Irregular Heart Beat

Irregular heartbeat or Arrhythmias is experienced by countless people around the world at some point during the course of their life. Our heart has a fixed rhythm, if it starts to beat too slow or too fast or out of rhythm, then that is known as Arrhythmias or irregular heartbeat.

Quite often this occurs in perfectly healthy people and is harmless. Other times the abnormal beating of the heart cannot be taken so lightly. It can be extremely dangerous for those with existing heart disease and can become a threat if left undiagnosed.

There are three main types of Arrhythmias/irregular heartbeat:

Let us take a deeper look into each condition.

Electrical Disorders

Atrial Fibrillation:

In atrial fibrillation, the heart’s upper chambers may beat up to four times the normal pace. It is caused by the haphazard signals sent from the heart’s electrical system. However, this condition is not life-threatening.

Atrial Flutter:

This condition is somewhat similar to the Atrial fibrillation, but Instead of many confused signals, it is only one signal that moves around the atrium. It moves around up to 300 times per minute resulting in a very high heart rate. This can also cause an increased risk of a stroke.

Sinus Tachycardia:

This is an example of the harmless side of an irregular heartbeat. It usually occurs due to circumstances like a fever, excitement or exercise. If there is no underlying cause such as anemia or hyperthyroidism, then this condition does not require any kind of treatment.