Hi I m 45 years old a smoker, this week I have had my heart beat faster and skip a beat when I check. It started on Thurs. at work it lasted about 10min mid day then again late that night as I was sitting and relaxing. the next couple of days it started again while sitting and getting ready to eat and just after drinking water it seems to be lasting a little longer each time. does the skip of a beat damage your heart, cause it stress? I have read that stress brings it along is there anything you can do to help calm this down
Hello, I passed carefully through your question and would explain that some skipped heartbeats are quite normal during physical activity and anxiety. They do not cause any harm to your heart.  For this reason, I would recommend having some rest and practicing Yoga.  If this situation persists, I would recommend performing an ambulatory 24-48 hours ECG monitoring in order to investigate for possible cardiac arrhythmia.  Some blood lab tests (complete blood count for anemia, thyroid hormone levels for thyroid gland dysfunction and blood electrolytes for possible imbalances) are needed.  Hope I have answered your query. Let me know if I can assist you further. Take care Chat Doctor. 