How can palpitations be prevented?

You can take steps to prevent palpitations.

• Reduce anxiety and stress in your life.
• Avoid or limit stimulants, such as caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, and illegal drugs.
• Treat medical conditions that may lead to palpitations or arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).

This answer from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has been reviewed and/or edited by Dr. William D. Knopf.

Palpitations are the symptom you feel when your heart beats irregularly. There are many different reasons you may feel your heart to beat not quite normal. This may involve skipped beats, heartbeats that are too fast or too slow, or even totally irregular. The key to preventing the rhythm disturbance is to understanding why it happens. This will require you to see a doctor, usually a cardiologist, and sometimes a specialist called a cardiac electrophysiologist. The doctor will record the irregular rhythm using one of several kinds of electrocardiograms. You may need simple testing to make sure your heart is completely normal. With this information, the doctor will talk to you about what can be done. If there are things in your life that seem to be causing the irregular rhythm, then the simplest solution is to avoid these. This may involve alcohol, caffeine, nicotine, and "recreational" drugs. If there are particular circumstances such as public speaking or high stress, then you may be able to learn how to manage these using techniques such as those used for people who have anxiety from certain situations (like flying in an airplane). There is simple medication that can be used before these episodes that may help as well. Finally, the doctor may prescribe therapy that you take all the time: There are many different medications. Under some circumstances, you may need more advanced and even invasive therapy and your doctor would discuss this with you.