High Heart Rate

The number of times a heart beats per minute or the number of times a heart contracts per minute is known as heart rate or pulse rate. The normal heart rate may slightly vary from person to person, depending upon the age and overall health of the person. As heart health depends upon age, gender, activity level, overall health etc., normal heart rate varies from person to person. Heart rate of an individual is not constant all the time. It changes according to the physical activity and mental stress. You must have noticed high heart rate during exercise or during stressful physical activity like running. When you are angry or frightened, your heart starts beating abnormally. You must have noticed heart palpitations during such situations. A consistent rapid heartbeat is a cause of worry, as it indicates an abnormal condition of the heart.

The normal or regular heart rate, measured while resting is called resting heart rate (RHR). About 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM) is considered as normal heart rate for adults and for an infant, the RHR can be about 110 BPM. During physical examination, doctors always check the heart rate (pulse rate) of an individual first. The recommended ideal heart rate may be difficult to attain but you can refer to it and can try to be in the nearby range. Heart rate measurement helps detect abnormal pumping of the heart or occurrence of a heart disease. You can check your own heart rate regularly and by comparing it with the available pulse rate chart, you can keep a close watch on your health. Let us now take a look at the causes of tachycardia (rapid heart rate).

Causes of Tachycardia
Here is a list of main and common heart diseases which can cause rapid heart rate.

• Long term high blood pressure
• Malfunctioning of the heart valves, problems in blood circulation
• Myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscles
• Pericarditis, inflammation of the pericardium, the fibrous sac surrounding the heart
• Dysfunction of the pacemaker of the heart
• Insufficient oxygen supply to the heart muscles
• Coronary heart diseases
• Thyroid problems
• Blood related disorders like thickening of blood
• Faulty upper heart chamber
• People who have survived one or more heart attacks may often notice high heart rate.
• Very high or very low sodium percentage in diet can lead to tachycardia. It leads to electrolyte imbalance symptoms, which result in tachycardia.
• Lung diseases like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease wherein non elastic lung tissues seriously affect the pumping capacity of the heart. Arrhythmia is the term used to describe abnormal or irregular heart rate.

Following is the list of temporary causes of high heart rate.

• Vitamin deficiency
• Anemia
• Certain medications
• Emotional stress, fear, anxiety, nervousness.
• Fever
• Heavy meal
• Intake of stimulating substances such as tea, coffee, tobacco etc.
• Physical exertion.

High pulse rate, dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, chest pain, fainting are some of the common symptoms of tachycardia. Let us take a look at the treatment for tachycardia.

Tachycardia Treatment
A healthy heart that has optimal pumping capacity succeeds in maintaining normal blood flow to the body organs by contracting less number of times. Rapid heart rate implies that the heart has to contract more number of times to maintain the normal blood flow to body parts. This indicates loss of pumping capacity of the heart. This means increased work for the heart and hence, requirement of more oxygen for the heart. If the condition is left untreated, it can eventually lead to a heart attack. Insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart leads to the death of myocardial cells which can result in angina and eventually to ischemic heart disease.

Rapid heart rate requires prompt treatment, as it puts a strain on the heart, increasing the risk of a heart attack. But, before treating tachycardia, doctors may ask you to change your lifestyle and diet (if they are unhealthy). Drug abuse and excessive consumption of caffeine, alcohol, cholesterol and tobacco can raise your heart rate and hence should be avoided. Stress management techniques like yoga and meditation help avoid emotional stress. Following are three major modes of treating tachycardia:

• Use of Antiarrhythmics: Abnormal beating of heart is referred to as arrhythmia. Antiarrhythmics are the medicines that bring back the heart rate to normal, by suppressing most types of tachycardia.
• Electrical Conversion: Mild electrical shocks can restore the functioning of the heart to normal condition.
• Drug Control: Certain drugs can bring the heart rate down.

Regular exercise helps strengthen the heart muscles but monitoring your heart rate during exercise is equally important. You can increase the intensity of an exercise to a certain limit only. Very high heart rate during exercise can be life-threatening. So you should consult the physical trainer before exercising. As explained above, untreated tachycardia can lead to fatal complications. I hope this article has convinced you about the importance of prompt treatment for rapid heart rate condition.