September 14, 2026 — Emergency Care, Health & Safety Tips
By Annie Quysner, MD
It’s normal for your heart to beat faster during exercise or exertion. But after you stop moving, it should slow and maintain a steady rhythm. A heartbeat that stays uneven, gets faster without a clear reason or comes with dizziness, shortness of breath or chest pain deserves prompt attention. It could be atrial fibrillation (AFib).
AFib is the most common heart arrhythmia that requires treatment. The heart normally relies on one steady electrical signal to keep each beat in rhythm. In AFib, many of those signals fire quickly and out of sync, causing the heart’s upper chambers to beat irregularly. When this happens, your pulse may feel uneven and can also become unusually fast.
A 2024 national estimate found that at least 10.55 million U.S. adults had diagnosed AFib in 2019. The condition becomes more common with age, though it can affect younger adults as well. Many people with AFib might not know they have the condition.
During AFib, the heart’s upper chambers quiver instead of squeezing normally. Blood can pool inside them and form a clot. If the clot travels to the brain, it can cause a stroke. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that AFib is associated with approximately five times the risk for ischemic stroke and contributes to about one in seven strokes. An uncontrolled rhythm can also contribute to heart failure.
Treatment can slow the heart rate, restore a normal rhythm and reduce the risk of blood clots. The first step is recognizing when an unusual heartbeat needs medical attention.
People often describe AFib as a fluttering, quivering or pounding sensation in the chest. It may feel as though the heart is racing, skipping beats or suddenly jumping. Other AFib symptoms may include:
Some people with AFib have no noticeable symptoms. Others have brief episodes that stop on their own or symptoms that continue until they receive treatment. An episode that ends without treatment can still be AFib, especially if the sensation keeps returning.
If your heartbeat feels unusual while you are running, working outside or doing housework, stop the activity and sit somewhere cool. Take a few slow breaths and assess how you feel. If possible, tell someone nearby what is happening and ask them to stay with you and check your pulse if you have trouble doing it yourself.
Feel your pulse at your wrist and notice whether the rhythm seems steady or uneven. A fast but regular heartbeat that gradually slows with rest may be a normal response to exertion. An irregular rhythm that continues while you are at rest is more concerning.
Call 911 or go to the ER if an irregular or racing heartbeat occurs with:
Do not drive yourself when these symptoms are present. The American Heart Association recommends calling 911 for chest pain or pressure because arrhythmia and heart attack symptoms can overlap.
It can be difficult to evaluate your own palpitations at home. When a chest sensation feels unusual, persists or keeps returning, get checked at the ER.
When you arrive, describe the symptom directly: “I am having heart palpitations and my heartbeat feels irregular.”
Mention any chest pain, breathing trouble, dizziness or fainting. Tell the team when the symptoms began and report any history of AFib, heart disease or stroke. The medical team also needs to know if you take blood thinner medication.
At Physicians PremiER, reporting palpitations or an abnormal sensation in your chest alerts the front-desk team that you may need a prompt cardiac evaluation. We can bring you back quickly, check whether you are stable and begin looking for the cause. Our on-site services include EKGs, continuous cardiac monitoring, blood testing and digital X-rays.
Here are some tests and exams we use to investigate an irregular heartbeat:
Treatment depends on your heart rate, symptoms, medical history and overall stability. The first goal is to slow a heart that is beating too quickly.
Medication can often bring the heart rate down. Some patients need electrical cardioversion to restore a normal rhythm. Cardioversion uses a controlled electrical shock to reset the rhythm and may be needed urgently if AFib is causing dangerously low blood pressure or other signs that the heart is not circulating blood effectively.
The doctor will also assess your risk of stroke. Some patients benefit from an anticoagulant, commonly called a blood thinner, to reduce the chance of clot formation. That decision depends on the patient’s medical history, stroke risk and bleeding risk.
A stable patient may go home with medication instructions and a plan to see a primary care doctor or cardiologist. Patients who need hospitalization, additional procedures or care from a specialist can be transferred or referred to a hospital or clinic.
After the immediate episode is stable, follow-up care focuses on reducing recurrences and preventing complications. A primary care doctor or cardiologist can look for conditions that may be contributing, including:
Maintaining a healthy weight and staying active can reduce how often you have AFib episodes and how severe they may be. The current American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association guidelines recommend:
Take all heart-rhythm and blood-thinning medications as prescribed. Do not stop taking a blood thinner because your symptoms have improved unless the prescribing doctor tells you to do so.
AFib requires long-term management, and it is treatable. If your heartbeat feels irregular and does not settle with rest, go to the emergency room. Physicians PremiER is open 24/7 for concerning heart symptoms.
Stay prepared: Find an emergency room near you. If you are experiencing an emergency, call 911.
For the latest health and wellness insights, follow us on social media: Facebook | Instagram