Causes

It is important that the causes of cardiac arrhythmias caused by stress be clarified precisely. An organic cause of the symptoms must be treated immediately and adequately, since under certain circumstances a life-threatening heart disease may be behind the symptoms. In many cases, heart rhythm disturbances caused by stress are a harmless and temporary phenomenon, but the symptoms should be taken seriously and clarified by a doctor.

The reasons why stress can lead to cardiac arrhythmias lie in the complex mechanism of the heart‘s activity. The regular heartbeat is regulated by electrical signals, which are controlled by a complex interaction of certain nerve signals. In the cell walls of the heart muscle cells there are so-called ion channels through which electrically effective ions are conducted.

In order to achieve a regular heart rhythm, these channels must open and close again at certain points in time. This interaction must function perfectly. If, on the other hand, one of the ion channels is disturbed, the heart gets out of rhythm.

People with certain congenital defects in some of the ion channels are prone to cardiac arrhythmia. Under normal circumstances, the ion channels also function in these people and the heart activity is normal. However, stress can trigger a cardiac arrhythmia in these people.

Why of all things stress causes the congenital defect of the ion channels to become effective is still a part of the scientific discussion. It is possible that the defective ion channels react differently to the stress hormone cortisol than healthy channels. A known cause for the development of extrasystoles is an increased activity of the so-called autonomic nervous system.

Psychological stress is responsible for the excitation of the sympathetic nervous system as part of the autonomic nervous system. The release of the stress hormone cortisol has an effect on the heart rhythm. While cortisol is normally intended to accelerate the heart, in susceptible patients it can also be responsible for the development of extrasystoles. This means, therefore, that only a very small proportion of humanity reacts with extrasystoles to severe psychological stress.