Stress and anxiety are one of the most frequent disorders today. It is considered the disease of the 21st century. Anyone who has suffered from anxiety knows how bothersome their symptoms can be, to the point that they can become disabling and require medical treatment.
It is essential to clarify that anxiety is not dangerous because it does not endanger health. However, that does not mean that we should not control it and eliminate its symptoms, with tachycardia being one of the most frequent.
Do you want to know how to control anxiety tachycardia? In the following FastlyHealarticle, we explain how to lower your heart rate when you’re nervous quickly and effectively.
Table of Contents
Are tachycardias from anxiety dangerous?
Tachycardias are one of the main symptoms of anxiety, this type of tachycardias, also known as nervous tachycardias, is triggered just like most other symptoms. When we are in danger, or when our mind senses imminent danger, it alerts the body to face it. This preparation consists of putting everything ready for flight or attack. Therefore, we begin to breathe faster. The heart pumps more quickly, our muscles tense, etc.
This, which is a biological adaptation, becomes a problem at the moment when the dangers that our mind sees are not such or when those dangers are not physical but are mental or psychological. A heavy workload that causes stress, an important meeting, or a critical exam can cause anxiety. Still, these problems do not require the biological adaptations that, for example, a bear attack requires.
You must be clear that anxiety tachycardias are not dangerous, there is no risk to your health, and, contrary to what people believe, you will not have a heart attack. However, they are very uncomfortable and can become disabling to lead an utterly everyday life. When the symptoms of anxiety become annoying, you should see a doctor, not only to rule out any possible illness but to start an anti-anxiety treatment.
Symptoms of nervous tachycardia
Sometimes it isn’t easy to know what is causing our tachycardia. It is even more so if we consider that people who suffer from anxiety also tend to have hypochondriacal traits. Any abnormal discomfort in their body is attributed to some disease, without realizing that all these are nothing more than symptoms of their anxiety.
That is why we want to talk to you about the symptoms of nervous tachycardia below :
- Suddenly or gradually, we notice how the heart begins to accelerate, beat faster, and feel its beats more.
- If the heart stops or turns over, we witness extrasystoles.
- We may see pressure in the chest or a lump in the throat.
- We can have recurring or catastrophic thoughts.
- We notice a feeling of dizziness.
Another aspect to consider is that they usually appear at night, just before going to sleep, the time of day when we are at rest, and our thoughts are revealed with more intensity. This type of tachycardia caused by anxiety is known as nocturnal tachycardias.
Tachycardia, anxiety, and dizziness are three concepts that always go together, so you should be clear that this will happen in a few minutes and that you should not worry. The more case you pay, the more it will increase. If you want more information about anxiety tachycardias or why my heart skips, we will explain it in the following FastlyHealarticle.
Lower tachycardia quickly with cold water.
Although nervous tachycardias pass after a few minutes, the best tips to lower tachycardia due to anxiety. As strange as it may seem, cold water is the best remedy to reduce tachycardia quickly. In the cold, our body sends signals for the metabolism to slow down, something that causes the heart to slow down and, therefore, lower tachycardias.
The more complex, the better. A cold shower will immediately end the tachycardia. However, you do not have to do it. You have to immerse your face in cold water to notice its effects. The fact is that the nerves of the face also act on the heart rate, causing a reaction that is also known as the diver reflex.
So an excellent way to calm anxiety tachycardia is to fill a bucket with cold water, inhale deeply, and soak your face in for as long as possible.
How to Lower Your Heart Rate Naturally with Breathing
Breathing is another of the best options we have to lower the heart rate quickly. It is entirely natural, and we will achieve it in a few minutes if it is done correctly. In addition to tachycardias, anxiety causes hyperventilation. Therefore, if we take deep breaths, we will be able to calm our breathing and the pulsations.
What we must do are deep breaths. Below we explain how to do it:
- Inhale as much air as you can.
- Hold it for a few seconds.
- Begin to exhale little by little until you have no more air left.
Breathing carried to the limit of its capacity will quickly lower the breath, they are unsustainable for a long time, so in less than a minute, we will reduce the pulsations.
How to lower your heart rate when you’re nervous
So far, we have talked to you about lowering your heart rate when nervous. However, we can reduce the heart rate using only our minds with a mentality. Here’s how to do it:
- When the tachycardia arrives, think about what triggered your anxiety to try to eliminate it.
- Tell yourself that it is just tachycardia and that as soon as you calm down, the fear will pass.
- Show yourself that you can control anxiety, that everything is in your mind.
- Divert your attention to other things, and keep your mind entertained.
When the tachycardia has passed, you should start working on what to do when the next one arrives. The tachycardia disappears means that you do not have any problem with your heart because otherwise, it would be continuous. So making it disappear means that it is on your mind and that you can beat it whenever you want. So the next time the tachycardia hits, you will be much more calm and sure of yourself to lower your heart rate quickly.
Pills for tachycardia
There are treatments to treat tachycardias and arrhythmias, a type of drug known as an antiarrhythmic. However, these drugs that can only be taken by prescription should be administered to those who suffer from arrhythmias due to heart problems. Its operation is based on modifying the heart’s electrical activity, increasing the time that passes between beats, and reducing the number of pumps.
However, people who suffer from nervous tachycardias, a priori, do not have any heart problems, so these pills are useless and can be counterproductive. No prescription only treats this symptom. If we want to lower tachycardias, what we have to do is a treatment against anxiety evaluated by a professional.
This treatment may include anxiolytic drugs, but it must also be accompanied by psychological therapy and improvement in different areas of life, such as exercising, regulating sleep patterns, and eating a proper diet. In the following articles, you can see medicinal plants for anxiety and tricks to cure anxiety.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor if you present any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to How to control anxiety tachycardia, we recommend that you enter our category of Mental disorders.

I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.