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A healthy heart functions by pushing blood through its four chambers through a sequence of rhythmic muscular contractions. An arrhythmia occurs when there is a disturbance in the sequence of contractions. These abnormal heart rhythms cause the heart to pump blood less effectively and can compromise overall heart health.
Most hearth arrhythmias are temporary and often times benign. These include times when your heart “skips a beat” or has an extra beat. These changes can be caused by exercise or extreme emotional reactions. However, some arrhythmias can be dangerous and may require treatment to maintain healthy heart functioning.
There are two categories of heart arrhythmias: ventricular and supraventricular. Ventricular arrhythmias occur in the lower ventricles of the heart, whereas supraventricular arrhythmias occur in the upper chambers. These disturbances are further classified by whether they slow or speed up the regular pumping sequence. A slowing arrhythmia is called a bradycardia, and a speeding up is a tachycardia. Fibrillations are the most serious forms of arrhythmias. These are contractions of individual heart muscle fibers and can often be fatal.
Supraventricular arrhythmias are often seen in patients with heart disease. Long-term supraventrical arrhythmias are called atrial fibrillations. These cause the heart to beat close to six times the normal beats per minute. One of the most serious risks to heart health falls under that category of ventrical arrhythmias. Long-term ventricular tachycardia involve repeated electrical impulses from the ventricles that speed up the heart and can only be stopped by drug intervention or other electrical impulses from an outside source.
Symptoms of arrhythmia include heart palpitations, feeling tired or light-headed, shortness of breath and chest pain. Symptoms of bradycardia lean toward tiredness or dizziness, while tachycardia symptoms include pulsing in the neck, racing beats and discomfort in the chest.
Heart arrhythmias can be hereditary, or they can be brought on by heart disease. Diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as high levels of caffeine, alcohol and some cold medicines can cause arrhythmias. Relaxation, limiting caffeine and nicotine intake, and stress reduction are all used to treat arrhythmias and can lead to better heart health. In some cases, drugs must be used to control the condition, and in very serious cases, pacemakers may be used to regulate the electrical impulses in the heart that maintain regular circulation of blood.
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