Heart palpitations and GERD

I don't know if you have any resolution on this, but for about 15 years I had this exact issue.  Once I found it to be absolutely related to my gerd or hiatal hernia.  I could actually feel as food hit a "sore spot" in my stomach/esophogus and I would get that familiar "twitch" or flutter.  The funny thing is that this all went away about 5 years ago when I started taking a beta blocker for an anxiety/adrenaline disorder.  Haven't had it since.  It used to be real bad when I would get a cold, I think from things getting sore due to drainage from my sinuses and such.  Good luck to you or whomever else may read this.

EVERYONE!!! Something to check into!! I MAY HAVE A SOLUTION!!!

Ok, Hi! I'm Mike.. 31.. living with all of the previously mentioned symptoms for years now.. the heartburn, the dizziness, the faint feelings, heart palpitations.. etc. And I discovered something in school that helped lessen some of it... and it's totally not what you'd expect.

I attend Cortiva Institute of Massage Therapy.. and learned about a couple muscles last fall that really made a difference in my life. The first one is called the STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID and the others are called SCALENES.

These are neck muscles, and I'll save everyone the dry lecture on their origin, insertion, actions and palpation techniques... but these muscles are located in the neck, by the carotid arteries and brachial plexus nerve bundle...

Now follow me on this...

When these muscles are tense, some people may experience certain things.. like LIGHTHEADEDNESS and DIZZY/FAINT feelings, headaches, NUMBNESS IN ARMS, WEAKENED MUSCLE FEELINGS, TIGHT THROAT, twitching in the eye, TIGHTNESS IN THE CHEST, PERSISTENT SORE THROAT, HEART ATTACK SYMPTOMS, brain fog, lack of energy and a myraid of other symptoms.

Now.. add in these feelings with being prone to anxiety attacks and you can be a real mess (Just like me!)

Anyways, what causes these symptoms to occur via these muscles is them cutting down the blood flow to the brain via the arteries (lack of blood flow equal lack of oxygen) and them pinching the bracial plexus bundle, sending misfire signals and blocking signals..



SO WHERE DOES GERD COME IN??????


I have been feeling really icky lately... and my stomach has been acting up. Last night, the palpatations were quite annoying, and I noticed an irregular heartbeat. Did a little research and learned about how the vagus nerve can cause these issues if it's having problems. So, I busted out my good 'old anatomy books and chased this pesky nerve down.. and it RUNS RIGHT IN WITH THE ARTERIES, intertwined with the STERNOCLEIDOMASTOID muscle.

So... here's my theory.. As sitting at computers, propping our heads up on a couch or bed to read, stress and other things cause these muscles to contract and squeeze excessively in some people, (Which think about it.. I bet you do many of these things) we are also causing irritation to the arteries and vagus nerve. So, the solution to much of this may be as simple as a therapeutic rehabilitational massage from a QUALITY LICENSED THERAPIST.

Now, here's what I hate to say. Doctors don't understand muscles as well as a massage therapist. Many times, they forget what massage therapy can affect, and some even discredit our field. Do some research and find a good clinical therapist. Have them palpate (check out) your neck. Chances are they can do some work that may just end this. I'm about to show a fellow student how to properly work on my neck and see if it helps. I DO KNOW that my stretches have been helping with the lightheaded/dizzy feelings a LOT. (You can search "scm stretch" on youtube for a video on this.. but this muscle is a little tricky to work if your not familiar with it in a clinical manner.

Also, feel free to message me and ask for info.. and I'd be happy to palpate and treat ANYONE in the Chicagoland area for free.. (Besides, I can't charge.. I'm still in school).

yes for sure keep us informed if this helps

My rapid heart/palpitations began awakening me about 3 years ago very suddenly along with bad reflux. It was just annoying at first.

After it wouldn't stop, all the testing for heart, lung, panic etc began. Nothing wrong. Just extremely bad GERD/reflux which was at it's worst in the early morning.

Not to downplay it either. After three years of waking up with what felt like panic attacks I'm finally free.

When medication didn't help me after many years I had to go the surgical route.
Not everyone does and I hope you find your solution with diet etc.

Good luck.

Reflux and palpitations - YES! I had all sorts of physiological symptoms of anxiety including palpitations, and even panic attacks that turned out to be ENTIRELY attributable to GERD. It took a year to work it out, because I didn't have other more obvious symptoms of GERD, (or rather I did, but I had learned to ignore them). Then a combination treatment saved my quality of life as I could finally start sleeping again.

GERD + Palpitations treatment that worked for me:
I took 40mg Omeprazole (Prilosec) at night
25 mg Zoloft in the morning (which lowered the threshold required for the reflux to trigger the palpitations - helped immensely, the PPI alone helped but was not enough because it doesn't keep food from coming up, so palps were still being triggered without the Zoloft).
And for treating a particular episode of palpitaions, my doctor gave me a beta blocker (20 mg of Inderal). Only as needed.

After three months of the Omeprazole + Zoloft my GERD was under control. Now I don't need the Zoloft anymore, and I only need half the dose of Omeprazole once at night and I'm fine. I can also be more relaxed about what I eat, and whether or not I sleep on my back elevated (which I had to be VERY strict about in the first few weeks of treatment.)

