/img-s3.ilcdn.fi/e801062e1c69354b30ff692bde906c2a6334686436ea435d1f0cb84b404127b5.jpg "Bruising in the chest – This is how the poison of alcohol affects the heart
– 2024-04-23 09:15:02")
Arrhythmias that feel unpleasant or strange are usually transient, but there are other types of arrhythmias.
The function of the heart is actually quite a miracle, because it is an electrical system in the human body. Sometimes the heartbeat can feel strange. Adobe Stock / AOP
- Heart arrhythmias are common, normal and mostly harmless.
- Very hard exercise or exertion can be too much for the heart.
- In congestive heart failure, the heart beats particularly strongly after it has been stopped for a while.
Heart arrhythmias are normal, very common and mostly harmless, but sometimes they can also be dangerous.
During a cardiac arrhythmia, the heart briefly does something different than it normally does.
– Arrhythmia is mostly a matter of individual extra beats of the heart, but at its worst, a certain kind of arrhythmia can lead to death, says the professor of cardiology Jussi Hernesniemi.
The heart never rests. The heart of an 80-year-old person has already beaten about three billion times.
– With this in mind, it is not unexpected that the heart does not always work perfectly, Hernesniemi says.
There are many types of arrhythmias. They may involve the atria or ventricles of the heart.
Fluttering and crashing
In atrial fibrillation, the heart rhythm is often uneven and faster than normal for long periods of time. Atrial fibrillation is not always noticeable.
According to the Sydan.fi website, every fourth of us experiences some kind of atrial fibrillation at some point in our lives.
In atrial flutter, the heart beats steadily, but clearly faster than normal. In atrial flutter, a kind of wildness of the internal electrical fronts is going on in the atrium of the heart.
Both atrial flutter and atrial fibrillation are associated with an increased risk of stroke.
Single extra heartbeats are arrhythmias that are often accompanied by a feeling of heart pounding. Such arrhythmias can occur at any age.
According to Hernesniemi, the feeling of cramping is caused by an exceptionally strong beating of the heart.
An arrhythmia first causes a small standstill in the heart, after which the heart beats strongly. This can cause an unpleasant sensation, a bump.
The heart beats when it receives an electrical signal from the sinus node, which is about a centimeter long and is located in the heart muscle. You can feel your heartbeat on the inside of your wrist. Adobe Stock / AOP
At a gallop of the heart
Even if random heart rhythm disturbances occur several times a day and even in series, they are usually not a threat to the heart and do not indicate heart disease.
Instead, ventricular fibrillation is a life-threatening type of arrhythmia.
According to Hernesniemi, atrial fibrillation and ventricular fibrillation can be confused in everyday language, even though they are very different conditions.
– Ventricular fibrillation, as a rule, always kills.
Supraventricular tachycardias (SVT) are arrhythmias of their own kind, i.e. heart rate attacks above the ventricles. In SVT, the heart beats for a while up to about 170-180 beats per minute.
– The heart starts racing, Hernesniemi describes.
– As a rule, SVTs are harmless, although they can be disgusting. Their treatment is aimed at alleviating the symptoms.
Jussi Hernesniemi is a professor of cardiology at the University of Tampere. Jonne Renvall / University of Tampere
A hangover shiver in the heart
Drinking a lot of alcohol in particular can cause arrhythmias.
Alcohol is a poison, and it induces a state of intoxication in the body. Alcohol and its combustion cause sympathicotonia, an overactivity of the sympathetic nervous system, which can result in more or less hangover tremors.
– This tremor also sensitizes the heart. Alcohol, as it were, pulls the trigger that starts the arrhythmia, says Hernesniemi.
He reminds that alcohol is a significant factor in sudden cardiac deaths. In a Finnish study, about one in four of those who met sudden death and underwent a forensic autopsy had alcohol in their system at the time of death.
In addition to alcohol, the risk of arrhythmia is increased by high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and being overweight.
Severe sudden exertion or exercise can be felt in the heart. Adobe Stock / AOP
To treat or not?
Although arrhythmias are often transient and harmless, certain symptoms may require investigations.
– If a new type of arrhythmia lasts for several minutes and if the heart beats very irregularly during it, the arrhythmia should be investigated.
– If the arrhythmia is accompanied by loss of consciousness or if consciousness goes unexplained, you should contact a doctor, says Hernesniemi.
Occasional individual arrhythmias usually do not need to be treated, but attention should be paid to lifestyles that predispose them.
Sometimes either drug or interventional treatment is needed. Pacemaker therapy can be used to achieve a suitable heart rate in slow arrhythmias.
Suitable for the heart
Regular exercise that loads appropriately is also good for the heart in terms of arrhythmias.
At an older age, really tough endurance sports or sudden hard effort can be an unnecessarily big test for the heart.
– An ordinary exerciser does not need to be afraid that exercise will harm the heart, says Hernesniemi.
– The heart does not weaken with use! The heart must be loaded and the load must be regular. My heart is thankful for that!
Hernesniemi warmly recommends heart health to also support the nurturing of sociality.
– Even if socializing doesn’t add years of life, it can be nice during those years because of socializing!
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