There are few different things that heart attack causes have in common. The primary one, however, is that all these causes put unnecessary strain and stress on the body and the heart. In order to limit your potential for a heart attack it is important to know what the causes are. If you know what causes a heart attack you can develop a plan to eliminate these causes from your life. It may be difficult to eliminate all of the heart attack causes from your life because there are factors at work that you have no control over, such as genetics. However, there are some causes that you can strive to minimize or even eliminate.
One of the most common heart attack causes is stress. If you are a constant worrier who doesn’t get much sleep then you are at a greater risk of having a heart attack. When you are stressed out your body goes into overdrive. This puts unnecessary strain on the heart muscle. Over time, this constant strain on the heart will gradually weaken it. In turn, you may have a heart attack. Good ways to deal with stress include doing something that you enjoy that also has a benefit for the heart. This could include things such as taking a long walk or jumping in the pool to go for a swim. The idea is to take your mind off of what is stressing so that your heart can get a workout in a good way.
Obesity is also one of the major heart attack causes. Becoming obese is directly related to your diet in most cases. If you are putting bad foods into your body you will likely see your weight climb. When this happens you are putting extra pressure on your heart. Your heart must work faster and harder in an effort to carry all of the excess weight around. A poor diet will also contribute to plaque buildup in your arteries. If you have substantial buildup in your arteries then eventually it will stop the blood flow to your heart. Once this happens you will have a heart attack.
Heart attack causes are often things that can be avoided if you decide to take care of yourself both mentally and physically. Making an effort to live more of a stress free lifestyle while also eating healthier can reduce your risk of a heart attack in no time flat.
Before we discuss the matter of heart palpitations at night,
we have to clarify the meaning of the word “palpitation” in general.
Palpitations refer to irregular heart beats, usually the heart beats to
fast, or with pauses from time to time and gives us an abnormal
sensation, sometimes associated with dizziness, light-headed sensation,
shortness of breath, chest pain etc.
We all had palpitation at least once in our life, and this doesn’t
mean we have a heart disease, because these symptoms occur in healthy
people during exercise or associated to stress, smoking, coffee. Even
so, if the palpitation persist or are associated with shortness of
breath, chest pain, fainting, dizziness, a doctor should be consulted as
soon as possible.
Some patients complain they have heart palpitations at night, which prevent them from falling asleep or wake them up in the middle of the night.
Heart palpitations at night -causes:
Normal heart rate for an adult is 60-90 beats/minute. If the heart
rate is higher the 90 beats per minute, then the condition is called
tachycardia and can provoke palpitation. Not only rapid heart rate can
cause palpitation but also irregular heart beats, known as arrhythmia,
which is the main cause behind palpitation. Why some patients experience
heart palpitations at night, during rest, when heart labor is smaller? Heart palpitations at night can be determined by one of the following cause:
too much stress and anxiety gathered during the
daytime. It is a habit now that every time we go to sleep, we think
again at the daily problems and try to find a solution, as it is said
night is a good adviser. If your mind is concerned about certain
problems happening in your life, you may be lying down and think about
it over and over again, but the emotions and the psychical tension can
generate palpitation.
excessive consumption of caffeine before sleeping
can generate insomnia and palpitation, if you drink a lot of coffee,
especially before sleeping, you may consider giving up.
smoking
alcohol consumption
medication-some drugs used to treat different diseases (like asthma,
heart diseases, high blood pressure, cold) can determine palpitation:
pseudoephedrine used in cold medication, theophylline for asthma etc.
pregnancy
fever-it is well known that body temperature elevation is associated with rapid heart beats and sometimes with palpitations
vigorous exercise before sleeping
breathing problems determined by lung diseases determine a low level of oxygen in the body, which can lead toheart palpitations at night
heart problem-patients with heart failure may develop paroxysmal
nocturnal dyspnea (shortness of breath that occurs suddenly during night
in patient with left heart failure) and palpitations, forcing them to
wake up and search for an open window to get fresh air
hyperthyroidism (a higher level of thyroid hormones can determine irregular or rapid heart beats)
elevated blood pressure
If I have heart palpitations at night-how can my doctor discover if there is something wrong in my body?
Yes it is possible. For patients that have these symptoms only during
night it is difficult to diagnose them during a simple medical visit,
but if a special device called holter ecg is used, then this is no
longer a problem. Holter ECG is a portable medical device that the
patient “wears” for 24 hours and it records heart activity during this
period of time. Heart palpitations at night-treatment Heart palpitations at night
can be treated only after proper tests are made in order to establish
the correct diagnosis. In many cases, palpitations have no serious cause
and a short time treatment associated with a life style change can be
the “cure”.
Special precaution in patients with heart palpitations at night:
avoid consumption of alcohol, coffee, drugs (marijuana, cocaine) or smoking
avoid stress and anxiety-there are many types of techniques used
against anxiety (psychotherapy, sports, taking vacation, travelling
etc.)
sometimes medication is needed in order to control anxiety
respect your hours of sleep
avoid if possible the intake of medication that stimulate palpitations
Heart palpitations at night can be very uncomfortable, but sometimes a
simple change in the daily habits can make them disappear.
