Many Australian women are familiar with the classic symptoms of perimenopause and menopause, including hot flashes, brain fog, and weight gain. Unknown to them, a manifestation of this critical transition period may surprise them—heart palpitations.
It’s important to note that you’re not alone in this journey. On a global scale, an estimated 42% of perimenopausal and 54% of postmenopausal women experience heat palpitations. While these statistics may initially seem alarming to many women, it’s crucial to understand that perimenopause heart palpitations aren’t life-threatening. They are a common part of this life transition period.
As a trusted Gold Coast menopause practitioner who has helped numerous Australian women achieve optimum health and well-being since 2021, we’re here to reassure you that you can successfully manage perimenopause heart racing at night. This blog will delve deeper into the basics of heart palpitations, empowering Australian women to take charge of their long-term health and well-being.
Heart Palpitations Explained
Heart palpitations are sensations where the heartbeat feels unusually forceful, rapid, or irregular. You may feel as if your heart is skipping a beat, racing, or thumping in your chest, throat, or neck. It’s important to remember that heart palpitations are not the same as a heart attack.
Women experiencing a heart attack undergo a fuller range of symptoms than men. Although chest pain is a primary manifestation, females can also experience nausea, breathing issues, vomiting, fatigue, and jaw, neck, arm, and shoulder pain.
Instead of physical stress, males undergo emotional strain that can trigger or escalate these heart attack symptoms. However, since women can feel numerous symptoms, we strongly advise them not to take them for granted. If you feel any heart attack manifestations, please contact your nearest emergency health care provider immediately.
Sometimes, people mistake heart attacks for a perimenopause heart flutter. They often confuse one for the other because they share similar symptoms, including chest discomfort, fluttering, or an irregular heartbeat. However, heart attacks last for several minutes and may worsen. In contrast, heart flutters last briefly and manifest themselves intermittently.
Patients experiencing a heart attack also feel nauseous and sweat profusely. The pain may also spread to the arm, jaw, or back. Heart flutters don’t manifest these symptoms.
If you’ve been experiencing heart perimenopausal palpitation symptoms, including a pounding heartbeat, dizziness, fatigue, and anxiety, please contact your physician immediately. Please note that these symptoms typically manifest as brief episodes that may recur without warning.
How Are Menopause And Heart Palpitations Related?
Although heart palpitations can occur at any time, they tend to be more common among perimenopausal and menopausal women. According to health experts, fluctuating estrogen and progesterone levels make women susceptible to the effects of stress, caffeine, or alcohol, which can trigger heart palpitations.
The other possible causes of heart palpitations include the following:
- Fever.
- Nicotine.
- Stimulant medications, including decongestants.
- Intense exercise or physical activity.
- Hormonal fluctuations associated with pregnancy and menstrual cycles.
Estrogen’s And Progestrerone’s Links to Cardiovascular Function
Estrogen and progesterone are the two primary female sex hormones produced by the ovaries. The former helps regulate the female reproductive system, while the latter helps support pregnancy.
Both sex hormones play a significant role in your heart rate. When they reach their lowest levels during menstruation, women’s heart rates are generally slower. This finding suggests that sex hormones are associated with the rate of cardiac activity.
Estrogen and progesterone may also influence cardiovascular electrical signal activity. The former helps protect the heart. For this reason, fluctuating estrogen levels during perimenopause and menopause may lead to cardiovascular health issues.
Other Possible Causes of Heart Palpitations in Perimenopausal Women
Several risk factors can increase the likelihood of perimenopausal and menopausal heart palpitations, including the following:
- Ethnicity: Studies have shown that Hispanic women are more susceptible to heart palpitations than non-Hispanics. Menopausal symptoms can also differ in number and severity among various ethnicities. Although these differences are subject to further evaluation, financial stress, racial discrimination, healthcare access, lifestyle factors, and other stressors often play a significant role.
- Physical activity: Sedentary perimenopausal and menopausal women increase their risk of heart palpitations. Studies have shown that regular exercise can reduce this risk.
