I Was Diagnosed With Heart Arrhythmia In College. The Culprits? Stress And Coffee | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Wellbeing

Stress And Excessive Caffeine Intake During College Caused Me To Develop A Heart Arrhythmia

My only advice to you is please, please take good care of your health. Our bodies don't like stress, but we tend to go right towards it because that's what our daily hectic lives demand of us.

80
studying

Last week, I made a trip to the ER after much hesitation. I was having chest pains for about three weeks but refused to go to the doctor because I thought it wouldn't be serious. My chest pains started right around midterm season but I didn't immediately correlate the two together. I was eating a high-fat diet (in some ways, keto) and so I thought my diet was the reason why I was having such bad chest pains. After watching many episodes and seasons of "Grey's Anatomy," I automatically tried to carefully diagnose myself.

A high-fat diet was an option, but was it the ultimate reason? I was drinking LOTS of coffee to try and stay awake to study. I mean, it's college! That's what you're supposed to do, right? I drank coffee several times throughout the day but slowly started to not even remember how many cups of coffee I was having daily. So my second option is coffee, great. My third option could be *drum roll please* stress! Shocking, I know. As surprising as it may seem, I am basically stressed 24/7. #collegelife. Jokes aside, exams and studying for these exams were a huge contribution to my stress, on top of other things that were happening in my life.

After carefully considering my options, I finally decided to go to my primary physician and check what was going on. After taking an EKG (not once, but three times) I was told to immediately go to the emergency room because my EKG came out very abnormal. As soon as I heard this, I was stunned. I asked her if she was sure that the EKG was mine. I'm only 19 and I already have heart problems. I didn't think that was even possible.

After heading to the ER and taking some more EKGs, x-rays, and tests, the doctor finally tells me what's going on. He tells me that I have an arrhythmia. For those of you who may not know what that is, arrhythmia is basically due to an irregular heartbeat that could lead to more serious cardiovascular diseases.

The doctor goes on to tell me that the major reasons for my irregular heartbeat were because of stress and excessive caffeine. Hold on, pause. I thought it was normal for students to be high on caffeine and be awake all night studying for their exams. For so long, that's exactly what I thought. It's so sad because so many college students are doing exactly what I was doing but on a far worse level.

College students think it's a good thing if you're staying up with your friends pulling an all-nighter. Let me be the first one to tell you that if you don't stop, your body is going to shut down. As scary as that may sound, there has been a huge increase in college students getting diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases at such a young age. The reason why is because we stress ourselves so much that we start thinking that stress is normal.

After reading this article and my experience, my only advice to you is please, please take good care of your health. Our bodies don't like stress, but we tend to go right towards it because that's what our daily hectic lives demand of us. Learn from me that stressing yourself is honestly not worth it. Instead, learn to get better at time management. You'll be able to space out your schedule in such a way that you won't have to stress yourself out. As we go into this next round of exams, please do not pull those all-nighters and stay up on caffeine. It's not worth it. Take better care of your body and stay positive.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

These powerful lyrics remind us how much good is inside each of us and that sometimes we are too blinded by our imperfections to see the other side of the coin, to see all of that good.

130263
Every Girl Needs To Listen To 'She Used To Be Mine' By Sara Bareilles

The song was sent to me late in the middle of the night. I was still awake enough to plug in my headphones and listen to it immediately. I always did this when my best friend sent me songs, never wasting a moment. She had sent a message with this one too, telling me it reminded her so much of both of us and what we have each been through in the past couple of months.

Keep Reading...Show less
Zodiac wheel with signs and symbols surrounding a central sun against a starry sky.

What's your sign? It's one of the first questions some of us are asked when approached by someone in a bar, at a party or even when having lunch with some of our friends. Astrology, for centuries, has been one of the largest phenomenons out there. There's a reason why many magazines and newspapers have a horoscope page, and there's also a reason why almost every bookstore or library has a section dedicated completely to astrology. Many of us could just be curious about why some of us act differently than others and whom we will get along with best, and others may just want to see if their sign does, in fact, match their personality.

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

20 Song Lyrics To Put A Spring Into Your Instagram Captions

"On an island in the sun, We'll be playing and having fun"

29816
Person in front of neon musical instruments; glowing red and white lights.
Photo by Spencer Imbrock on Unsplash

Whenever I post a picture to Instagram, it takes me so long to come up with a caption. I want to be funny, clever, cute and direct all at the same time. It can be frustrating! So I just look for some online. I really like to find a song lyric that goes with my picture, I just feel like it gives the picture a certain vibe.

Here's a list of song lyrics that can go with any picture you want to post!

Keep Reading...Show less
Chalk drawing of scales weighing "good" and "bad" on a blackboard.
WP content

Being a good person does not depend on your religion or status in life, your race or skin color, political views or culture. It depends on how good you treat others.

We are all born to do something great. Whether that be to grow up and become a doctor and save the lives of thousands of people, run a marathon, win the Noble Peace Prize, or be the greatest mother or father for your own future children one day. Regardless, we are all born with a purpose. But in between birth and death lies a path that life paves for us; a path that we must fill with something that gives our lives meaning.

Keep Reading...Show less
Health and Wellness

10 Hygiene Tips For All College Athletes

College athletes, it's time we talk about sports hygiene.

27517
Woman doing pull-ups on bars with sun shining behind her.

I got a request to talk about college athletes hygiene so here it is.

College athletes, I get it, you are busy! From class, to morning workouts, to study table, to practice, and more. But that does not excuse the fact that your hygiene comes first! Here are some tips when it comes to taking care of your self.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments