Your treatment to reduce palpitations will largely depend on the root cause. In many instances, palpitations are harmless and don’t require specific intervention. However, if your palpitations are linked to an underlying condition such as arrhythmia, thyroid imbalance, or anxiety disorders, your doctor will design a treatment plan to address the primary issue first.
In some cases, despite thorough evaluation, a clear cause may not be identified. Even so, your doctor might recommend certain lifestyle changes or monitoring tools to track your heart’s rhythm over time.
The good news is that most people can reduce palpitations by making manageable adjustments in their daily routine—like avoiding stimulants, managing stress, and improving sleep quality. These changes can significantly improve your heart’s overall rhythm and prevent future episodes.
If you experience frequent, intense, or prolonged palpitations—especially if they are accompanied by dizziness, chest discomfort, or shortness of breath—it’s crucial to consult a medical professional. Early evaluation ensures that any serious heart condition is diagnosed and treated promptly.
Get a consultation with the best cardiologists in Brooklyn to understand your symptoms and take the right steps to reduce palpitations and protect your heart health.
How to Naturally Reduce Palpitations: Lifestyle Tips That Support a Calmer, Healthier Heart
Heart palpitations can feel alarming—like your heart is fluttering, racing, skipping beats, or pounding unusually. While these symptoms are sometimes linked to underlying medical issues, they can also be caused by everyday factors like stress, diet, or stimulant use. If your cardiologist has ruled out any serious condition, the good news is that you can take powerful, natural steps to reduce palpitations and regain a sense of calm and control.
This guide will walk you through evidence-based lifestyle strategies to minimize palpitations and improve your heart rhythm long-term.
1. Manage Stress and Anxiety with Daily Relaxation Techniques
One of the most common causes of heart palpitations is chronic stress. When you’re stressed or anxious, your body floods with hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can speed up your heartbeat, cause chest tightness, and trigger palpitations.
To reduce palpitations triggered by stress, it’s important to build stress management into your daily routine. Consider the following relaxation practices:
Yoga: Combines stretching, breathwork, and mindfulness to help regulate your nervous system.
Tai Chi: A gentle, meditative martial art shown to lower blood pressure and calm heart rhythms.
Breathing Exercises: Try deep diaphragmatic breathing (inhale for 4 counts, hold for 4, exhale for 4, pause for 4) to relax your vagus nerve and stabilize your heartbeat.
Meditation: Just 10–15 minutes a day can lower cortisol and heart rate.
Biofeedback: A technique that helps you gain control over bodily functions such as heart rate using visual or auditory feedback.
Regular Exercise: Activities like walking, cycling, or swimming not only improve cardiovascular health but also reduce mental stress that contributes to irregular rhythms.
By consistently managing stress, you create a physiological environment that allows your heart to beat more regularly.
2. Eliminate Stimulants That Disrupt Heart Rhythm
Many people are unaware that common substances they consume daily can contribute to palpitations. These stimulants activate the sympathetic nervous system, making your heart work harder and less predictably.
To reduce palpitations, consider cutting back or eliminating the following:
Caffeine: Found in coffee, tea, energy drinks, soda, and even some over-the-counter medications.
Nicotine: From cigarettes or vaping, nicotine significantly raises heart rate and blood pressure.
Alcohol: In some people, even moderate alcohol consumption can lead to irregular heartbeats.
Certain Medications: Decongestants, asthma inhalers, and weight loss pills often contain stimulants that can trigger palpitations.
Recreational Drugs: Substances like cocaine, MDMA (ecstasy), and methamphetamines are especially dangerous for heart rhythm and can even be fatal.
Reading labels, limiting your intake, and talking to your doctor about your medication can help you make informed decisions that reduce palpitations safely.
3. Improve Your Diet to Support Blood Sugar and Heart Rhythm
Blood sugar swings—especially low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)—can cause symptoms that mimic or trigger palpitations, such as shakiness, anxiety, dizziness, and rapid heartbeat.
You can reduce palpitations by stabilizing your blood sugar through smart dietary choices:
Eat small, balanced meals throughout the day to avoid sugar crashes.
Avoid refined carbs and processed sugars (like white bread, sweets, pastries, and sugary drinks).
Focus on complex carbohydrates: brown rice, oats, quinoa, lentils, and beans.
Include high-fiber foods like vegetables and whole grains to slow glucose absorption.
Add lean proteins and healthy fats (like avocado, olive oil, nuts) to keep you full longer.
A heart-smart diet not only helps regulate blood sugar but also provides the nutrients needed for optimal cardiovascular function.
4. Quit Smoking to Lower the Risk of Arrhythmias
Smoking is one of the leading lifestyle-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease and arrhythmias. The chemicals in tobacco can damage your blood vessels, increase blood pressure, and overstimulate your nervous system—all of which can contribute to irregular heartbeats.
By quitting smoking, you not only reduce your overall cardiovascular risk, but you also help to reduce palpitations directly. Within weeks of stopping, your circulation improves, and your heart rate begins to normalize. Long-term benefits include better oxygenation, lower blood pressure, and reduced inflammation in the arteries.
5. Evaluate Medications That May Be Causing Palpitations
Sometimes, heart palpitations are a side effect of medication, even if it’s prescribed for a completely unrelated condition. If you notice a pattern of palpitations after taking certain meds, it’s essential to talk to your doctor.
Medications known to affect heart rhythm include:
Asthma inhalers (especially those containing albuterol or salbutamol)
Decongestants like pseudoephedrine
Thyroid medications
Certain antidepressants or stimulants used to treat ADHD
Do not stop taking your medication without medical guidance. Instead, consult your physician about safer alternatives or dosage adjustments to help reduce palpitations without compromising your treatment.
