When heart palpitations and headache occur together

Certain combinations of symptoms can be quite worrying and uncomfortable. Arguably, the combination of heart palpitations and headache is one of the most important but also more complicated examples. This is because depending on how severe it is, how it happened (e.g suddenly vs several months) or what other symptoms are occurring, it may be a mild problem (e.g drinking too much coffee) that goes away with home treatment or a very serious problem (e.g heart attack, meningitis) that needs emergency medical attention. In this article, we go through some of the reasons why headaches and fast heartbeat may happen at the same time, some common triggers for this, and most importantly when to consult a doctor.

What It Means When Headache and Palpitations Happen Together

Headaches and palpitations (when you feel your heart pounding or fluttering) are two fairly common problems. Understandably, it can be very uncomfortable or scary if this you get heart palpitations and headache together. Unfortunately, there is no straightforward answer regarding what it means when headache and palpitations happen together.

In fact, there are many possible reasons why headaches and palpitations occur together such as too much caffeine, alcohol, anxiety, stress, dehydration, low iron, side effects of medication, and high blood pressure. So in some cases you may need to see a doctor and in some cases, home treatment will be enough. Some factors to think about include:

• How severe are the symptoms? Is it affecting your daily life?
• Do you get any other symptoms? The other symptoms you are getting may give more clues about the underlying cause of the headache and palpitations. For example are you also getting heart symptoms e.g chest pain or are you getting head/brain symptoms like eye problems?
• Are the headaches causing the palpitations? Or are the palpitations causing the headaches?
• Do you have any pre-existing medical conditions?

Let’s go through some of the common triggers for headaches and heart palpitations.

Common Triggers for Headache and Heart Palpitations

Let’s go through some common triggers or causes of heart palpitations with headache:

Caffeine, Alcohol, and Stimulants

While in moderate quantities caffeine, alcohol, or stimulants like energy drinks are fine, if you have too much of them you may start to feel headaches and or a pounding heart. Caffeine in particular is commonly linked to feeling jittery, dizzy, or palpitations. Also it is easy to forget that aside from coffee, other common drinks like energy drinks or tea often have caffeine so people may unknowingly drink too many stimulating substances. Not only can these things cause headaches and palpitations, they may make things worse for example through dehydration (which is another trigger).

Anxiety, Stress, and Panic Episodes

Your mental health and wellbeing can also bring on physical symptoms such as headaches and palpitations. Especially with stress and anxiety, if you feel an overwhelming sense of worry/stress, it is not uncommon for this to lead to panic episodes or physical symptoms like chest tightness or trembling alongside headaches and palpitations. You can explore a range of anxiety and stress medication at Meds for Less.

Dehydration and Electrolyte Imbalance

Dehydration can also trigger these symptoms. This is because when you do not have enough fluid in your body, substances called electrolytes (that help your body function properly) can become unbalanced which can cause many symptoms such as headaches and palpitations.

Anaemia and Iron Deficiency

Anaemia (when your body does not have enough red blood cells) so it is more difficult to maintain the required oxygen supply to the rest of the body. The most common kind of anaemia is iron-deficiency anaemia. This can lead to headaches and palpitations, as well feeling dizzy, feeling weak, and pale skin.

Migraine-Related Palpitations

If you suffer from migraines, you are probably familiar with sudden intense headaches that can affect your daily activities. Actually, heart palpitations and migraine can happen together for a number of reasons from anxiety to nervous system disturbance.

Side Effects of Medication

Another trigger for headaches and palpitations are medication side effects. This is most common in high blood pressure medicines, antidepressants, and even some antibiotics. Some common over the counter drugs like paracetamol can also cause headaches if you are using them too much.

Blood Pressure and Circulatory Issues

If you have blood pressure problems (usually high blood pressure) or circulation problems, you may also experience headaches and palpitations. This might be because of higher pressure on blood vessels in the head, low oxygen, dehydration, or abnormal activity of the heart.

When Symptoms Could Signal a Heart Rhythm Problem

So an important question is when might palpitations suggest a heart rhythm problem? As mentioned above, there are a whole range of possible causes for palpitations but there are certain combinations of symptoms that are more worrying. For example, if you notice palpitations as well as:

• feeling like you cannot breathe properly
• chest pain
• confusion
• fainting

This is because these cases may signal a heart problem and thus, it is important to seek medical attention urgently. Also, even if you do not notice these combinations of symptoms, you should still consult your healthcare provider if you are concerned about palpitations (e.g they are getting worse).

Managing Symptoms at Home: Relief and Prevention Tips

Some kinds of headaches and palpitations can be prevented and managed at home, here are some tips and examples of treatment for headache and palpitations as well as when they can be used:

If you are unsure why you are getting headaches/palpitations, or the advice above to manage your symptoms at home does not help, please consult your healthcare provider because there may be a different underlying cause.

When to Seek Medical Advice for Headache and Palpitations

The key point is when to worry about heart palpitations and headache. Headaches and palpitations can sometimes be seen as fairly common symptoms that can be treated at home, for example:

• caffeine or alcohol use headaches/palpitations
• mild dehydration
• stress

However, in other cases, it is important that you consult a medical professional as your combination of symptoms can be worrying. Some examples of this include:

If you are unsure, it is better to be safe than sorry so please consult a doctor who can assess the situation. If they feel your headaches and palpitations are due to something more concerning, they will want to investigate further with blood tests or scans. If your symptoms are more likely due to mental health causes or more benign/mild reasons like mild dehydration, they may give some lifestyle recommendations or refer you for talking therapies depending on the situation.