Skip to content
Heart Palpitations On A Keto Diet: Causes and Cure

Heart Palpitations On A Keto Diet: Causes and Cure

A Ketogenic diet is low-carb, moderate protein, and a high-fat diet. A typical Ketogenic diet starves your body of carbohydrates by limiting the intake of carbs below 5%. This stimulates your body to go into a metabolic state called ketosis.

Ketosis is an induced metabolic state wherein your body actively uses fats as a primary energy source. Your body starts to burn those fats and help you lose those extra kilos. The most important aspect of a Keto diet is that your body should go into Ketosis. As long as you follow a planned and organized keto diet, the chances of getting there are always high.

Applauded by most people as a quick way to lose weight, the ketogenic diet has grown all around. With millions of people joining the regime each day at an ever-increasing rate, the keto diet is surely the most popular diet right now.

The weight loss aspect of the diet may not be debatable but there are certain aspects wherein the keto diet has debatable effects. Some people face issues on a keto diet like headache, muscle fatigue, and heart palpitations. If you are on a keto diet and experience such issues, it’s time to know more about the keto diet.

The symptoms may vary from person to person. Different people react differently to a keto diet based on their body type, health conditions, and diet type. Losing some weight on the keto diet will help you reverse and cut down risk for cardiovascular risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure.

 The camp that thinks that Ketogenic Diet is an unhealthy fad is also right (in a sense) – The Ketogenic Diet can indeed have harmful effects BUT only when it is improperly and carelessly executed. This improper execution is something that takes away the essence of the Keto Diet and leads to various misconceptions regarding the same. 

The opposition of a Ketogenic Diet is actually an opposition to an improperly executed Ketogenic Diet. The problem, therefore, lies with the improper, unguided and haphazard Ketogenic Diet Plan.

Heart Palpitations And Keto Diet

Are you experiencing increased heart palpitations and blood pressure while on a keto diet? Well, it’s pretty much usual for a keto dieter to have to deal with a slightly higher heart rate during the first few weeks of the Keto diet. Do not worry yourself with apprehensions because this is quite normal. The symptoms will fade away with time and you will feel better changes in your overall health.

What Causes Heart Palpitations?

Heart palpitations or cardiac arrhythmia can be identified as when your heart beats too fast such as that of a racing horse. Or it may beat unusually, faster than normal. You actually can feel it. It’s visible and will make you feel uncomfortable or uneasy.

The main reason behind this condition is dehydration and lack of salt content in your body. The extra fats and proteins that you take on a keto diet require a lot of water to get digested. An increased intake of these leads to the drainage of your water content and thus other fluids. A decreased volume of fluids flowing in the bloodstream means the heart will have to pump blood somewhat vigorously to control the blood pressure.

Signs and Symptoms that you have Heart palpitations

If you are on a keto diet and you can’t figure the case with you. There are several signs that can help you figure out the problem by indicating that your heartbeat is racing:

  • Pounding heart
  • Shortness of breath
  • Brain fog and confusion
  • Lightheadedness and dizziness
  • Fatigue and lethargy
  • Chest pain
  • Muscle cramps
  • Dehydration

If the heart palpitations are occasional and pass away instantaneously, then they are not a serious threat. In most cases, they go away quickly. If they happen to recur, a doctor should be consulted.

How to Cure These Heart Palpitations

The most effective and reliable cure to this condition is to stay hydrated with water and other fluids. Also, make sure you add enough salt to your diet. In case, this does not eliminate the problem, then this condition might be a consequence of the release of stress hormones. Usually a temporary issue, it should disappear within a week on its own.

Summary

The Ketogenic diet is a low-carb, moderate protein, and high-fat diet. It’s known for its rapid weight loss results and reversal of many weight-related issues like Diabetes Type II, PCOS, etc. A ketogenic diet brings down your carb intake to a certain lower limit that triggers your body into a metabolic state called ketosis.

Ketosis is a metabolic state wherein, due to the lack of enough carbs, your body turns to fats as a primary energy source, which otherwise is the carbohydrates. Your body loves carbs and in normal conditions, your fats are stored which leads to weight gain and related issues.

Ketosis triggers your body to consume more and more fats instead of carbs, which leads to burning those extra kilos.Nonetheless, when people go into ketosis for the first time, they experience some symptoms and start to worry. Some symptoms are headache, muscle fatigue, and increased heart rate or heart palpitations.

These heart palpitations are caused because of the lack of water and salt content in your body. On a keto diet, you eat a lot of fats and proteins. These require a lot of water to get digested. Fats and proteins may drain out the body’s water content and other fluids. To maintain your blood pressure, your heart starts to pump the blood more vigorously, leading to a faster heart rate.

These symptoms usually disappear in most cases and shouldn’t worry you. If they are recurring, however, you should consult your doctor for assistance.To know more about the keto diet, its benefits, how to follow a keto diet, the possible positive health effects, probable negative effects on your health, and more, please read our articles too.

We wish you’re a Good Luck with your health regime!

Previous article What Are The Different Types Of Keto?