I had my fifth episode of Sinus Tachycardia on Saturday. ST is when your heart starts racing (the sinus node fires too rapidly see "read more" for more info).

This time it was Saturday afternoon and I was eating a plate of chips outside the new Auto Supacentre in Matautu-Tai. My heart was just speeding along at probably twice the normal rate. When I took a deep breath, my chest felt constricted and my heart started beating faster.

I was with another volunteer, Vic, and I had him put his hand on my chest to check it out. His eyes went wide and he said something along the lines of, "Wow".

Sinus Tachycardia

As its name implies, sinus tachycardia is a condition in which the sinus node fires too rapidly. It is usually due to some other condition, such as anemia, fever, an overactive thyroid gland, or as a side effect of certain medications.
Also, the sinus node is very sensitive to physical and emotional cues (mainly through the effects of adrenaline), so sinus tachycardia can often be due to anxiety.

Sinus tachycardia may cause symptoms of palpitations, lightheadedness, or fatigue. It may also cause no symptoms at all. Your physician will usually try to find some hidden cause for sinus tachycardia.

Generally, treatment is aimed at the underlying cause, but occasionally no other cause is found. In these cases, a diagnosis of "Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia" (a disorder of impulse generation) is made.

In symptomatic patients, medications are available to slow the sinus node and relieve symptoms.

If sinus tachycardia is due to another condition, the arrhythmia should resolve after that condition is treated.