Heart palpitations and menopause: what you need to know

Heart palpitations feel like your heart is racing, pounding or skipping beats. They can make you fear the worst, but palpitations are actually quite common and usually nothing to worry about. So what causes these heart sensations in menopausal women? Why does your heart start beating faster or pounding without doing anything to cause it?  

Heart palpitations can be a result of lower levels of the hormone oestrogen. Among other things, oestrogen regulates important processes in the nervous system and coronary artery, the blood vessel which supplies blood to the heart. When oestrogen levels increase, the coronary artery dilates. When oestrogens levels drop, it contracts. Fluctuating oestrogen levels can therefore cause heart palpitations.  

But also other factors and menopausal symptoms can trigger them, such as mood swings, hot flashes, stress and high blood pressure. Although heart palpitations can be worrisome, they're usually harmless and treatable. 

Hormonal changes can also trigger a variety of menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes, sleep problems and mood swings.

Heart palpitations feel like your heart is pounding in your chest. They can be triggered by exercise or elevated stress, but you can also get them without doing anything to cause them. For example, when you're watching TV, lying in bed or waking up in the morning. Or they can be caused by a combination of factors. Heart palpitations can also feel like your heart has skipped a beat or added an extra beat. 

Heart palpitations can last seconds, minutes or longer. They usually come and go quickly, but they can also start and stop gradually. It’s also possible to have a rapid or irregular heartbeat without being aware of it. When it comes to heart palpitations, there is no ‘one beat fits all’, the symptoms are different for everyone who experiences them.  

Palpitations can feel scary, so it's normal to worry or feel anxious when you have them. They trigger a distress signal in the body. Your body then enters fight-or-flight mode and releases the stress hormone cortisol, which can make palpitations worse or more frequent, or trigger other menopausal symptoms and complaints. 

Heart palpitations feel like your heart is racing, pounding or skipping beats. They can make you fear the worst, but palpitations are actually quite common and usually nothing to worry about. Contact your GP immediately if heart palpitations occur with: 

• Chest tightness or pain  
• Shortness of breath 
• Feeling faint or fainting  
• Nausea 
• Sudden or unusually pale skin (pallor) 

If your heart palpitation are menopause related, you won’t also have the above-listed symptoms. In this case, there’s nothing to worry about but you may want to look into the available options for alleviating your symptoms. 

Fluctuating hormones can cause symptoms like heart palpitations. So, they can start as early as perimenopause. About 40 to 50 percent of menopausal women report having heart palpitations. Some get them on a daily basis, others only occasionally. Menopause-related heart palpitations can increase heart rates by 8–16 beats per minute, sometimes even more. They can happen even when you're resting and not doing anything at all. Although they are usually harmless, it's understandable that you're concerned or frightened. Instead of scouring the Internet for solutions, you can find reliable information and everything you need in one place on SeeMe-nopause.

There are many things you can do to stop or reduce heart palpitations. 

• Pay attention to what you eat. Proper heart muscle function is reliant on the adequate dietary intake of calcium, magnesium and sodium. Make sure your diet is healthy and varied. You can also consider taking a supplement. 
• Avoid or reduce your intake of alcohol, coffee, spicy foods and sugar. 
• Get plenty of rest. Anxiety and stress can trigger or worsen palpitations. Try doing breathing exercises on a regular basis or practise mindfulness to reduce stress. 
• Are you aware of your heartbeat right now? Then sit down, breathe in calmly into your abdomen, breathe out, and think of something positive (like a place where you feel comfortable or a person you love). Deep breathing instantly lowers the heart rate and reduces the production of cortisol. 

Again, heart palpitation are usually nothing to worry about, unless they occur with the above-listed symptoms.