Terms used to describe autonomic nervous system symptoms
Pulsating
Related terms · Palpitations · Heart throbbing
Palpitations are symptoms where the heart feels as if it is beating fast, strongly, skipping beats, or beating irregularly.
Reviewed by Korean Medicine Doctor Yeon-seung Choi · Last updated 2026-08-26
Meaning and Distinctions
What does 'palpitations' mean?
Palpitations can be felt due to tension, caffeine, or lack of sleep, but the effects of arrhythmia, anemia, thyroid issues, and medications must also be checked. Palpitations are symptoms where the heart feels like it is beating fast, strongly, skipping beats, or beating irregularly.
- Easily confused terms
- Although it is a different sensation from chest pain or shortness of breath, they can occur together, so it is helpful to record the order of occurrence and the duration.
- Why this is checked during medical evaluation
- We check whether the timing of the normal ECG differed from the timing when symptoms occurred, and whether dizziness orPresyncopea feeling of fainting occurred together.
- What to note down for your visit
- Please record the start time, duration, pulse and posture at the time, caffeine or medication intake, and whether dizziness occurred.
Dizziness, Ear, Head, and Face Glossary
Compare similar terms here
You can check simple definitions before proceeding to detailed explanations.PresyncopeA pre-syncope feeling is a state where your vision darkens, you feel a loss of strength, or you break into a cold sweat, as if you are just about to lose consciousness.Autonomic Nervous SystemThe autonomic nervous system is the system that regulates bodily functions that are not consciously controlled, such as heart rate, blood pressure, sweating, and digestion.
Read More
Check guides where this term is used
- Condition GuideChest palpitationsHeart palpitations are symptoms where the heart feels like it is pounding, racing, fluttering, or skipping a beat. This may be due to caffeine, lack of sleep, or tension, but arrhythmia, anemia, thyroid issues, and the effects of medication must also be checked. If accompanied by chest pain, severe shortness of breath, or a feeling of fainting, seek emergency evaluation immediately. If no urgent issues are found during tests but it recurs chronically, consult with Baekrokdam regarding herbal medicine treatment by observing the patterns in which sleep, digestion, tension, and palpitations move together.→
- Condition GuideAutonomic dysfunction symptoms'Autonomic dysfunction' is used as a broad term to describe automatic regulation symptoms such as blood pressure, heart rate, digestion, sweating, and body heat, rather than being a single definitive diagnosis. First, we categorize potential causes to check, such as cardiac, neurological, endocrine, or drug influences. If symptoms persist after testing, record the first symptom that appeared, the symptoms that followed, and the time it takes to return to a normal state. Chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, and new neurological symptoms must be evaluated immediately, and treatment for the confirmed cause should continue. For herbal medicine treatment, recovery goals are set based on patterns where sleep, digestion, body heat, and energy levels are unstable together.→
- Medical Evaluation GuideWhat should I prepare before a consultation for dizziness, tinnitus, or headache?Write the first sensation you felt, the posture at onset, the duration, and any concurrent ear symptoms, headache, nausea, or heart rate changes on a single page. Please prepare your MRI, hearing test, nystagmus test, and ECG results along with your medication envelopes, and share what has improved and what remains after treatment. Rather than a perfect diary, recording three representative attacks and scenes that disrupt your daily life is more helpful.→
- Head, Ear, and Face ColumnWhy do palpitations and dizziness recur even when the ECG is normal?→
Evidence and Update Information
The following materials were referenced to verify the basis and scope of the definitions and treatment descriptions.
- American Heart Association: Arrhythmia symptoms and monitoringConnection between palpitations, dizziness, fainting and ECG/symptom records