Heart skipped a beat? How to know the difference between love — and an arrhythmia

You know the feeling. When you first see your crush and your head starts spinning, your palms get sweaty, and your heart begins beating a mile a minute. 

Is this love? Or is it … an arrhythmia? 

The truth is, it could be both. 

“Yes, this is love,” Samer Saouma, MD, Cardiac Electrophysiology at Northwell Staten Island University Hospital, told The Post. “But be aware that having many skipped beats can be a sign of a heart rhythm disease, even around your lover.”

“When these sensations become prominent or are associated with palpitations, lightheadedness or passing out, they could represent something more serious,” he explained.

“Cardiac conduction disease, heart block, sinus node dysfunction, premature ventricular contraction and other cardiac arrhythmias are important treatable conditions.”

An arrhythmia is an abnormal heart rate that occurs when the electrical signals that tell the heart to beat aren’t functioning properly. This may result in the heart beating too quickly — a condition known as tachycardia — or too slowly — which is called bradycardia. 

A normal resting heart rate for adults ranges between 60 and 100 beats per minute, with a lower heart rate generally indicating better cardiovascular health. 

But certain situations — such as exercise, excitement or being with your beloved — can naturally make your heart beat faster. 

“Our brains and heart are connected via the autonomic nervous system and any emotion or excitement can produce a skipped beat or multiple fast beats in a row,” Saouma explained. 

A skipped heartbeat, also known as a palpitation, isn’t typically anything to be alarmed about — and it’s not even technically a “skip.”

“When you feel a skipped beat it is most commonly due to a premature heartbeat, where the heart squeezes too early, followed by a slight pause, making it feel like a skipped beat,” Saouma explained. 

So, how do you know if it’s love or an arrhythmia? Firstly, context is key.

Is your heart racing or skipping a beat because of an emotional experience, or does this occur even when you’re relaxing or falling asleep? Is it a fleeting sensation or does it linger? 

If the issue pops up when you’re at ease, happens with some regularity, or lasts for a while, it could signal an underlying heart condition.

Other troubling signs to look out for, according to Saouma, are “frequent skipped beats, prolonged palpitations or fluttering in the chest, dizziness, passing out, shortness of breath and rarely chest pain.” 

If the episodes become “frequent, prolonged and more intense,” Saouma said it might be time to see a doctor, who can use an electrocardiogram to determine the cause. 

“Experts are treating all types of heart rhythm disorders to keep you alive and in love.”