Although they can alert us to important health problems, punctures in the heart can also respond to stressful situations and anxiety, and can even appear because of bad lifestyle habits.
On occasion, we may have suffered punctures in the heart that have caused us great concern; after all, it is a very important organ in our lives. Today we will discover why such annoyances can occur and what they may be alerting us to.
The heart is the organ that works the most within the human body. It beats approximately 115,000 times per day, 80 times per minute, and 42 million times per year, even when we are resting. It is responsible for pumping clean blood, rich in oxygen and a diversity of nutrients to each tissue in our body.
Despite how perfect the functioning of the cardiovascular system may sound; it is usual for a wide variety of things to happen that affect its functioning or indicate some irregularity in it. Among these are punctures in the heart.
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Stress, anxiety, and punctures
Pricks are an unpleasant sensation that, as the name implies, is experienced as a sharp pain, such as when sticking with a needle, for example. They can occur at any time and do not always have other symptoms. As for the causes, these can be very varied; two of them are stress and anxiety.
Some Experts explains:” our body has memory and accumulates tension”, this is the explanation why we can also suffer those punctures in the chest when we are in an apparently calm moment”.
If the doctor tells us that the cause of the punctures is anxiety or chronic stress, it is best to seek psychological support and improve lifestyle habits, so that we can relieve tension and, little by little, learn to manage negative thoughts and emotions. This is supported by this study carried out by the University of Basel (Switzerland).
In case you experience pinpricks from anxiety or stress, you can try the following:
- Take a seat, breathe deeply and focus on the inspiration and exhalation to regain your calm.
- Perform muscle relaxation exercises (to gradually release accumulated tension).
Other possible causes
Punctures in the heart can also be a symptom that manifests as a consequence of other issues, such as:
Hyperactivity
At the same time, when our heart rate is elevated, we tend to breathe more intensely, which can lead to punctures in the heart.
This can happen if we are doing physical exercise or if we are doing a physical overexertion. To relieve symptoms, it is best to slow down.
Arrhythmias
The arrhythmias involve an alteration in heart rate, making this more or less normal levels, but could cause severe punctures.
Pericarditis
The pericarditis is a disease caused by inflammation of the pericardium. This is the layer that covers the heart and is responsible for:
- Store the fluid that lubricates and reduces friction on the heart.
- Limits its movement.
- It distributes the pressure of the heart.
- It isolates the heart, thus avoiding possible infections.
According to this study carried out by the researchers you can present episodes of punctures in the thoracic area.
Myocardial infarction
The myocardium is the muscle tissue of the heart that is responsible for pumping blood through the circulatory system through contraction.
The failure or infarction of this tissue can involve strong punctures because a part of the heart stops receiving the blood it requires for its function, which would cause strong unintermittent pain in the thoracic area, according to the information extracted from the Spanish Heart Foundation.
When to go to the doctor?
In case of presenting these discomforts on a regular basis, it is recommended that you go to your family doctor for an evaluation. The specialist will be in charge of checking the health of your heart through an electrocardiogram (and other tests) and, if necessary, will guide you on the most appropriate treatment for your case