YOUR HEART RATE: WHAT'S NORMAL VS POSSIBLY DANGEROUS?

Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. You can determine your heart rate by feeling your pulse at your wrist or neck. Normal heart rate at rest ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm).

Heart rate varies with activity, sleep, hormones, and stress. Certain medications and medical conditions may affect heart rate. This article will define normal vs potentially dangerous heart rates.

What Heart Rate Means: Defining Good vs Abnormal or Dangerous Readings

Heart rate is simply the number of times your heart beats per minute. Heart rate varies throughout the day, minute by minute, based on the state of your body. During rest or a state of relaxation, a normal heart rate in adults is considered between 60-100 beats per minute. Typically, the resting heart rate in adults is less than 90 bpm. A heart rate above 100 bpm is known as tachycardia, and a heart rate below 60 bpm is known as bradycardia. However, this is not to say that heart rates above 100 bpm or below 60 bpm are necessarily dangerous.

Your heart rate depends on many factors, including:

• State of the nervous system
• Hormones
• Hydration status

Heart rates naturally increase when:

• Performing daily activities
• Exercising
• Experiencing physical and emotional stress
• A person is in pain
• Fever and dehydration.

This is a completely normal response that ensures the heart gets enough blood and oxygen to the rest of the body.

Additionally, resting heart rates a bit lower than 60 bpm may be completely normal. This is particularly true in young, healthy, and fit individuals and also during sleep. These slower heart rates have to do with the conditioning of the heart that occurs with regular physical exercise.

However, problems can arise when heart rates are extremely low or high, both of which may affect the heart's ability to pump blood effectively. There is no strict cutoff on what heart rate is too high or low; this will depend on a person's age and overall situation, as well as if there are any symptoms, such as lightheadedness, dizziness, palpitations, or fainting. Very high or low heart rates are usually due to an arrhythmia or an abnormal heart rhythm.

What Is an Arrhythmia?

An arrhythmia is a problem that occurs in the heart's specialized electrical system. Normally, specialized cells called the sinus node in the heart's upper right chamber give a rhythmic signal for the heart to contract. This electrical signal flows down to another group of cells called the atrioventricular node (AV node) and down to the ventricles. The result is a synchronized and rhythmic contraction of the heart. In arrhythmias, there is a problem with this system. The electrical impulse may be blocked anywhere along its path (heart block), resulting in bradycardia. Or, the electrical impulse can start outside or propagate outside the sinus node, resulting in tachycardia.

Bradycardia due to heart block or sinus node dysfunction can be serious and result in loss of consciousness due to lack of blood flow to the brain.

Tachycardia can happen from a number of arrhythmias, and very fast heart rates can be dangerous when the body is not getting enough blood flow. Arrhythmias that may cause abnormal heart rates include the following conditions:

• Atrial fibrillation
• Atrial flutter
• Supraventricular tachycardia
• Ventricular tachycardia

Some arrhythmias, such as ventricular tachycardia and ventricular fibrillation, can lead to sudden collapse and death if not treated.

How Heart Rate vs Pulse Differ

Heart rate is a measure of how fast your heart is beating, given as the number of times your heart beats per minute or "bpm."

Pulse, on the other hand, is the place on your body where you can feel your heartbeat. You can feel a pulse at different points over arteries in your body. For example, on the wrist below the thumb, you can feel your radial artery pulsating. In the neck beneath the jaw on either side, you can feel your carotid artery pulsating. By placing your finger on one of these points, you can feel your pulse and count the number of times your heart beats per minute to obtain your heart rate.

Ideal Heart Rate During Rest vs Exercise

During rest, a normal heart rate is considered between 60 to 100 bpm. However, numbers less than 60 bpm may also be normal at rest, particularly during sleep or in young, healthy, and fit people. Studies have shown that higher resting heart rates are linked to worse outcomes.

Heart rate normally increases with exercise as the body's demand for oxygen increases, and the heart must pump harder and faster to supply enough blood and oxygen to the body. There is no overall cutoff for ideal heart rate during exercise. However, you can calculate your expected maximum or peak heart rate, which varies by age: Peak heart rate is 220 minus your age.

The target heart rate during moderate-intensity exercise is about 50-85% of your maximum predicted heart rate. Here is how you calculate your heart rate for moderate-intensity activity: (0.5) X (220 - age) to (0.85)X (220 - age).

How to Measure Your Heart Rate

To measure your heart rate, place two fingertips on your wrist on the side beneath the thumb or on one side of the neck beneath the jaw. Use a timer to count the number of beats you feel in 30 seconds. Then, multiply that number by two to determine the heart rate in beats per minute.

Fitness trackers worn on the wrist, finger, or chest can measure heart rate during periods of rest and during exercise.

Maintaining a Normal Heart Rate

Whether or not we experience arrhythmias that cause very low or sudden high heart rates is not always in our control. Some people are born with congenital problems of the heart or have medical conditions that increase their risk for arrhythmias. Arrhythmia risk also increases with age.

However, there are steps you can take to prevent certain types of heart disease that can lead to arrhythmias. These include:

• Get regular physical exercise. The American Heart Association recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week.
• Quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke.
• Eat a heart-healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables. For protein, aim to incorporate plenty of beans, legumes, and fatty fish and choose lean meat and poultry over red meat. Choose whole grains over white, processed grains. Avoid ultra-processed foods as well as saturated and trans fats.
• Get plenty of good quality sleep per night. Aim for seven to nine hours of sleep per night.
• See your healthcare provider to ensure your blood pressure, weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels are healthy.

Unsure About Your Heart Rate?

If you notice heart rates that seem too high or low, or experience symptoms of an arrhythmia, schedule an appointment with your healthcare provider. Symptoms include:

• Palpitations, or feeling of a fast, irregular heartbeat
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Tiredness when performing physical activity or exercising

When to Seek Emergency Medical Attention

Arrhythmias can be dangerous in their own right when the heart is beating too fast or slow to deliver blood to the body effectively. Arrhythmias can also be the result of serious problems like a heart attack. Serious symptoms that should prompt immediate medical attention include:

• Sudden loss of consciousness
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing

To diagnose a potential arrhythmia, your healthcare provider will perform a physical exam, which includes measuring your heart rate and blood pressure. They will also look at the heart's rhythm using an electrocardiogram. They may recommend heart rhythm monitoring at home using a device such as a patch or Holter monitor, which you can wear for days or weeks to look for signs of arrhythmia.

Summary

Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 bpm. Resting heart rates of less than 60 bpm are also normal during sleep and in physically fit individuals. Heart rates below 30 bpm or above 250 bpm are typically due to an arrhythmia and are potentially serious.

See your healthcare provider if you experience symptoms of arrhythmias, such as palpitations, lightheadedness, or exercise intolerance. Seek immediate medical attention for serious symptoms like chest discomfort, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.

2024-07-22T18:25:21Z dg43tfdfdgfd