chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and sometimes sudden fainting. In this case, people's minds react and this factor increases the symptoms of anxiety and panic.
I often meet people who have suffered from anxiety for several years - and for whom medication has not worked - and who ask their doctor to look for other reasons that could be causing their anxiety.
Symptoms of Heart Disease
When patients come to my clinic, I am often faced with two options and questions:
- Does anxiety increase heart rate?
- Does increased heart rate cause anxiety?
Here are some signs of an irregular heartbeat:
1. The pattern of symptoms. This note is very direct and specific. If anxiety causes an increased heart rate, there must be a stressor that increases your heart rate under its influence. But if the heartbeat has caused you anxiety, your heart will naturally start racing or racing, and you will feel anxious. Sometimes heart palpitations cause anxiety by causing symptoms such as dizziness or chest discomfort.
2. Anesthesia or seizures. This made me worry about an abnormal heart rhythm. Anxiety or panic disorders rarely cause fainting. You will usually faint if you have lost blood or if you suddenly become very angry or anxious. However, if you suddenly faint without any warning signs, you probably have a heart problem. Many people feel dizzy or lightheaded when they stand up quickly. However, people rarely faint while sitting, standing, or at work. If you suddenly faint or have a seizure while exercising, you should see a cardiologist immediately.
3. Rapid breathing (hyperventilation). If you are anxious or panicked, you may experience rapid breathing or hyperventilation. This condition causes numbness and tingling in the fingertips and around the mouth. Anxiety is often the cause of rapid breathing. However, if, in addition to these symptoms, you also feel dizzy or unconscious and have a drop in blood pressure, you probably have an irregular heartbeat.
4. Driver. Abnormal heartbeats are often the result of a trigger: extra heartbeats in the upper and lower chambers of the heart. We have all experienced heart palpitations; these crashes often feel like loud, violent jumps or thumps. But people with abnormal heartbeats often feel this extra beat and their heart rate suddenly increases, as if they were surrounded by a bright light. On the other hand, when you are afraid, your heart rate increases steadily and without additional palpitations or jumps.
5. Weakening of the heart Fear does not cause the heart to function or react abnormally. However, if you have an abnormal heart rhythm (e.g. atrial fibrillation), your heart function becomes abnormal and if this problem is not treated, it weakens the heart and leads to heart failure. This problem causes swelling (edema) of the stomach and all legs. Breathing difficulties may also occur when lying down; In addition, in this case, you should use extra pillows to feel comfortable while sleeping. An increase in heart rate due to anxiety does not lead to heart failure or swelling of the legs over time.
Monitor your heart function for fear of atrial fibrillation
The best way to find the right answer to the question of whether anxiety causes an increased heart rate or whether increased heart rate causes anxiety is to monitor heart function.
You should check your heart function day and night. Some devices can automatically record your heart rate. There are other devices that you have to tap to record heart activity when symptoms appear. If you do not have any symptoms of a heart problem, these devices cannot provide the complete information needed to diagnose the problem. For this reason, and to increase the accuracy of diagnosing the root cause, I have asked my patients to assess their heart function for two to four weeks.
In recent years, people have increasingly turned to smartphones to track their heart function and rate, but each of these devices has its own limitations. But the most important thing is to record your heart rate daily.
Your heart rate fluctuates throughout the day, from a few beats to more than 10 beats per minute, even when you are moving very little or going through periods of low stress. During physical activity, heart rate changes become more intense and rapid, allowing us to instantly adapt to different challenges and conditions. By observing the daily trend of your heart rate, you can quickly determine your normal and appropriate heart rate. This value starts at its lowest value during nighttime sleep and fluctuates with predictable changes throughout the day depending on the amount of work, rest, and physical activity.
How can we detect abnormal heart rhythms?
An abnormal heart rhythm has three patterns, the first of which is easy to recognize: Under the influence of fear, the heart rate suddenly increases. While you are feeling anxious, the device you are using displays a sudden increase in the acceleration of the heart rate. However, if the symptoms of anxiety disappear, this device should also immediately display a normal heart rate. Typically, in this state (during anxiety), the heart rate peaks and can reach more than 30-40 beats per minute.
The second pattern actually depends on knowing your normal heart rate. In this pattern, your heart rate changes more than usual at rest or during activity. For example, if your heart rate is normally between 40 and 60 beats per minute during sleep at night, but suddenly jumps to 70 and 90 beats per minute during a normal night, you may be talking about a type of SVT called atrial tachycardia. . . In atrial tachycardia, changes in heart rate become abnormal, and these changes can occur without specific symptoms and over long periods. In any case, the heart rate in atrial tachycardia is usually 20 to 30 beats per minute higher than normal.
In this last pattern, the heart rate can vary considerably from beat to beat; This condition occurs in people with a very abnormal heart rhythm, such as atrial fibrillation. In some people, the heart rate usually increases slightly, while in these people it can exceed 100 beats per minute. The phone records of these people show an abnormal and irregular pattern that fluctuates from one heartbeat to the next. This tendency is also observed in people who suffer from frequent extra beats in the upper and lower chambers of the heart.
If you are tracking your heart rate with a smartphone, you should first track your normal heart rate for several days or weeks without feeling any symptoms. If such symptoms appear in your body, you can compare the graphs on your mobile phone with those you recorded when you were not observing the symptoms. These reports allow you and your doctor to closely monitor your heart function and fully determine whether your heart rate is causing you anxiety or whether anxiety is causing your heart rate to increase.
If you have experienced the symptoms mentioned in this article, consult a doctor who can treat the symptoms of your abnormal heart rate in addition to treating anxiety-related problems.
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