Heart palpitations for three days in a row

Palpitations can feel like pounding, fluttering, skipped beats, or a racing pulse. Repetition over several days may reflect stimulants, stress, poor sleep, illness, dehydration, or medication effects. Anaemia, iron-deficiency anaemia, an overactive thyroid, low blood sugar, anxiety, or atrial fibrillation are other possible contributors. Heart failure may cause palpitations alongside breathlessness, swelling, or unusual tiredness.

The number of days alone cannot identify the cause. The rhythm, length of each episode, pulse rate if measured, activity, and associated symptoms help a clinician decide what checks are appropriate.

Arrange a medical appointment soon and take a record of each episode. Write down when it starts, how it feels, what you were doing, recent illness, caffeine or nicotine use, medicines, and whether it stops on its own. Rest during symptoms and avoid strenuous exercise until you have advice if exertion brings them on. A clinician may check your pulse, perform an ECG, or request blood tests.

Call emergency services if palpitations occur with chest pain, severe breathing difficulty, fainting, collapse, confusion, or sudden weakness. Seek same-day advice for an episode that does not settle, a persistently irregular heartbeat, or repeated dizziness. Do not drive if you feel faint or seriously unwell.

Could this be a rhythm problem or a trigger outside the heart? Do I need an ECG monitor or blood tests? Could any prescription, over-the-counter medicine, or supplement contribute? What activity is safe while I wait?