How to slow your heart rate anxiety

To control a fast, pounding or fluttering heart rate, also known as palpitations, you should breathe deeply for 3 to 5 minutes. You can also try coughing strongly 5 times, or place a cold water compress on your face. 

A fast heart rate over 100 beats per minute, also known as tachycardia, can change the way your blood flows to your body’s tissues. Some symptoms related to fast heart rates are fatigue, shortness of breath and general malaise. Most times, when palpitations are felt, it is not a serious health problem. It is usually related to stressful situations or anxiety, and can occur with other symptoms like headache or cold sweats. 

If your palpitations last for over 30 minutes, if they occur while you are sleeping, or if you faint as a result, you should call for an ambulance, as these are signs of heart problems. 

How to slow your heart rate 

Some ways to bring your heart rate to normal levels are: 

1. Stand with your legs straight and bend at the hips to hug your knees or touch your toes
2. Place a cold compress on your face 
3. Cough forcefully 5 times 
4. Exhale slowly with your lips pursed or your mouth slightly open 5 times 
5. Breathe deeply by inhaling through your mouth and exhaling through your mouth 5 times 
6. Count down from 60 to 0 slowly while looking at the ceiling 

Symptoms of tachycardia, like fatigue, shortness of breath, general malaise, weight on your chest, palpitations and weakness, should start to decrease after a few minutes of using these techniques. Even if you are able to relieve the fast heart rate, you should avoid food and drinks that can increase heart rate, like chocolate, coffee or energy drinks. 

If your hast heart rate lasts for over 30 minutes, if you feel numbness on one side of the body or if you faint as a result, you should call for an ambulance, as these are signs of a heart problem. These symptoms require treatment in the hospital, which may include the use of IV medication. Learn more about the common symptoms of a heart attack.

Medications to control palpitations 

If tachycardia occurs several times per week, you should see your doctor for assessment. Your doctor may order exams like an ECG, an echocardiogram or an 24-hour holter to assess your heart function. 

After reaching a diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe medication that helps to control fast heart rates, like amiodarone or atenolol. These should only be taken as prescribed by the doctor.

Anxiolytic medication, like Xanax or diazepam, can also help to control increased heart rates related to stress or anxiety. These medications are usually prescribed as PRN, or as needed, when people are experiencing an anxiety attack, for example. 

Natural ways to slow your heart rate 

You can slow down your heart rate naturally by incorporating lifestyle changes into your daily routine. Some examples include avoiding drinks with caffeine or alcohol, and quitting smoking.  

You should also maintain a healthy diet that is low in fat and sugar. Exercise can help to release substances called endorphins, which can cause a feeling of pleasure and happiness. You should also consider partaking in more activities that reduce stress and anxiety, like meditation. 

When to see the doctor 

You should go to the emergency room if: 

• Your palpitations last for over 30 minutes
• You experience symptoms like chest pain that radiates to the left arm, numbness, tingling, headaches or shortness of breath 
• If it occurs more than twice per week 

In these cases, your palpitations may be related to a more serious heart problem, and should be assessed by a cardiologist. 

Finding food is intensely challenging and you are the source of food for your animal cohabitants. Meat is rare and it might take you and your hunting party days to arrive home with something to feed the tribe. Your body must work efficiently to keep you safe from harm. Danger lurks everywhere but your body is powerful. When your brain recognises an imminent threat, it will activate your fight or flight response, so you can run or fight. This innate life saving skill keeps you alive on your dangerous missions.

And then you come back to real life. Real life in your western society where there is very little threat to your life. Food comes from the supermarket down the road and your next-door neighbour probably isn’t going to eat you.

Frustratingly though, your brain does not differentiate between a threat to your life and a threat to your ego. It cannot tell the difference between real and imagery. It holds onto previous experiences and uses them to determine how to behave in the future. So, when you have a social engagement that feels a bit scary, or a presentation to give at work your brain will react as it would when trapped by a killer animal.

Why does anxiety cause heart palpitations?

As you now know, anxiety is the body entering the fight or flight response. This involves activation of the autonomic nervous system and an increase in your heart rate. It makes a lot of sense; your body needs to pump the blood to all the muscles required to fight or flee the threatening situation.

Once the threat passes, you win the fight, or escape, your body should return to the default state and your heart rate should slow. However, if the threat is not an actual threat to your life, you do not run away or fight – but if the perceived threat is persistent, you will remain in the anxious (fight or flight) state.

How to stop heart palpitations due to anxiety

You can use hypnotherapy or other forms of talking therapy to manage anxiety. However, in the moment, you want to know how to stop your heart from doing what it is doing. It is, therefore, important to know how to calm a racing heart from anxiety, when you have not yet found the time to deal with the anxiety overall.

The best trick to slow down your heart rate is to make your out-breath longer than your in-breath. When you inhale you stimulate your sympathetic nervous system which increases your heart rate. When you exhale you stimulate your parasympathetic nervous system which decreases your heart rate. By exhaling for longer than your inhale you slow your heart rate. Try counting from one to seven as you inhale and one to eleven as you exhale. 

How to slow down heart rate anxiety

Anxiety often causes anxiety. For example, the faint feeling of anxiety can frighten you so much that your anxiety grows, and everything feels much stronger.

Heart rate anxiety happens when your slightly faster heartbeat makes you fear there is something terribly wrong. Your brain takes this belief on and strengthens the response. The fast heart rate gets stronger, and you find yourself in a vicious circle. When you make the active decision to use one of the below techniques to slow down your heart rate you will also lower heart rate anxiety.

How do I know if I have heart problems or anxiety?

There is no harm in a quick trip to the doctor to make sure your heart is in good working order. Anxiety is more common than you might think and certainly more likely than heart problems, but your GP will happily check your heart for you to make sure there is nothing wrong. 

If your heart rate is quickened due to anxiety, you can use the following tricks to slow down your heart rate and feel more comfortable.

1. Breathing – as per the previous example when you breathe, make your exhale longer than your inhale to slow your heart rate. 

2. Abdominal breathing – place one hand on your belly button and another on your chest. Breathe down into the belly button space so this hand rises rather than the one on your chest. Abdominal breathing is the most efficient way to breathe. ‘Cheating’ by breathing into your chest becomes the normal way. This is harder when you are in an anxious state because your chest muscles will tighten to help you run or fight. The tightness further fuels the fear and increases the anxious feelings. Make abdominal breathing your normal way to breathe.

3. Mindfulness – some hypnotherapy sessions with a therapist knowledgeable about mindfulness will help you learn how to live mindfully. This will enable you to take control of your thoughts, so you are less likely to drift into the fight or flight response. 

4. Meditation – meditation will take your body out of the anxious state and move you into the default calm state. Your heart rate will slow as a result. This is something you should do daily. If time is a restriction a five-minute meditation is preferable to nothing. 

5. Exercise – exercise is beneficial for all of you, mind, body, and spirit. There is no requirement to exercise intensely, a 30-minute walk each day is good enough.

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