Exercising isn’t solely for younger women. You can start a regular exercise program in your 40s and beyond to enjoy optimum cardiovascular function and well-being. We strongly encourage consulting your physician and fitness instructor to begin a life-changing exercise program.
- Hot flashes and sleep issues: Hot flashes that hinder high-quality sleep can trigger heart palpitations. Some health experts theorise that hot flashes and cardiac palpitations arise from similar internal mechanisms. However, further research is necessary to confirm this suspicion.
- Stress: Perimenopausal and menopausal stress can cause heart palpitations among Australian women. These life stages are particularly stressful because of increased family, work, and social obligations.
Balancing a demanding career, raising children, caring for older parents, and managing a household can overwhelm many women, compromising their cardiovascular function.
If you’ve been struggling with stress in your 40s, 50s, and beyond, we highly encourage you to eat well, exercise regularly, sleep seven to eight hours nightly, connect with loved ones, and manage your priorities to lower your stress levels and reduce the likelihood of heart palpitations.
Strategies for Coping With Perimenopausal and Menopausal Heart Palpitations
Women can easily resort to instant gratification, including smoking, binge eating, living a sedentary lifestyle, impulse shopping, and scrolling mindlessly on their phones. However, taking the high road and making significant lifestyle changes can help you enjoy long-term health and peace of mind.
Although research on drastically minimising perimenopausal and menopausal heart palpitations has not been extensive and conclusive, we strongly encourage Australian women to make the following lifestyle changes to enjoy a high quality of life:
- Minimise stimulants, including caffeine and nicotine.
- Manage stress and anxiety.
- Try mindfulness activities, such as yoga, Pilates, tai chi, breathing exercises, and meditation.
- Exercise regularly.
- Eat well by focusing on fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, and healthy fats.
- Sleep seven to eight hours nightly.
- Avoid smoking and excessive alcohol intake.
- Journalling can help eliminate worrisome thoughts and mental strain, inducing serenity and peace of mind.
When Should You Call A Physician?
Although most heart palpitations are not life-threatening, we highly encourage you to consult your doctor if you experience the following symptoms:
- Chest, back, left arm, or jaw pain.
- Breathing difficulties.
- Nausea or lightheadedness.
- Vomiting.
- A pulse rate exceeding 100 beats per minute.
- Constant and unrelenting palpitations.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are heart palpitations a symptom of perimenopause?
Estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during perimenopause and menopause can increase the chances of heart palpitations. Roughly four out of ten women and five out of ten women experience this condition in perimenopause and menopause, respectively.
Can heart palpitations trigger menopausal cardiovascular disease?
Fortunately, studies have shown no direct links between heart palpitations and cardiovascular issues, including arrhythmia, atherosclerosis, coronary artery calcium, and hypertension, among perimenopausal and menopausal women.
Does menopause hormone therapy (MHT) help prevent or minimise heart palpitations?
Research has suggested that MHT can manage heart palpitations in perimenopause and menopause. However, more research is needed to understand how heart issues are linked to diminished estrogen levels during menopause.
When do menopause-related heart palpitations typically happen?
Perimenopausal women are more likely to experience heart palpitations than their postmenopausal counterparts.
Conclusion
Heart palpitations are a common yet lesser-known perimenopausal and menopausal symptom, affecting numerous women in Australia and other countries. The inevitable estrogen and progesterone fluctuations during these life phases, stress, caffeine, and alcohol, can trigger cardiac palpitations.
Although this isn’t a life-threatening condition, we strongly encourage you to make lifestyle changes, including regular exercise, healthy eating, adequate sleep, mindfulness, and stress management, to minimise your chances of developing heart palpitations. Please consult your healthcare provider if you experience any persistent symptoms.
Since 2021, Her Medical has helped numerous Australian women navigate the challenging waters of perimenopause and menopause. Please contact us today to schedule an appointment and enjoy long-term health and well-being.