Managing heart conditions

Understanding heart palpitations

Your heart palpitations may be due to atrial fibrillation (AFib). Find out how an insertable heart monitor can help.

Older woman sitting down and holding her chest with a pained look on her face

What are heart palpitations?

If you’ve experienced

  • Fast heartbeats,
  • Fluttering heartbeats,
  • Skipped heartbeats, or
  • Heartbeats that feel like they are pumping harder than normal,

you may have an undiagnosed heart condition called an arrhythmia, or an abnormal heartbeat. The most common abnormal heartbeat is AFib. Having AFib increases your risk of stroke and other health conditions.

Normal heartbeat

A small pulse of electric current spreads quickly through the heart to make the muscle contract.

AFib

In AFib, the heart’s upper chambers quiver faster than the rest of the heart.