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Why do we "feel our heart in our mouth"?

Question

Driving in the rain last night, I aquaplaned and I “felt my heart in my mouth”. Where does the phrase come from and why do we get that feeling?
Roger, Penge

Answer

** Definitive **
Name: Vitale, Basingstoke
Qualification: Doctor
Answer: Adrenaline is released, which quickens the heart rate and heightens all sensations in the body. So your heart is beating harder and you feel it more precisely. It’s the same feeling an unfit man who has been on the treadmill for too long will feel.

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