For the past month, I've been having fast heart beats several times a day for a short period of time as if I were scared. I consume caffeine moderately and smoke once a week or less. Should I worry?
Stress, dehydration, caffeine, and tobacco all contribute to interfering with the regular rhythm of the heart beat, what we call palpitations, whereby the heart muscle goes into "premature beats" that are not synchronized with the regular rhythm. This occurs in some people more so than in others. You should start by reducing your coffee (and other sources of caffeine or alerting/stimulating substances for that matter, including chocolate, tea, energy drinks), tobacco, and make sure you drink plenty of water and get adequate sleep. Should these palpitations persist despite these measures, you may want to obtain a basic heart tracing (electrocardiogram ECG) to check for any premature beats, which are usually easily treated with medications like beta blockers, and do basic blood tests to rule out an underlying condition, like thyroid gland disease (though uncommon in males).
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