Of course I have moments where it flares up again, but then I just increase the Omeprazole again, and maybe dig out my beta blockers to calm resulting palpitations.Then I am very careful with food the following few days and I'm back on track.

I don't know what I would have done if my GP hadn't been so open minded about letting my try this treatment combination. The idea that Reflux can be the actual physiological cause of palpitations and anxiety is not well accepted yet by most practitioners. They are stuck on assuming you're just anxious about the reflux (because this happens too, and not everyone gets the palpitations symptom). In my case, and that of several in my family, this is undoubtedly a purely physiological phenomenon. But miserable just the same. The combo treatment regimen saved me. I include it here, in case it can help someone else.

Hi!  I am 29 years old, and I am new to this forum, but I have been struggling with heart palpitations and panic attacks for about 4 years now. I have realized about a month ago that this is VERY likely to be from my SCM and scalenes, as they are totally knotted up on my left side (my anterior scalenes). I used to be a massage therapist, as well, and I have gotten MUCH information from Mike, the Massage Guy, on this forum, so THANK YOU to Mike!!!!! I notice when my anxiety started, I got a funny feeling going up my back, like hot lava. My heart started racing before I knew what was happening! I had palpitations, which scared me to death, chest tightness and pain, along with 'flutters' and all KINDS of scaaarrrrryy stuff! I thought I was dying (and most days I feel like I am, too).

I started REALLY paying attention to my emotions (I really think all this depression and panic and anxiety is from the original symptoms and the fear associated with them). I also do abdominal breathing whenever I can catch myself chest breathing. I stretch ALL day long. I notice every move I make (which is good for correcting myself but bad because no one should have to concentrate on every move they make all day, haha). I notice when I get even the slightest bit stressed, I have trained my neck (scalenes mostly, and left SCM) to clench up and not release. This creates heart attack feelings (palpitations, flutters, purple nails on my left hand, tingling and numbness in my left arm, chest tension that would not let up, and EXTREME neck tension. I mean EXTREME, haha:) I don't know if this has anything to do with maybe the muscles pulling on my thyroid, perhaps, but I have noticed that I am extremely fatigued when my throat muscles tense up. Either I am expending too much energy tensing them up, OR, I have another theory. Maybe they are putting tension on my thyroid, which not only is related to energy but is also related to heat and cold tolerance (I have horrible heat intolerance now, when I am stressed especially).

Well, if Mike the Massage Guy is out there, a HUGE thank you to you. You have definitely given me much hope and have confirmed what I pretty much thought on mly own already----God Bless You!!!!:) If you would like to chat, my email address is [email protected]. I'd love to hear from you, and I really think we could share a lot of insight! I have been studying naturopathy and all kinds of things since this whole ordeal, in hopes of trying to cure myself....here, it was all in my neck, hahahaha! That's a HUGE relief....but I must say, I have grown in MANY ways, having to experience all that I have with this. I am a true believer that suffering can definitely lead to enlightenment on so many different levels:) Well, thank you again, Mike, and I really hope to hear from you:) Chelsea:)

Hey, Mike, haha:) I don't want you to think I am a crazy lady or anything, hahahaha:) But I just thought of something after I sent the last post----I know that obviously if the muscles are pushing on the vagus nerve, then they need to be loosened and they are the problem. BUT, I have discovered ALSO that if you want to at least HELP your heart irregularity (not to mention strengthen your heart), hawthorn works WONDERS. AND, taking more magnesium, along with taking a mixture of honey, warm water, and lemon juice, right before bed, will make your heart irregularities very scarce. I wanted to find something that will strengthen my heart a bit, as I haven't exercised for awhile due to the thought that I was gonna croak at any minute from a heart attack, haha:) What a relief to know that I won't!:) I used to be in martial arts for about 10 years----I would exercise for 6 hours a day, vigorously, and now I feel faint just getting up from a chair. How miserable!:) Well, hopefully that will all change soon:) And hopefully I have helped you a little bit, too!:) Thanks! Chelsea:)

My gerd first started as heart palpitations, i had an echo and 24 hr monitor and my heart was fine but the palpitations never went away.

Then my stomach pain started, and eventually i have pain all the way up to the throat.

So for me, yes heart palpitations and gerd are definjtely connected. I get far fewer heart palps now im on ppi

Dear Sara and others reading this post,

I've had GERD since about 2004. At around the same time I also started having "benign" cardiac symptoms including PVC's ("skipped" heartbeats), atrial fibrillation, and tachycardia (fast heartbeat).

I'm very convinced that GERD can and does cause some cardiac abnormalities, and there is some ongoing research into this topic. My cardiac symptoms were almost always related to my heartburn. My personal conclusion is that, for me at least, the connective tissues in the chest cavity (everything is connected by different types of connective tissues) caused the inflamed esophagus to pull on tissues surrounding the heart.

I've taken GERD medications now for about 10 years, and the first thing I noticed was that my chest pain went away very quickly.

The second thing I noticed is that my arrhythmias decreased as well. I still do have some occasional cardiac symptoms, but every time I checked the results are benign and never warranted heart medications.

The correlation in my own experience (between the GERD and heart symptoms) was completely undeniable. I almost always had cardiac symptoms with the GERD, and now (even on GERD medication) I still have some GERD issues, which still seem very closely related to my occasional heart issues.

Be blessed and be well. Best wishes to all of you out there who are suffering GERD and who may also be having palpitations.