Detecting Heart Arrhythmias Through Symptoms And Heart Monitors

Have you ever experienced a sudden pounding in your chest for no reason at all? Have you ever tried feeling your pulse and felt a skipped beat? If you did, you may be experiencing heart arrhythmias.

Let me make it clear now that a heart arrhythmia is not a disease condition, but just a symptom. Having a heart arrhythmia may indicate that you may probably have a more serious condition that is causing your irregular heartbeats. So, what is a heart arrhythmia?

Heart arrhythmia is a condition where you experience irregular heartbeats. Your normal heart rate is 60 to 100 beats when you are in you resting state. If your heart rate is slower than normal, or bradycardia, or faster than normal, or tachycardia, it is considered as an arrhythmia.

Symptoms for this condition are pretty specific. They will be the following:

• Palpitations. You can feel your heart beating very fast, like you just sprinted a hundred meters.

• Pounding sensation in the chest. This is different from palpitations. Where palpitations are fast and almost flutter-like, pounding will be like slow and heavy stomping sensations on your chest.

• Dizziness which may, or may not be, accompanied by fainting spells.

• Difficulty in breathing.

• Weakness and activity intolerance.

However, not all people experience the same set of symptoms. Some may be your classic textbook case, exhibiting all the symptoms mentioned, while others may not show any symptoms at all. These arrhythmias can go undetected if you are not particular with monitoring your heartbeat from time to time. People who exercise regularly usually monitor their heartbeats to measure how hard they have been working-out. People who have sedentary lifestyles, on the other hand, are not usually inclined to do so.

The best way to detect arrhythmias, other than counting your pulse rate, will be with the use of a heart rate monitor. These are readily available in the market and are usually used by gym-rats and exercise enthusiasts. Some of the best heart rate monitors do not only measure your heart rate, but it also measures your respiratory rate, the amount of calories that you have burned, and the data can even be transferred to you computer to be analyzed. But those will be the monitors that are being used by people who want to lose weight. A medical heart rate monitor is a bit different.

A medical heart rate monitor, also called a Holter monitor, has to be worn for a duration of 24 to 48 hours to monitor your heart activity. Monitoring is done with the use of electrodes that are attached to your chest in specific places. The device itself can be placed in your pocket or worn in a belt.

One important thing to remember when about to be submitted to heart monitoring tests is that you should take a bath. You are not allowed to get the device and the electrodes wet as long as you are wearing them. You should also avoid magnets, metal detectors and high-voltage areas. This will affect your results and may even ruin your device.

If you seem to be exhibiting signs of arrhythmias, you should go and consult with a doctor immediately. As mentioned earlier, it can be indicative of an underlying condition. The earlier that condition gets treated, the better.