Prevention Tips to Reduce Palpitations and Support Heart Health
Even if your heart palpitations don’t require medical treatment, taking proactive steps in your daily routine can significantly reduce palpitations and prevent them from becoming more frequent or disruptive. Many triggers of palpitations are lifestyle-related, which means they can often be minimized or avoided through thoughtful changes.
Here’s a more comprehensive look at how to reduce palpitations and protect your long-term cardiovascular well-being:
1. Identify Your Personal Triggers
Understanding what prompts your palpitations is the first and most essential step. Every individual is different—what affects one person might not affect another. To help identify your unique triggers:
Keep a health journal where you track:
Foods and drinks consumed (especially those with caffeine or sugar)
Medications or supplements taken
Emotional state and stress levels
Daily activities, including exercise or lack thereof
Time and intensity of each palpitation episode
Over time, this log can reveal patterns—such as palpitations occurring after energy drinks, high-stress meetings, or poor sleep—that you can then work to avoid.
2. Practice Daily Stress Management
Chronic stress is a well-known contributor to heart rhythm disturbances. Whether the source is emotional, mental, or environmental, it can trigger the “fight or flight” response and overstimulate your heart.
To effectively reduce palpitations caused by stress:
Incorporate calming practices like meditation, yoga, journaling, or nature walks.
Set boundaries with work and digital devices to minimize constant stimulation.
Build relaxing moments into your day—even just 10 minutes of deep breathing or quiet reflection can reset your nervous system.
3. Review Your Medications
Some prescription and over-the-counter medications may unintentionally cause or worsen palpitations. This includes decongestants, asthma medications, thyroid drugs, and certain antidepressants.
If you suspect a link between your medication and irregular heartbeats:
Speak with your doctor before making any changes.
Ask whether a different dosage or alternative drug might better support your needs without triggering symptoms.
Never stop a medication abruptly without medical supervision.
4. Avoid Stimulants and Recreational Substances
Stimulants can directly affect heart rate and rhythm. Reducing or eliminating these substances can make a significant difference in lowering the frequency and intensity of palpitations.
Substances to reduce or avoid:
Caffeine from coffee, soda, energy drinks, or even chocolate
Nicotine from smoking or vaping
Recreational drugs such as cocaine, amphetamines, or ecstasy
Certain herbal supplements (like ginseng or ephedra) that act as stimulants
Cutting these out can help the body return to a calmer, more balanced state, which can reduce palpitations and improve overall cardiovascular function.
5. Adopt Heart-Smart Eating Habits
Your diet plays a vital role in both preventing palpitations and supporting overall heart health. Blood sugar fluctuations and nutrient imbalances are two often-overlooked causes of irregular heartbeats.
To stabilize your internal systems and reduce palpitations:
Eat regularly to avoid low blood sugar episodes (hypoglycemia), which can trigger palpitations and anxiety-like symptoms.
Prioritize complex carbohydrates (whole grains, legumes, vegetables) over simple sugars and refined products.
Include magnesium-rich foods like leafy greens, avocados, and nuts, as magnesium supports muscle and heart rhythm regulation.
Stay hydrated to maintain electrolyte balance, especially if you’re active or living in a hot climate.
6. Limit Alcohol and Quit Smoking
Excessive alcohol consumption can disrupt your body’s natural heart rhythm and increase your risk of arrhythmias. Likewise, smoking introduces toxins that raise blood pressure and damage blood vessels.
If you drink: Limit intake to occasional, moderate amounts, or consider eliminating alcohol altogether if it’s a known trigger.
If you smoke: Quitting is one of the most important steps you can take to reduce palpitations and decrease your risk of cardiovascular complications.
7. Exercise Regularly—But Wisely
Physical activity improves cardiovascular health, lowers stress hormones, and strengthens your heart muscle. However, intense or poorly timed exercise can sometimes trigger palpitations, especially if you’re dehydrated or under-fueled.
Start with moderate-intensity exercise like brisk walking, swimming, or biking.
Warm up and cool down properly to give your heart time to adjust.
Avoid pushing past your limit—listen to your body and rest when needed.
8. Monitor Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, and Blood Sugar
High blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and poorly managed blood sugar levels can all place extra strain on the heart, increasing the likelihood of arrhythmias.
Get regular check-ups with your healthcare provider.
Follow prescribed treatments or lifestyle recommendations to keep your levels in the healthy range.
Incorporate heart-friendly foods like fatty fish, leafy greens, oats, and berries into your diet.
By addressing these underlying risk factors, you not only improve your overall health but also help to reduce palpitations as part of a bigger picture.
9. When to See a Cardiologist
While palpitations are often benign, recurring or worsening symptoms could be a sign of a deeper issue. You should see a doctor if you experience:
Palpitations that last for extended periods
Chest pain or tightness
Dizziness or fainting
Shortness of breath
A rapid heartbeat without a clear cause
Getting a professional evaluation ensures peace of mind and a more accurate diagnosis. A cardiologist may run tests like an EKG, stress test, or Holter monitor to assess your heart’s electrical activity.
If you have a cardiac condition, visit our cardiologist clinic in Brooklyn. Our doctors make sure you receive the best treatment and get healthy as soon as possible. To book your appointment, call us on +1(347) 384-5690. The Cardiologists at Doral Health & Wellness consistently have outstanding patient satisfaction ratings. The professionals at Heart Specialist Brooklyn are able to greatly improve their patient’s health and quality of life because of their vast training and experience. New Yorkers can get the greatest medical, surgical, and cardiovascular care at Doral Health & Wellness Brooklyn. Visit us at 1797 Pitkin Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11212.
