Lately, I have noticed that my heart pounds or beats very hard for several beats, then it is often followed by a palpitations. It begins to become noticeable when I lay on my back or lay in a recovery position. If I lay on my side, things begin to return to normal... I am a 55 yr old male... I m 6 feet tall and weigh about 200 lbs (i m probably 10 to 15 lbs heavier than I should be) I recently quit smoking 6 months ago, I only drink 1 cup of coffee per day, I don t drink alcohol and I don t take or do any drugs other than over the counter pain killers for the odds headache. I monitor my BP (which can be slightly hypertensive at times, especially towards the end of the day). What might be causing my heart to pound?