A blog by Thomas Boto, co-founder of Natural Rhythm
Few things are worse (or scarier) than palpitations that come every few seconds and won’t seem to go away. It feels like your heart is about to give up. I have often focused on permanent remedies that will remove heart palpitations for good, but there are some temporary techniques/solutions that will hopefully stop or slow them down for a while. (If you want to see a longer list of cures and remedies, be sure to check out my post called “The Best Cures and Remedies for Heart Palpitations”)
I wish I would have known some of these instant tips and tricks when I first felt my palpitations go out of control. Some work better than others, but all of them are worth trying (if you are physically able to do so.) Just remember, only do these if your doctor has said that your heart palpitations are just an annoyance and nothing to worry about. The last thing you want to do is waste time doing these exercises when you should be going to a hospital.
Techniques to Stop Heart Palpitations Immediately:
- Yep, a plain o’l cough can supposedly reset the rhythm of your heart. I have tried this with limited success, but others seem to think it works great.
- Bear Down. There is no real polite way to say this, but the whole idea is to clinch your stomach muscles to mimic the act of going to the bathroom – pushing out a bowl movement (careful here…you don’t want to mess up and do the real thing…). For some reason this reroutes the circuits and the palpitations sometimes go away or at least slow down a little.
- Cold Water. Splashing cold water on your face or taking a cold shower shocks your body and resets your normal heart rhythm. I am sure this works for some people, but I hate taking cold showers, so I usually pass on this one unless the palpitations are really bad.
- Valsalva Maneuver. A large cause of heart palpitations is the vagus nerve. So stimulating the vagus nerve, which can affect heart rate, will sometimes stop palpitations and possibly restore your normal heart beat. To do the Valsalva maneuver you hold your nose and close your mouth while attempting to breathe out with some force (think of blowing up a balloon). Another technique is to make a fist and blow into it like you are blowing up a balloon. If done correctly, you may experience immediate relief from your palpitations. This technique is similar to “Bearing Down” mentioned above.
- Deep Breathing Exercises. Deep breathing exercises are great for reducing anxiety and can certainly help slow down your heart rate, which can reduce your palpitations. So do your favorite deep breathing exercise and see if that does the trick. I really enjoy deep breathing exercises, but when my heart is skipping a whole lot, it is hard to focus on my breathing.
- Exercise. I prefer this technique best. I cannot alway exercise when I have a bad run of heart palpitations, especially at night. But if I have some time in the morning or afternoon, a good cardio workout where I can get my heart rate up for an extended amount of time does wonders to restore my normal heart beat…at least for a while.
- Magnesium. I know I only said six ways, and this is technically not a technique, but I think it is also worth mentioning that many people have found that taking a magnesium supplement has stopped their heart palpitations. Magnesium didn’t completely take away my heart palpitations, but I think it helped a lot. And I still take it to help me relax and sleep better. There are a plethora of magnesium supplements to try (and I tried many of them) but the one I like best is this one. It seemed to work fast, it was easy to take, and actually tasted pretty good. So I highly recommend it.
Keep in mind that these are only temporary relief techniques for stopping heart palpitations. For more permanent relief, you will most likely have to make some life changes (like your diet and exercise routine, etc). A good place to start would be HERE.
For a longer look at all the cures and remedies for heart palpitations that I have assembled, be sure to check out my series “The Best Cures and Remedies for Heart Palpitations”
Also, many of you have asked about other vitamins and supplements that I use and find helpful. If you are interested, you can find more about the resources I use to help manage my heart palpitations here: Heart Palpitation Resources
So what do you think? Do any of these work for you? Do you know of any other techniques or exercises that stop heart palpitations immediately?