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Why is it that a person, under stress, is more likely to experience the thumping and skipping, while seated and at rest, versus while moving around, especially exercising?Īn uptight person will feel the thumping while watching TV or at the computer, but it won’t be there while they’re walking up a hill. The symptoms associated with a heart attack can be pain (usually in the chest but occurring anywhere from the jaw to the belly button), nausea, sweatiness, and/or shortness of breath. None of these are what is typically called “having a heart attack,” which is associated with blockages in the arteries supplying the heart with blood. As isolated phenomena these are not usually dangerous.Ĭ) It could mean the sensation of a rapid abnormal heartbeat called an arrhythmia.Īn arrhythmia, like the isolated extra beats, can arise from either the top or bottom chambers of the heart.ĭepending upon where they arise, what sort of heart disease (if any) they are associated with and what symptoms occur (in addition to the sensation of “thumping”), some arrhythmias can be dangerous. This could be due to a heightened awareness of the heartbeat or the heart contracting more vigorously than usual given the person’s level of activity (i.e., it would not be abnormal to feel this after physical exertion.) This would not be dangerous.ī) It could mean the sensation of a skipped or irregular beat, sometimes described as a “thump.”Īs stated, these extra beats come early, arise from either the top (atria) or bottom (ventricles) chambers of the heart. This assumes the heartbeat is the normal one, at normal rates, but that the person simply feels the heart beating in the chest. Ehlert: It’s hard to know what is meant by “thumping,” and the context of the sensation is also important.Ī) It could simply mean feeling your heart beating. Is there a way to tell when a “thumping” heartbeat is stress related, versus indicative of a serious condition?ĭr. Frederick Ehlert, MD, cardiologist with the Cardiac Electrophysiology and Pacing division at ColumbiaDoctors Eastside, NYC. Nevertheless, heart health should always be taken seriously, which is why I asked questions about thumping heartbeats to Dr. And, do you find that you are most aware of a thumping or extra heartbeat when you start thinking about it?