Our lives depend on the continuation of our regular and normal heartbeats. Whenever the normal rhythm of the heartbeat is disturbed, “arrhythmia” has occurred.
Arrhythmia in medicine refers to any irregular heartbeat.
Sudden cardiac arrhythmias and irregular heartbeats that occur from time to time can even lead to death if left untreated.
If you and your loved ones have irregular heartbeats, do not waste time treating your arrhythmia.
In the following, we will explain the best methods of treating and controlling arrhythmias.
what you will read next :
What is an arrhythmia?
In arrhythmias, the heart can beat very fast or very slow, and sometimes the heart contracts and beats abnormally.
In other words, if we compare the shape of the heart contraction waves in normal heart rhythm with the shape of the heart contraction waves in arrhythmias, we find that they are quite different.
Types of arrhythmias
There are different types of heart rhythm irregularities:
- Cardiac tachyarrhythmia:
When the heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute
- Cardiac Brady arrhythmias:
It is a type of irregular heartbeat in which the number of heart beats per minute is less than sixty
- Atrial arrhythmias:
They originate in the atria and simply cause problems and disorders in the atria (the two upper chambers of the heart) that cause irregular heartbeats.
- Ventricular arrhythmias:
When there are problems in the ventricles (the lower two chambers of the heart) they cause irregular heartbeats.
In short, the best treatment for irregular heartbeats will be different for each type of arrhythmia.
The first step in the proper treatment of heart rhythm irregularities is to correctly diagnose the type of arrhythmia.
What are the symptoms of irregular heartbeats?
We said that to get the best treatment for heart irregularities, the first step is to diagnose them
If you occasionally have one or more of the following symptoms, it is best to see your doctor as soon as possible:
- If you feel your heart beating fast
- If you feel your heart beating slowly
- If you feel an interruption between your heartbeats
- If you experience frequent dizziness and lightheadedness that is accompanied by weakness and sometimes fainting.
- Sudden shortness of breath
- Excessive sweating
- Feeling of discomfort in the chest
What causes irregular heartbeats?
- Cardiovascular diseases
- Heart valve diseases
- Recently performed heart surgery
- Heart failure
- Heart muscle diseases (cardiomyopathy)
- ..
Some people have congenital heart arrhythmias. Obese people, people over sixty-five, smokers, alcoholics, and sedentary people are also prone to irregular heartbeats.
Ways to diagnose arrhythmia
Your doctor will diagnose your type of arrhythmia using a set of diagnostic measures such as ECG, Holter monitoring (you stay in the clinic overnight to monitor your heart rate), exercise testing, and more.
What is the best treatment for irregular heartbeats?
The following tips can be helpful for controlling an arrhythmia:
- Keep calm and avoid stress:
Doing yoga and meditation is very good for staying calm
You can inhale through your nostrils and then exhale through your mouth while sitting. Repeating these breaths slowly will help you relax.
- Change your lifestyle:
Be physically active, walk for half an hour a day, and avoid sitting for long periods of time.
Choose a healthy diet and avoid ready-made and high-fat foods, include vegetables and fruits in your diet.
- Limit alcohol and smoking under your doctor’s supervision and then stop
- If you have a family history of heart rhythm disorders, be sure to tell your doctor
In addition to the above, there are medical interventions, including specialized drugs, prescribed by your doctor depending on the type of your arrhythmia.
These drugs have different types and functions; here are some of the best and most widely used drugs for the treatment of heart rhythm disorders:
- Amiodarone(Cordarone;Pacerone)
- Ibutilide(convert)
- Lidocaine(xylocaine)
- Flecainide(Tambocor)
- Procainamide(procanbid)
- Propafenone(Rythmol).
- Tocainide
- Quinidine
Cases two and three are just the type of intravenous injection used to treat arrhythmias.
The final words
In addition to the above described for the treatment of irregular heartbeat we have to say that some types of cardiac arrhythmias require electric shock to correct them.
People with atrial flutter or atrial fibrillation (Atrial muscle cells are irregularly stimulated and contract as a result) need an electric shock to return to their normal heart rhythm which will be performed in a well-equipped hospital by a professional and expert team.
If you have cardiac arrhythmias, it is best to avoid stimulants.
Caffeine, alcohol and anything that causes you excitement and stress can cause an irregular heartbeat.