Anxiety and heart palpitations: Western and Chinese views, and how acupuncture can help

Heart palpitations can feel frightening, especially when you’re anxious. Your heart may pound, flutter, or feel irregular even when you’re resting. This is a common response to anxiety, but it can cause even more stress when it happens.

The Western medical perspective: Anxiety and heart palpitations

When you’re anxious, your sympathetic nervous system is activated, triggering a series of physiological responses designed to prepare you to face a threat. These changes can result in heart palpitations. Here’s why it happens:

• Adrenaline surge: Anxiety causes a release of adrenaline, the body’s “fight-or-flight” hormone, which increases heart rate and makes your heart feel like it’s pounding or fluttering.
• Hyperventilation: When anxious, you may breathe rapidly and shallowly, which can cause a drop in carbon dioxide levels, leading to palpitations or a racing heart.
• Elevated stress hormones: Chronic anxiety keeps your stress hormones elevated, which can overstimulate the heart and lead to irregular heartbeats.

The Chinese Medicine perspective: Heart Shen disturbance and Blood Deficiency

From a Chinese Medicine perspective, heart palpitations due to anxiety are often linked to imbalances in the Heart, particularly Heart Shen disturbance and Blood Deficiency:

• Heart Shen disturbance: Anxiety can disturb the Heart Shen, which is the spirit or consciousness of the heart. This can manifest as palpitations, insomnia, memory problems or restlessness.
• Blood Deficiency: Chronic anxiety depletes Heart Blood, making the Heart more vulnerable to disturbances that cause palpitations and irregular heartbeats.
• Excess heat: Anxiety can also lead to an increase in Heart Heat, which agitates the Heart and causes palpitations.

How acupuncture helps with anxiety-related heart palpitations 

Acupuncture helps to restore balance to the Heart and calm the nervous system, addressing the root causes of heart palpitations. Here’s how acupuncture can help:

✅ Soothes the Shen: Acupuncture can calm the Heart Shen, promoting peace and reducing feelings of agitation that lead to palpitations.
✅ Regulates Heart Qi: Acupuncture helps to restore the smooth flow of Heart Qi, improving circulation and easing the strain on the heart.
✅ Eases emotional stress: By calming the nervous system, acupuncture reduces the underlying anxiety that triggers the palpitations in the first place.

Common acupuncture points for heart palpitations include:

• Heart 7 (Shenmen): Known as the “Spirit Gate,” this point helps calm the Shen and addresses emotional stress.
• Pericardium 6 (Neiguan): This point is effective for regulating the heart, reducing palpitations, and alleviating anxiety.
• Ren 17 (Shanzhong): Helps to open the chest, regulate the heart, and calm the mind.

If you’re struggling with heart palpitations related to anxiety, acupuncture can help restore balance and calm your nervous system. At Village Healing Centre in Curl Curl, we can support your heart and mind through gentle, effective treatments.

If you’re in the Northern Beaches of Sydney and you’re curious about acupuncture for anxiety and heart palpitations, we’d love to help you.

📍 Find us in Curl Curl (Sydney Northern Beaches)
📞 Call us at (02) 9938 2182
📅 Book your appointment