'Abnormal heartbeats can come and go, especially in young people,” states Dr. Remember, not all unusual heart rhythms will require treatment. Hummel advises you make notes of when you experience irregular heartbeats and share this information with your doctor. It happens because something goes wrong with your hearts electrical system. Hummel says external factors could be causing disruptions in your heart rhythm:ĭr. You may hear people call this condition an early, missed, or extra heartbeat. If it’s not, abnormal heart rhythms more commonly will increase your risk of stroke or sudden death.”ĭr. “The other issue is whether your heart is structurally normal. In general, signs and symptoms of arrhythmias may include: 1. A doctor may notice the irregular heartbeat when examining you for another health reason. “There’s a big difference between sitting in a chair and noticing your heart skipping and having fluttering that makes you feel like I’m going to pass out,” says Dr. Heart arrhythmias may not cause any signs or symptoms. Hummel, those symptoms include fainting, dizziness, chest pain, swelling in your leg or shortness of breath. Go immediately to the doctor if you have additional symptoms with your irregular heartbeat or you’ve had a heart attack or other heart stress. Hummel says it can be difficult for most people to know if an irregular heartbeat is a sign of something more serious. Ectopic beats are extra heart beats that can arise from the atria (atrial ectopic beats) or ventricles. Hummel explains some people experience an extra heartbeat, a skipped beat, too fast of a beat (called tachycardia) or too slow of a beat (called bradycardia).ĭr. A heart arrhythmia is an abnormal heart beat. There are several types of irregular heartbeats.

The possible causes of an irregular heartbeat can vary widely – from too much caffeine to a more potentially dangerous condition of having your blood pressure skyrocket or plummet. “But it doesn't always require treatment.” “It can be tempting to jump to the worst-case scenario when it comes to your heart, and to think that an irregular heartbeat is a sign of a serious disease,” says Dr. Ross Heart Hospital, sheds some light on irregular heart rhythms, or types of arrhythmias, which are fairly common. John Hummel, MD, a heart rhythm specialist at the Richard M. But when does an extra heartbeat or other unexpected feeling warrant a visit to your doctor? Having a hiccup in your heart rhythm can be uncomfortable – as well as frightening.

Extra heartbeat