The REAL CAUSE of Heart Palpitations and HOW TO Prevent It

Introduction to Menopause Palpitations 0:00

Have you entered menopause or perimenopaus and suddenly you start feeling your heart fluttering, pounding, racing, or skipping? Maybe it happens while you're sitting quietly, maybe it wakes you up at night. Maybe you've been told it's just anxiety or that this is normal at your age and going through menopus. But you know your body and you when something feels different. I'm Dr. Jack Wolfson, cardiologist and founder of Natural Heart Doctors. And right now I'm talking about menopause, palpitations, and what you can do about them.

Palpitation simply means that you are unusually aware of your heartbeat. Your heart may feel like it's pounding, fluttering, racing, skipping, thuds, flips.

What Palpitations Feel Like 0:42

Sometimes the rhythm is normal, but feels unusally strong. Other times there may be an electrical rhythm disturbance that needs to be identified. That is the first thing I want you to understand. Palpitations are a symptom, they're not a diagnosis and they are not disease. During perimenopause, estrogen and progesterone can fluctuate dramatically. These hormonal changes may affect the nervous system that helps to regulate your heart rate, your blood pressure, temperature, sleep and the stress response.

This may be why palpitation often appear alongside other symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and anxiety. But menopausal may trigger without being the complete cause.

Hormonal Changes and Nervous System Effects 1:19

your symptoms should not automatically be blamed on hormones or anxiety or just getting older. Obviously women are not small men and women deserve a thoughtful evaluation of what their bodies are trying to communicate. So I want you to remember three things throughout this video. Number one, you need to know your rhythm. number two, learn your triggers and number three, learning the root cause. So first, know your rhythm. You cannot always identify a heart rhythm based on how it feels. The symptoms, skipping and flipping, can mean different things in different people.

So some kind of a wearable device on short term use, an ECG, or a longer term monitor will help to determine what your symptoms are and how that relates

Know Your Rhythm 1:58

to the rhythm, and that's why I say, test don't guess. Don't assume that you have a dangerous rhythm because your heartbeat feels unusual. Most of the times, It's not dangerous, but also don't assume everything is fine because palpitations are common during menopause. Know your rhythm and we can help. Number two, know your triggers. Pay attention to when the palpitations occur and what was happening before they started. How was your night's sleep? Were you under more stress? How was your hydration status?

Did the symptoms appear after caffeine or alcohol or sugar, a large meal or maybe even after a hot flash? Write down what happened. Keep a diary. When it happened, how long it lasted. Try and find some associated triggers. The symptom that feels random may begin to reveal a predictable pattern and now knowing your triggers gives you information that you can use. So know your rhythm and know you triggers. Third, know the root cause. Hormonal changes are part of the story but they do not explain the entire story.

Identify Triggers 2:51

Sleep, stress, thyroid, nutrient deficiencies, inflammation, oxidative stress and environmental toxins. These influence the heart, the nervous system and heart rhythm. Now this does not mean that every woman needs dozens of tests. It means the investigation should go beyond the surface and ask why the symptoms are happening. Know your Rhythm Know your triggers and know your root cause. While you are investigating, return to the foundations. Eat real, nutrient-dense food. Get outside in the morning and get some natural light like I am right now.

Move your body throughout the day. Reduce your artificial light and screen exposure at night. Prioritize deep, restorative sleep. Prioritize the mindset. How you eat, how you live and how think. Send signals to your heart every moment of every day and even people who are on hormone replacement therapy.

Look for Root Causes 3:39

Is that impacting your symptoms? Menopause is not a disease and hormone therapy should not automatically be the first answer for every woman. Some women with persistent and significant symptoms may decide to consider it after discussing the benefits, the risks and personal health history with a knowledgeable, holistic healthcare practitioner. But before assuming hormones are the only solution, identify the rhythm, investigate the triggers and look for the root cause. Menopause is not a disease and pharmaceuticals are not the cure.

Now of course if symptoms and palpitations occur with other things like chest pain and shortness of breath, lightheadedness, that's a different story and that is more of an emergency.

Lifestyle Foundations for Heart Health 4:24

But the vast majority of people I've seen over 25 years, it's not an It's time to determine the root cause. And that's what we do at Natural Heart Doctor. We help people with root-cause semitometology. So go to our website, snoop around, watch more of my videos on the Root Cause. In fact, we have a Palpitations Masterclass that I think you would be absolutely perfect for. Great for women. It's great for men, it's good for everybody. But we do talk about postmenopausal women because this is a major pain point for a lot of these women.

When to Consider Hormones and When to Seek Help 4:57

So check the link below and come inside the Palpitations Masterclass and understand that we have your back, we of your heart, on your way to the 100 year heart. Work with us and our team at Natural Heart Doctor.