I will start off by saying that the heart condition characterized by extrasystoles (premature heart beats) is not dangerous and is highly unlikely to pose any serious health problems.
In simple words, an extrasystole is a premature or faster heart beat occurring in many absolutely healthy individuals. It is estimated that 1 in 2 people will experience the condition at one point in their lifetime. Extrasystoles improve and disappear completely with vitamin and mineral supplementation and lifestyle changes.
Extrasystoles may affect perfectly healthy children, adolescents, adults and older people without posing any health risks whatsoever. I first experienced extrasystoles about 15 years ago and, as you can see, I am still alive and happy today. I started noticing some irregularities in my heart beat when I was alone at home, laying in my bed. I also noticed that when I was in the company of other people, having a pleasant time, they disappeared like magic.
When you are laying in bed, just before falling asleep, and you feel like your heart is either skipping a beat or going a heartbeat too fast, it is natural to feel scared and think that maybe something is wrong. At first I was scared too and sought medical advice to calm my fears down. But the extrasystoles did not stop even after getting reassurance from my doctor that my heart was perfectly healthy. Eventually, I learnt how to manage them. Here is my personal experience about how I successfully dealt with extrasystoles.
What I learnt causes my extrasystoles
I noticed that hearing sudden, loud noises or being woken up unexpectedly from my sleep not only made me anxious, frightened or stressed, but also triggered my extrasystoles. When I would calm down, my heartbeat got back to normal. A scientific explanation for this is that the body, believing it is in imminent danger, reacts instinctively by increasing anxiety and stress levels, to prepare for an attack. Stress, anxiety, fear are emotions that may trigger extrasystoles by the negative impact they have on our body. But as soon as we calm down, extrasystoles stop too.
The causes for my extrasystoles were almost always stress and anxiety. For example, my favorite thing to do is go for a bike ride in the countryside where I live. Breathing fresh air and feeling the warm sun rays on my skin fully relaxes me. And although I sometimes rode my bike for miles, I never experienced extrasystoles. But when I started worrying about having to get up in the middle of the night to work, or stressing about how to pay my bills, the condition started bothering me again.
Are extrasystoles a cause for concern?
Since I had went to my doctor for a thorough checkup, including an EKG (electrocardiogram), and found out I was perfectly healthy, I knew there couldn’t be something physically wrong with me. Almost 95% of extrasystoles cases occur as a result of stress and anxiety and are not caused by a physical problem of the heart.
Other causes for extrasystoles
Another cause for extrasystoles is smoking. According to statistics, smoking is the number 1 cause of cardiovascular disease, especially in men. Smoking also causes extrasystoles so giving up cigarettes will certainly improve the quality of your life. An excessive intake of sugar, honey and other similar sweeteners can cause heart rhythm abnormalities as well. Coffee drinkers are also at risk of experiencing extrasystoles as a result of the caffeine in coffee.
For some people, eating too much dark chocolate or cocoa or drinking excessive amounts of tea also causes extrasystoles. Dark chocolate, black coffee and green and black tea are powerful stimulants and some people are simply much too sensitive to them. Everyday tea and coffee contain stimulants such as theine and caffeine which excite the cardiovascular system and cause extrasystoles so drastically reducing your intake of coffee and tea will help you immensely.
Also see which is better, coffee or tea in the morning?
You might find this funny, but sometimes, when I feel the urge to pee and still hold it in a little bit more, I get extrasystoles. Moreover, not getting enough sleep might put your body into overdrive and cause extrasystoles, or even low blood pressure. So make sure you are not sleep-deprived.
EKG for extrasystoles
Because I went through the same thing some of you are going through now, I wholeheartedly recommend that you go see your doctor and ask for an ECG or EKG test (an electrocardiogram) to rule out any potentially serious underlying causes and just get peace of mind.
What happens during an EKG or ECG?
A family doctor or cardiologist will place some small metal discs called electrodes on your chest, arms and legs (usually wrists and ankles). You just have to lie still on a bed for several minutes (5-10) while the machine to which the electrodes are attached measures your heart’s electrical activity. An EKG will simply confirm that your extrasystoles, and possibly other symptoms, are no reason for concern.
Extrasystoles treatment, remedies and solutions
Here is how I take care of my extrasystoles. Because extrasystoles are usually not an indication of a heart problem, I am against taking medication (unless it is specifically recommended by a medical professional to treat a diagnosed medical condition). After all, I have a healthy heart. But I do have some tips to make extrasystoles more manageable so the condition doesn’t interfere with daily life. In the evening, before going to sleep, I like to drink a cup of herbal tea.
My favorites are hawthorn, sea buckthorn tea, lemon balm, chamomile, passionflower because they relax me and the warmth of the tea makes me sleepy. These herbal teas are also natural herbal remedies for anxiety.
Keeping stress levels low is also very important for managing extrasystoles so make sure you do something you enjoy every now and then. Some people like cleaning the house when they are alone, others would enjoy a good comedy movie or listening to their favorite music. I like riding my bike in solitary places, where I am surrounded by trees, maybe lie down by the bed of a river and watch ducks or seagulls. Always keep in mind that life is beautiful and that you deserve to enjoy it and you will have no more troubles with extrasystoles.
To help with lowering stress levels, reducing anxiety and improving various aspects of my cardiovascular health, including getting rid of extrasystoles, lowering blood pressure numbers, regulating heart rate and a few other benefits, I took magnesium supplements.
The decision to start supplementing my diet with magnesium was one of the decisions of my life, one that changed my health for the better. A few weeks since starting magnesium, I have noticed a major improvement in my health and my extrasystoles gradually disappeared over the course of a few months.
I have tried several different types of magnesium, some better than others.
Find out more about which I think is the best absorbed magnesium form and decide which magnesium form to choose for your health. I continue to take magnesium supplements on a regular basis, along with a multivitamin and I am beyond satisfied with the benefits.