Heart Palpitations and Menopause

Your heart begins racing uncontrollably, you feel as though you can’t catch your breath, relax, or you may even sense your heart beating irregularly. Couple these feelings with the general anxiety you have been feeling lately and you know deep down in your soul that something is wrong. Is this a heart condition or yet another symptom of menopause? Well if you’re a woman approaching, or already well into her mid forties it could be perimenopause. Menopause starts as early as your thirty ninth year, but usually begins in most women around their mid forties. One of the signs that your body is moving towards menopause is heart palpitations.

Heart palpitations are an irregular or rapid beating of the heart. Oftentimes palpitations can occur without warning or reason and while they are not in and of themselves an indicator of a heart condition they should be taken seriously. The first step in understanding if you are experiencing heart palpitations is to understand what your normal heart rate for resting and exercising should be. This will vary with age and it’s an important question to ask your doctor during your next checkup. Also it might help to learn how to take your pulse rate so that you will be able to compare your normal pulse during the times you are experiencing an irregular heartbeat patter. But first, before we determine menopause as being the culprit for those palpitations you’ve been experiencing let’s highlight some other factors that could possibly contribute to irregular heartbeat.

The first and most common cause for heart palpitations is an overuse, or overdose of stimulants. While overdose is a scary word to use, millions of Americans do it every day. From having too much candy to that extra cup of coffee from the office pot; often the body cannot handle too much from the stimulant groups such as caffeine, nicotine, decongestants, diet pills and other over the counter medications.

Once you start combining these chemicals, the effects become cumulative and before you know it your heart is beating wildly attempting to cope with too many stimulants. If you are a smoker and entering perimenopause it might be a good idea to finally quit. You might also want to regulate your caffeine and alcohol intake if not reduce them significantly.

If the cause is not stimulants, it could be a pre-existing medical condition. The top five culprits for this are often anemia, anxiety, thyroid disorders, hypoglycemia or a valve deformation in your heart. Most of these should have been identified by your health care provider before menopause begins, but if not it never hurts to have a full medical checkup.

So, once you have eliminated other outside influences and health factors, it might just be perimenopause, the first stage in the body’s journey towards menopause. Your body is now dealing with the changing chemistry required for menopause. But that chemistry is not the sole culprit for heart palpitations. Anxiety, insomnia and that general feeling of un-wellness you’ve been experiencing lately are also contributing factors. The fear and sometimes depression that women experience as the process of menopause begins often contribute to an erratic if not scattered mental state. Even though you may not realize it, your body knows things are changing and it feels your apprehension towards those changes. In short, the body is trying to get you to slow down, to stop and deal with your state of mind. One of the best long term treatments for dealing with heart palpitations, menopause or any other medical crisis for that matter is to have a close friend, a support group or someone with whom you can share your fears and concerns. It’s a good idea to have this support system in place before a health crises begin. It’s a good way to live your life for that matter and it will help you to deal with the changes your body is going through. Whether you admit you are concerned or not, your body and emotional psyche will.

Once the heart palpitations begin (and don’t worry; they are usually transient in nature, often lasting only for a few months and occurring intermittently), it is important to remember how to deal with them. The first key is to listen to what your body wants. If your heart is racing, it means it wants some relief. It wants some air. It wants to relax. So find a comfortable place and start taking nice, deep, slow breaths. Breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth. Close your eyes and meditate, focusing on a place of peace and harmony. Happy thoughts are always helpful, but even just clearing all that away and concentrating on breathing can begin the process of relaxing the tension and regulating the heartbeat. If palpitations occur during any type of activity, stop and rest. Make sure you’re in a safe place, and consider taking it easy for the rest of the day. Concentrate on restoring and understanding the new equilibrium your body is seeking as it begins the journey to it new state of menopause.

One of the most important things to remember is that other women are going, will be going, and have gone through this before. So reach out and ask for help and advice. This journey doesn’t have to be scary and in fact it can be a testament to your character and womanhood. Heart palpitations are temporary and should pass soon, but if you’re concerned or you have shortness of breath or chest pains, then ask a physician specific questions, get a checkup and let the truth set you free.

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