It's a romantic turn of phrase to say, "my heart skipped a beat when I saw you"--

But what's really going on when your heart skips a beat? Is it a health issue? Here's the lowdown from Dr. Ann Bolger, spokesperson for the American Heart Association.
She says don't get freaked out if your heart flutters, races or skips a beat. Extra or irregular beats happen to nearly everyone from time to time. So if it happens to you once every blue moon, nothing bad is going to happen and it doesn't usually affect the functioning of your heart.
So what causes a heart flutter? A bunch of stuff including stress, too much caffeine, alcohol, dehydration, exhaustion, or a mild illness like a cold. Treating those problems will help keep your heart on beat   as will regular exercise.
So how will you know if it's something serious? If your heart flutters for minutes rather than seconds   make an immediate appointment with your doctor. Also, if you experience chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness, or pain in your arm or jaw, go straight to the emergency room. But if you see your sweetie and it feels like your heart skipped a beat, it's probably nothing to worry about

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