Is it normal that I can feel my heart beat in my chest?

Feeling your heart beat rapidly in your chest can be a sign of over-excitement or a heart condition. Below are three common issues that can cause the heart to beat fast.

First, let’s understand what the heartbeat really is. Your heart is a muscle that spontaneously contracts due to built-in pacemakers in order to continuously pump oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body and de-oxygenated and waste-filled blood back to organs to correct it.

The beating noise is really the sound of heart valves opening and closing as the blood moves from one set of compartments of the heart into others. Because the heart is really the motor propelling blood supply to all tissues, the nervous system likes to have direct input in the event it needs to direct more or less blood to the body.

A great example of this is when a person is in the “fight or flight” state – ready to face a problem or run away from it. The nervous system tells the heart to beat faster to supply the necessary blood to the organs. Sometimes it is so rapid that you can actually feel the heartbeat. In essence then, a speedy heart rate is a sign of you being overly excited. Excitement is not always perceived as a positive thing by our bodies.

Here are three common circumstances in which you may start to feel rapid heartbeat symptoms:

Did you just receive good news, get off a roller coaster or go for a run? The adrenaline pumping through your body due to nervous excitement has got your heart rate, or pulse, speeding up to ensure blood is delivered to the necessary parts of your body to process the stimuli. This is a normal physiological reaction.

One of the common symptoms of nervousness is increased heart rate. Again, your nervous system perceives a threat around you and is preparing you for the “fight or flight” response, regardless of whether the stimulus is harmless or not. If this is a normal case of your love interest walking through the door, then hold off calling a doctor. However, in the event you experience recurring panic attacks, you may have to seek medical attention. This type of anxiety is very stressful on your body in the long run, both physically and mentally.

Commonly referred to as tachycardia, this is a case of your heart’s natural pacemaker signals conflicting with those of the heart chamber contractions. All this results in an increased heart rate. Because there is not enough time for the heart chambers to fill properly, normal blood flow to your body’s tissues is compromised.

Make an appointment with your healthcare practitioner if you suspect you have tachycardia, and to identify the best treatment for you.