If heart palpitations happen with severe dizziness, call your local emergency number now, especially if you feel close to fainting or also have chest pain or trouble breathing. Do not drive yourself. Sit or lie down somewhere safe while help is arranged. This combination can sometimes be linked to a serious heart rhythm problem or another condition that needs prompt assessment.
Heart palpitations can feel like your heart is racing, pounding, fluttering, or skipping beats. Dizziness may feel like you are about to pass out, cannot keep your balance, or the room is spinning. Although palpitations often have harmless causes, severe dizziness occurring at the same time is an important warning sign that should not be ignored.
When should you call an emergency number?
Call your local emergency number if you have heart palpitations with severe dizziness, even if you do not have chest pain. Do not wait to see whether additional symptoms develop. The Mayo Clinic identifies severe dizziness, fainting, chest discomfort, and severe shortness of breath accompanying palpitations as reasons to seek emergency medical attention.
Other warning signs that require immediate medical attention include:
- Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort.
- Difficulty breathing or sudden, severe shortness of breath.
- Feeling as though you are about to faint or actually fainting.
- Sudden weakness, difficulty moving an arm or leg, or new trouble with speech or vision.
- Loss of consciousness or a collapse.
The MedlinePlus dizziness guidance also identifies dizziness accompanied by an irregular heartbeat, breathing difficulties, chest pain, weakness, changes in speech or vision, or fainting as reasons to seek emergency care. These signs are examples of situations in which immediate assessment matters; you do not need to experience every sign before calling for help.
What should you do while waiting for emergency help?
Focus on staying safe rather than trying to work out the cause of your symptoms. Sudden dizziness can make standing or walking dangerous, and driving could put you and others at risk.
- Call for help. Explain that you are experiencing heart palpitations with severe dizziness and describe any other symptoms.
- Sit or lie down somewhere safe. Avoid walking around, climbing stairs, or standing suddenly if you feel faint.
- Do not drive yourself. Follow the emergency dispatcher’s instructions about getting medical assistance.
- Ask someone to stay with you if possible. They can help communicate with emergency responders if your condition changes.
- Prepare your medication information if it is readily available. Tell the medical team about prescription medicines, over-the-counter products, supplements, and any known heart conditions. Do not delay calling to collect these details.
If someone loses consciousness and is not breathing normally, call emergency services immediately and follow the dispatcher's instructions for resuscitation. If an automated external defibrillator (AED) is available, ask someone to retrieve it and follow its prompts.
What if the palpitations and dizziness have already stopped?
Symptoms that disappear still deserve prompt attention when palpitations occurred with severe dizziness. Seek urgent medical advice the same day, particularly if this was a first episode, the symptoms were unusual, or they have been recurring. If you fainted, experienced chest pain or breathing difficulty, or developed neurological symptoms, emergency assessment is warranted even if you now feel better.
The NHS guidance on heart palpitations recommends urgent follow-up when concerning palpitations-related symptoms have stopped. If severe dizziness or other emergency warning signs are still present or return, call your local emergency number rather than waiting for an appointment.
What could cause palpitations with severe dizziness?
There is no single explanation for these symptoms. Palpitations can occur with stress, strenuous exercise, caffeine, nicotine, or certain medicines. In some cases, they are associated with a heart rhythm problem, in which the heart beats too quickly, too slowly, or irregularly. Dizziness can also have causes unrelated to the heart, so the symptoms alone cannot establish what is happening.
The Mayo Clinic information on heart rhythm problems lists palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness, and fainting among the symptoms that may occur with an arrhythmia. This does not mean that everyone experiencing these symptoms has an abnormal heart rhythm. However, because certain rhythm disturbances can require urgent treatment, severe dizziness occurring alongside palpitations should not automatically be attributed to anxiety, dehydration, or another familiar trigger.
What will a healthcare professional check?
The initial assessment focuses on your current condition, the timing of your symptoms, and whether urgent treatment is needed. A healthcare professional may ask when the episode began, whether the heartbeat felt fast or irregular, how long the symptoms lasted, and whether you experienced chest discomfort, breathlessness, or fainting. Your medical history, current medicines, and any previous heart problems are also relevant.
Depending on your condition, assessment may include checking your blood pressure and pulse and performing an electrocardiogram (ECG), which records the heart's electrical activity. Heart monitoring or other tests may be needed if the cause remains unclear or an abnormal rhythm is suspected. The MedlinePlus heart palpitations guidance describes these as possible parts of an evaluation. The tests selected depend on the findings and the circumstances of the episode.
How can you prepare if the symptoms happen again?
Once any emergency has been addressed, keep a record of future episodes if your healthcare professional recommends it. Note when symptoms began, how long they lasted, what you were doing beforehand, and whether you noticed any additional symptoms. Bring an up-to-date list of medicines and supplements to appointments. This information can help a clinician understand the pattern, but recording symptoms should never delay emergency care.
If episodes recur, become more frequent, last longer than usual, or occur with activities that previously caused no symptoms, arrange medical evaluation. People with an existing heart condition or a family history of heart problems should also tell their healthcare professional about new or changing palpitations.
The key point: do not wait with severe dizziness
Heart palpitations combined with severe dizziness are a reason to seek emergency help, even when other warning signs are absent. Call your local emergency number, avoid driving, and get into a safe position while waiting. If the episode has ended, arrange urgent medical assessment rather than assuming the problem has passed. Prompt evaluation helps healthcare professionals determine whether the symptoms require further investigation or treatment.