Why does my heart beat so fast?

Why does your heart beat very fast when you did something wrong?

• Answer:

  In general when people do something they know they shouldn't have done, their "conscience" kicks in and their emotions stir up fear. They become afraid of the consequences of that action. ("What if I get caught!" "What if I hurt someone's feelings!" "What if I did damage by doing this?" "What if I just cost myself my job!" "What if, what if, what if...") This fear causes the adrenal glands, which are located on top of your kidneys, to secrete hormones that prepare the body for "fight or flight". So...not only does your heart beat faster, your breathing speeds up, your mouth goes dry, and even though you don't realize it, your pupils dilate, your whole body goes "on alert" because it's getting signals that, "Uh oh! Something's wrong!", and those signals are coming from your emotions because you did something you know you shouldn't have. It's a good thing to listen to those "signals". Most of the time, they can keep you out of trouble! You may just be anxious. You could be having a slight anxiety attack if you are thinking about the consequences of what might happen after what you did.