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Heart facts and fiction
By Siobhan Harris
Medically Reviewed by Dr Rob Hicks
The heart is an amazing organ; it’s always on the go, pumping blood
around our bodies.
It’s our powerhouse, beating away and keeping us alive but how often do
you give it a thought?
Not very often. That is until you feel something unusual. A flutter, a racing pulse or an odd sensation. How do you know if it’s normal or something to be worried about?
We’ve asked Julie Ward, senior cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation for her expert advice:
1. Your heart skips a beat
It's pretty common to feel your heart flutter or skip a beat once in a while.
"From time to time you can experience an ectopic beat, if it's very occasional it's quite normal," says Julie.
It could be down to a slight interference in the electricity in the heart or a
variation of potassium or sodium levels in the blood.
Smoking, alcohol and caffeine can have an effect.