AthenaVita Resource Library
Palpitations: What to Track
A racing, fluttering, or skipped-beat sensation is a symptom. Capturing the rhythm and the pattern helps determine what it means.
The feeling does not identify the rhythm
Palpitations can occur with extra beats, a faster normal rhythm, or an arrhythmia. Sleep loss, alcohol, stimulants, medicines, and medical conditions can contribute. Feeling anxious during an episode does not establish anxiety as the cause.
Capture a pattern your clinician can use.
| Detail | What to note |
|---|---|
| Episode | Date, time, duration, and what you were doing. |
| Rhythm sensation | Sudden or gradual onset; regular or irregular; racing, fluttering, or skipped beats. |
| Associated symptoms | Dizziness, breathlessness, chest discomfort, or near-fainting. |
| Recording | A safely obtained pulse or actual wearable ECG tracing, with the date and time. |
Add the context
Record medication changes, illness, sleep, caffeine, and alcohol without assuming any one is the explanation.
Capture information safely
If you can safely check a pulse or obtain a wearable ECG, save the actual tracing and its date and time. An app label is not a final diagnosis, and a normal wearable result cannot rule out an intermittent rhythm problem. Do not delay urgent care to collect a recording.
Why monitor duration matters
A clinic ECG records a brief moment. A monitor can look for a rhythm during symptoms outside the clinic. Frequent episodes may be captured with a shorter recording; less frequent symptoms may require longer monitoring. Your clinician chooses the device based on frequency, risk, and the diagnostic question—not simply the newest technology.
What else may be evaluated
The visit may include examination, ECG, medicine review, and targeted tests such as blood counts, thyroid tests, or electrolytes when indicated. Heart imaging depends on history and findings. Not everyone needs the same laboratory panel, monitor, or scan.
Ask about the plan after the recording
How do I mark symptoms? Who reviews urgent findings? When will I hear the result? What should I do if symptoms worsen while waiting? A useful result connects your symptoms to a rhythm and a next step.
“How will we connect my symptoms to the actual rhythm?”
Ask about monitor choice, marking episodes, and when to expect results.