If you often experience your heart racing or skipping beats, it can happen due to numerous reasons. It might be a result of nervousness, excitement or too much coffee. However, the irregular heartbeat can also be a sign or a more serious condition, known as atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation is a condition in which the electrical signals in your heart don't travel the right way. This heart rhythm disorder causes your heart’s two upper chambers-atria to beat too fast.

Some of the most common symptoms of atrial fibrillation include sweating, dizziness, chest pain, a skipped heartbeat followed by a thump, fatigue, and heart palpitations. However, you might also experience the same symptoms if you have anxiety, which is another serious condition.

How to Differentiate Anxiety and Atrial Fibrillation

It can be quite challenging to know whether the heart palpitations you’re experiencing are caused by anxiety or atrial fibrillation. Various studies have shown that both anxiety and stress can aggravate atrial fibrillation symptoms. Moreover, as this condition affects your life, people with atrial fibrillation are more likely to experience anxiety and depression.

In order to know whether you have atrial fibrillation or anxiety, it’s best to see a doctor who will use a few tests to diagnose atrial fibrillation and rule out anxiety. One such test is an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG), which will assess the electrical activity in your heart. This test takes only a few minutes and uses electrodes, which are placed on your skin that measure electricity. So, if you have an episode of atrial fibrillation, EKG will record it.

Another method your doctor might use is a heart monitor, which can detect less frequent irregular heartbeats. This is a small and portable EKG which you will be required to wear for several days. However, if you have a few incidents of atrial fibrillation and that happen far between, you might need to wear an event monitor. The event monitor will be activated by an irregular heartbeat to record the incident.

Additionally, you might need to undergo a stress test, which will show whether atrial fibrillation is triggered by exercise. This will require you to run on a treadmill while you wear a heart monitor. Moreover, your doctor might suggest a blood test in order to rule out other causes, such as a thyroid problem.

Sometimes, doctors suggest a chest X-ray, which will help the doctor to see the condition of your heart and lungs, as well as, rule out other conditions.

Nevertheless, atrial fibrillation sometimes doesn’t show any symptoms and it’s very likely that the condition will remain undiagnosed. If diagnosed properly and timely, atrial fibrillation can be managed and, in some cases, curable. However, if not diagnosed and treated, it can trigger stroke and heart failure.