I can feel my heart missing a beat in my artery in my neck, ...

I can feel my heart missing a beat in my artery in my neck, when I lay on my side with my head on my hand. I have been to the dr and did an ekg but all seemed clear. I still feel it happen. whats going on?

While you can take a pulse in the cartoid artery (one of the arteries through the neck) it's often not the site of choice for several reasons.

First you can block the supply of blood to the brain which can cause brain damage! Second in people with atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) the chance of totally blocking the blood supply is even higher, including breaking off a plaque and causing a stroke! Third there are lots of small muscles in the neck to control the stability of your neck around the artery. As you palpate (feel for) the artery, you can stimulate one of those muscles causing it to tighten and lift your fingers actually away from the artery. So you "miss a beat". The beat was actually there. You just didn't feel it because the small muscles lifted your finger off the artery just enough.

This is why it's normal to feel for pulse in the wrist. I know it's the standard place people look for a pulse on TV programs ... but when you go to the doctor's or the hospital, one of the first things they do is take your wrist to feel for your pulse, because it's far more reliable and safe!