Heart palpitations and headaches can be caused by various factors, including low blood pressure, dehydration, and insufficient food intake. The sickness may require treatment, but the symptoms may resolve themselves. Heart palpitations may cause the chest to feel pounding or fluttering. Headaches are distinguished by pain in the head, face, or neck.
Headache and heart palpitations may indicate a more serious condition, especially if accompanied by additional symptoms.
Heart palpitations and headaches accompanied by fainting, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, or confusion could be medical crises requiring immediate medical attention.
This post explores the problem of heart palpitations with headaches. It discusses the causes of heart palpitations with headaches. Let’s learn more about heartbeat and headache.
Heart Palpitations and Headaches
Even though headaches and heart palpitations are harmless unless the condition is extreme, they may still worry many people. However, it is something to worry about if both problems co-occur.
Heart palpitation is when an individual feels the heart is either beating too fast, skipping a beat, or pounding. On the other hand, a headache is as simple as the discomfort or pain in or around your head that may cause you trouble in doing some daily tasks. A headache may feel like a dull ache, a sharp pain, or a throbbing agony.
Causes and Symptoms of Heart Palpitations and Headaches Co-Occurrence
Below are the reasons and causes of headaches and heart palpitations.
1. Anemia
Anemia is a very common blood condition where the body lacks working red blood cells, leading to less oxygen reaching the cells. It typically happens when your diet is iron-deficient, or the body cannot absorb enough iron. Women may develop anemia when they are pregnant or menstruating. Anemia can occasionally result from severe blood loss following surgery or an injury. Anemia can also be brought on by chronic conditions, including infection, liver or renal disease, cancer, or an autoimmune disorder.
Anemia may cause headaches and heart palpitations. You may experience anemia and experience fatigue, weakness, pallor, and cold hands and feet. Additionally, it may come with shortness of breath, dizziness, and chest pain.
Your doctor may advise you to switch to an iron-rich diet if you are anemic due to blood loss or a poor diet. Iron supplements are also available through online pharmacies. If the illness is serious, your doctor might prescribe medication or use blood transfusions to treat it.
Since anemia can be hazardous, you should consult a physician as soon as you suspect it may cause your symptoms.
2. Arrhythmia
Headache and heart palpitations are also symptoms of arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat. It is a type of cardiac illness caused by an electrical issue in the heart.
Arrhythmia is when a person’s normally regular heartbeat becomes erratic. Heart palpitations are a symptom of several arrhythmias, including atrial fibrillation and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs), which can produce headaches.
There are numerous types of arrhythmias and supraventricular tachycardia that may be responsible for the symptoms. They can alter your heart rate and induce additional symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, or a feeling of fainting.
Related: What Type Of Arrhythmia Is Most Life Threatening?
3. Atrial Fibrillation
Atrial fibrillation is a disorder characterized by rapid and irregular heartbeats. The upper chambers of your heart may beat quicker than 100 times per minute, and your heartbeat may be irregular.
Related: Should An Irregular Heartbeat Worry Me?
Atrial fibrillation can be caused by numerous illnesses, including coronary heart disease, obesity, diabetes, sleep apnea, and excessive blood pressure leading to irregular heartbeat and headache.
Related: Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms at Night
4. High Blood pressure
Forceful heartbeat and headache result from hypertension, i.e., high blood pressure. If you experience constant headaches with high blood pressure, you should seek medical aid as soon as possible. Ignoring hypertension causing headaches and heart palpitations is dangerous. So, it is crucial to get checked for the condition to determine any existing underlying conditions responsible for these symptoms.
5. Stress
It is a well-known fact that stress is a natural part of our lives and is unavoidable. Most people go through many stressful situations and, thus, face stress regularly. However, excessive stress can cause headaches, heart palpitations, and other health problems.
6. Food Allergies
Food allergies can bring on both heart palpitations and headaches. Although a variety of foods can give you a headache, it doesn’t always have to be the same type each time, as there are many different variations of allergies; thus, unique forms of headache may occur. One example of this is that caffeine or alcohol consumption with meals may cause heart palpitations and headaches in some people, while it might not always be the case in others. Another example is that heart palpitations and heartburn after meals can result from a very spicy meal.
7. Caffeine and Alcohol
Caffeine, a stimulant, is usually included in many drinks we may consume daily. These beverages include coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc. Caffeine dependence can develop in people who consume it frequently as it is highly addictive. However, drinking it in moderation is not considered an addiction and might help relieve headaches. As a person becomes used to consuming items with caffeine, withdrawal symptoms such as fatigue, decreased energy, drowsiness, sad mood, difficulty concentrating, and nausea may appear whenever they try to lessen the consumption. They may also face anxiety, heart palpitations, and headaches.
8. Dehydration
The body needs a certain amount of liquids to function well. Without them, there may develop many health problems within your system. These problems can also include heart palpitations and headaches if the dehydration is severe. However, all these are solvable and can be fixed when the fluid consumption is back to normal. Many symptoms may help you realize that you are dehydrated, such as fatigue, dizziness, confusion, urinating less often, and darker-colored urine.
Root Cause Diagnosis for Heart Palpitations with Headache
To determine the cause of your headaches and heart palpitations, a physician will examine your symptoms, family history, and personal health history. There will then be a physical examination.
After your initial consultation, they may opt to schedule tests. If the physician thinks you have a heart problem, you may have to undergo the following:
- Electrocardiograms (also called EKGs)
- stress tests
- Echocardiograms
- Arrhythmia monitors
If a physician suspects a patient has anemia or hyperthyroidism, they may recommend a blood test.
Conclusion
Even though both heart palpitations and headaches may not be anything significant to worry about, even when they occur together, they may be symptoms of some complicated medical condition. Thus, if you also experience fainting, loss of consciousness, chest aches, shortness of breath, headaches, and heart palpitations, don’t wait for the symptoms to go on their own. These might indicate a health emergency, and it may be the right time to consult a doctor.
Moreover, suppose you get heart palpitations with a headache that lasts or come more often than once. In that case, you should consult a doctor immediately and get yourself checked because health should always come first, and these symptoms should not be taken for granted. You can get in touch with HG Analytics and get all the necessary tests and screening done by professionals who ensure a hassle-free experience. So, book your consultation now.
