Question

What happens when my heart misses a beat? I have an irregular heart beat.?

Answer

When a person describes a missed heart beat, what they are often actually experiencing is an extra beat. This produces a longer pause in the heart rate than normal. The next beat is then quite large, because there has been extra time for the blood to collect. Extra beats occur in healthy people, especially with increasing age. Of course, they can sometimes be associated with heart disease, so one should check this with an examination and electrocardiogram.

Links

• Your Heart's Clock Regulates Its Rhythm - Part XIV