Heart Racing For No Reason: Causes and How To Calm A Racing Heart

Question: I am a 57 year old female. When I take a nap and wake up, I have to lie still for awhile because my body feels like I just ran a marathon. I am warm, my heart is racing and inner shakes. It feels like it is having trouble from sleeping to waking stage. What could it be? It is driving crazy.
Answer: In normal circumstances you will not feel your heart to be racing, but in situations like when exercising, fear and excitement you may feel palpitation or racing of heart, which may be a temporary phenomenon.

Racing of heart or palpitation in defined as an awareness of beating of heart which is brought about by change in rate, rhythm or contractility of the heart.

Persons of your age with palpitation at rest will require further evaluation by a physician to rule out heart disease.

Causes of Racing Heart

  • Physiological: Exercise and emotional or sexual excitement in a normal person, lack of sleep
  • Obesity
  • Cardiac causes: Mitral or aortic valve disease. Atrial fibrillation,
  • Hypertension
  • Anemia
  • Cigarette smoking due to stimulating effect of nicotine on the heart.
  • Thyroid disease
  • Anxiety, stress and fear
  • Excessive consumption of tea and alcohol.
  • Medicine containing ephedrine, aminophylline
  • Insulin
  • Digoxin and nitroglycerine used in heart disease
  • Fever
  • Hiatus hernia
  • Gastric distention.
  • Cardiac neurosis

How to Calm Racing Heart?

If in elderly rule out if there is any cardiac cause.

  • Decrease stress level
  • Exercise daily, a walk for 30 minutes will also be beneficial to the calm racing heart.
  • Do not over eat and drink.
  • Avoid alcohol, cigarette, tea and coffee.
  • Homeopathic remedies such as phosphorus, spigelia, can be useful if the symptoms match.
  • Eat fresh fruits, and green vegetables with reducing fats in daily consumption.
  • Grapes and guava are most effective home remedies for racing heart. You can drink their juice once in a day for few days.