Ectopics of the Heart

Improve Your Heart Health with Expert Advice

Have you been worrying about ectopics you’re experiencing? For those who haven’t felt them before, they can evoke anxiety and fear. While usually not painful, they’re not a pleasant sensation to experience because we normally can’t feel out heartbeat. However, ectopic heart beats are noticeable, and it may feel like your heart has skipped a beat followed by a ‘thud’. People often report feeling like they’ve ‘missed’ a beat, or that they can feel an ‘extra’ beat. Ectopic beats usually aren’t serious, but it’s important to get them checked out if you’re concerned, you have an existing heart condition or if they’re happening for prolonged periods on a regular basis.

While ectopic beats and other types of heart palpitations will usually turn out to be nothing to worry about, for those experiencing them, they can have a big impact on the quality of life. While it’s always a good thing when they’re not indicative of anything more sinister going on in the heart, being given the all clear doesn’t help those who find the symptoms unpleasant. Luckily, there are some lifestyle and dietary changes you can make which many find drastically reduces or even stops their ectopic heart beats for good. Finding natural ways to improve your symptoms can help you take control of your health and any fear associated with it.

Find a Cure for Ectopics

• When looking for a cure for ectopics, it’s important to understand the possible triggers, so that you can start looking for what’s causing them. Some of the main areas to look at include stress and anxiety, sleep, exercise, diet and drinks.
• One of the common themes experienced by patients with ectopics is the fear they associate with their health. While stress and anxiety contribute towards palpitations, it can often be the fear that something worse is happening which makes symptoms feel so bad.
• If you’re experiencing a lot of anxiety alongside ectopics or palpitations, try a simple breathing exercise to help bring your heart rate back to a normal state. Usually, we take about 12 to 15 breaths every minute. When managing anxiety, practice slowing your breathing down. Take a long deep breath in through the nose and out through the mouth in a smooth motion, taking about 10 seconds for each.
• Disturbed sleep is another trigger for ectopics, with restless nights affecting many parts of our health. It can also increase our cortisol and stress hormone levels which may cause palpitations to become even more magnified. Find some ways to manage your sleep better.
• When looking at diet, processed food can lead to a lower amount of magnesium in the blood which has also been associated with heart rhythm disturbances. Try taking magnesium supplements to see if things improve.
• Consuming food containing high volumes of preservatives may also cause ectopics to worsen, so take a look at the ingredients in the meals you’re eating. Take particular note of e-numbers such as E621 (monosodium glutamate), E627 (disodium guanylate), E631 (disodium inosinate), E220 to E228 (sulphite preservatives) and E280 to E283.
• Rich or spicy foods may also be a trigger for ectopics and palpitations, as can bread and dairy. Finding out your own food triggers can often be trial and error.
• Caffeinated drinks, alcohol and carbonated drinks may also act as triggers, so cut down on these if you’re experiencing ectopics.
• For those who don’t have a heart condition and their ectopics have been confirmed as non-serious, try some exercise to see if this brings your heart rate back to normal. This can even be some gentle exercise if you’re experiencing ectopic heart beats in the night.
• Some medications have been known to trigger palpitations and ectopic beats as a side effect, so ask your doctor to check any prescriptions you’re on.

Starting with an Assessment

While finding natural ways to reduce your ectopic heart beats is a positive step, it’s still important to get them checked out if you’re concerned. Your doctor will most likely arrange for you to undergo an electrocardiogram (ECG). This is essentially a monitor which records the heart’s electrical activity and rhythm. If you’re experiencing any ectopic beats, you should be able to press a button to record when they’re happening. This will help your doctor to determine where the extra beat is occurring in the heart. For example, if your symptoms are being caused by premature ventricular complexes (PVCs), it means the extra beat comes from the heart’s ventricles. They’ll be able to let you know if further tests are required and whether your palpitations are doing any damage, but in many cases, they’ll be harmless.

Getting Advice from a Consultant Cardiologist

Anything to do with health can be a worry, especially if you’re experiencing something abnormal. If you’d like to get to the bottom of what’s been happening to you, Dr Sanjay Gupta is here to help. As a consultant cardiologist working in York (UK), he has in-depth knowledge about many different types of heart condition, as well as the management of ectopic heart beats.

Whatever stage of treatment or diagnosis you’re in, please feel you can get in touch. So whether you’re experiencing symptoms for the first time, have a heart condition or are struggling to manage your symptoms, Dr Gupta is here to talk.

He offers a range of consultation options for your first discussion, including webcam, telephone and in-person appointments. He’ll want to know more about what’s been going on, listening to everything that’s been troubling you so that you can form a plan together using the information you’ve provided and his years of expertise. He may discuss more tests and assessments which can be done or even ask you to implement some changes which can be reviewed to see if they’ve made a difference.

Booking a Consultation

Have you been looking for some answers about your ectopics and want to speak to a knowledgeable doctor about your concerns? Book a consultation with Dr Gupta now.