Can Low Iron Cause Heart Palpitations?

Heart palpitations can feel like a warning sign, but they are associated with low iron levels. It’s crucial to understand the relationship to identify both the symptoms and their primary cause. These racing or fluttering sensations in your chest may be a sign that your heart is working overtime for reduced oxygen delivery throughout your body. If you notice unexplained palpitations alongside fatigue or other signs, you can reach out to the best general practitioner Glenroy at Magnus Medical. Professional doctors can help you determine whether low iron might be the reason. 

What are heart palpitations, and how it is caused by low iron?

Heart palpitations are sensations of a rapid heartbeat, making you feel it in your chest, neck, or throat. While they can feel alarming, palpitations themselves are not always risky. However, when caused by low iron levels, they signal your cardiovascular system is under stress. Low iron minimises hemoglobin levels, reducing your blood’s oxygen-carrying capacity by up to 30%. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells which are responsible for transporting oxygen from your lungs to tissues throughout your body. 

As your iron levels fall, your body produces fewer healthy red blood cells; this condition is often called deficiency anemia. You may try to compensate by working faster, but unfortunately, your body may not be able to get enough oxygen to your other organs, or to the muscles in your body. Your heart has more work to do, which can result in you feeling noticeable palpitations during times of physical exertion or stress.

The heart tries to compensate for the lack of oxygen by beating harder and that is what causes the uncomfortable racing sensations.  Palpitations from iron deficiency are regular in rhythm, just faster than normal. Some cardiac conditions cause irregular rhythms. Understanding this mechanism may help to distinguish iron deficiency from other warning signs of a heart attack that need urgent medical attention.  

Foods to avoid if you have heart palpitations

Foods that may lead to heart palpitations include:

• Caffeine: Caffeine is found in coffee, chocolate and energy drinks and can make your heart beat faster.
• Alcohol: Alcohol might upset the normal heartbeat and lead to extra beats.
• High sodium foods: Additional salt increases blood pressure and can cause dehydration.  
• Sugary foods: The intake of refined sugar can increase blood sugar levels, which can increase heart rate. 
• Fatty or oily meals: The body works hard to digest heavy meals, and sometimes it causes acid reflux that is similar to heart palpitations.

Heart palpitations when lying down, but why?

Many of you may notice heart palpitations when lying down, which is very common and harmless. This is why it happens:

• Position of your body: Lying on your left side or flat makes your heart closer to the wall of your chest and makes it beat faster.  
• Blood flow: When the amount of blood flow returning to the heart increases, it can increase the force of each heartbeat. 
• Quiet environment: You notice your heartbeat more clearly at night when there’s a quiet environment. 

Heart palpitations but normal ECG: What it means

A normal ECG is common because a standard test only records your heartbeat for a few seconds, and for this reason, intermittent palpitations often go unrecorded. Here’s why your ECG is normal:

• Short test window: A standard ECG is only responsible for capturing your heart activity during your appointment. 
• Intermittent rhythms: If your heart rhythm is normal when the patches are on, the test will not show the skipped or fast beat. 
• Benign extra beats: Harmless extra beats come and go and may not show up if they stop prior to the test.

How do I stop heart palpitations when lying down? 

Here are the steps given below to prevent heart palpitations when lying down:

• Lie down on your right side. 
• Breathe deeply through your nose for four seconds and hold for two seconds. Exhale gently through your mouth for 6 seconds. 
• Drink a glass of water to help fight mild dehydration, which can affect heart rhythm.  
• Get up and walk around the room for a few minutes to distract your mind and calm your nervous system. 

Conclusion 

There can be many reasons for heart palpitations. If you notice an irregular heartbeat, you can get in touch with Magnus Medical, the most reliable Glenroy medical centre.