Heart Palpitations Forum

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Heart Palpitations Forum >> General Discussion >> Advice on how to cope please
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Message started by angiebaby on Feb 3^rd, 2007, 7:52am

Title: Advice on how to cope please
Post by angiebaby on Feb 3^rd, 2007, 7:52am

Hi, i've got to go to a family birthday party tonight and i do want to have a drink although i know that when i have a drink my heart rate will speed up. I know that this is normal and by tomorrow morning it will have gone back down again, but, i would just like some advice on how to cope when my heart rate is high. I will also get more ectopics, i know that, but i will just have to try and distract myself from that one i guess, it's the speeding thumping heart that i know i will have problems with. I want to face and conquer my fears and have a drink i just know what will happen and want some advice on how to cope with it. The highest my heart rate has been is 130, and i know that by some people's standards that is nothing, but i will start to panic and it will be with me all night and i will have trouble in trying to go to sleep with it also. Any help gratefully received, thanks.
Angiebaby

Title: Re: Advice on how to cope please
Post by cazza on Feb 3^rd, 2007, 9:33am

HI angie
just really really try and not focus on your heart just try and enjoy yourself talk to people have a drink and dont worry your heart can beat for 180 beats a minute for days and not do any damage
its because your tuned into your heart you notice everything
i know its really hard but try and relax and go with the flow
lifes too short! carol x

Title: Re: Advice on how to cope please
Post by angiebaby on Feb 4^th, 2007, 10:08am

Thankyou, i managed ok, i had two pints of lager and a bailey's. My heart was 120 - 130 all night, there was a buffet as well and my heart rate always goes up when i eat. I had a dance and i was shocked at how out of shape i had become my heart rate was so fast after i sat back down i couldn't even count it!!!! Which is probably a good thing. lol. And i was out of breath. All that after only one dance, i used to get drunk and be on the dance floor all night, i guess i need more practice again. Anyway i managed with only checking my pulse twice through the night but getting to the party i had a lot of premature firing, probably stressed about it i guess. When i got home i had a cup of tea and checked my BP and it was 104/72 with a pulse of 90 which i was really pleased about because normally it is up all night until the next morning so that was good for me. I hope all is well with you. Angiebaby.x

Title: Re: Advice on how to cope please
Post by SueB on Jul 9^th, 2009, 10:02am

The last time I had a drink was about 2 years ago and the next morning I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. I counted 120 bpm. I had read somewhere that if you plunge your face into really cold water that it could reduce the heart rate significantly. So I tried it and it worked. I filled the basin with cold water and put my face in it for about 30 seconds. My heart rate returned to normal.

Title: Re: Advice on how to cope please
Post by beadbabe on Jul 10^th, 2009, 5:33am

Yes, there is another method for this - it is a way of activating the vaso-vagal reflex.

If you don't have a basin of cold water on hand, you can sort of hold your breath and squeeze down with all your core muscles as if you were going to the loo for as long as you can, and this can also reduce this sort of mild tachycardia. No-one will be able to tell you are doing it either!

I haven't found it to work for ectopics though. Perhaps others have?

bead