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An elevated heart rate, which is also referred to as tachycardia, is a condition wherein your heart beats faster than its normal rate. Usually, it is above 100 beats per minute. An elevated heart rate may be typical with exercise or stress, but an unprovoked high rate can be cause for alarm. Sometimes, an increased heart rate is a manifestation of an underlying health concern that needs attention.
If you start to feel a racing heartbeat, dizziness, or discomfort in your chest or have breathlessness, it's essential to know what is causing those changes and when you should take a step to see your doctor.
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An elevated heart rate, medically known as tachycardia, occurs when your heart beats faster than normal. For most adults, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. When the heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute at rest, it is considered tachycardia.
Tachycardia can be categorized into different types based on where the fast heart rate originates in the heart. It can happen in the upper chambers (atria) or lower chambers (ventricles) of the heart, each with its own set of causes and potential risks. While the heart rate may increase naturally during physical activity or stress, an elevated heart rate at rest or without an obvious cause could indicate an underlying health problem that requires attention.
Tachycardia may be harmless in some cases, but it can also be a sign of more serious conditions, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or thyroid issues. Recognizing the symptoms and understanding the causes can help you manage the condition effectively and seek timely medical care.
When your heart beats too fast, it can bring on various symptoms that might feel unsettling or even scary. Everyone experiences it differently, but here are some common signs to watch for:
Feeling Your Heart Race or Pound: You might notice your heart beating faster or harder than usual, even when you're resting. It can feel like your heart is trying to “run a race” on its own.
Dizziness or Feeling Faint: If your heart is beating too quickly, it might not pump enough blood to your brain, leaving you feeling lightheaded or like you’re about to faint.
Shortness of Breath: You could feel like it’s harder to breathe, even if you’re just sitting still.
Chest Discomfort or Pain: Some people feel a tightness or an aching sensation in their chest when their heart races.
Fluttering or Skipping Sensation: You might notice a strange “fluttering” in your chest like your heart is skipping beats or not beating regularly.
Tiredness or Weakness: A fast heart rate can leave you feeling drained or unusually fatigued, even if you haven’t done anything physically demanding.
Fainting or Feeling Like You Might Pass Out: In some cases, a rapid heartbeat can make you lose consciousness or feel like you’re about to collapse.
Anxiety or Uneasiness: A racing heart can sometimes make you feel anxious or restless, even if there’s no clear reason for it.
Tachycardia, or an unusually fast heartbeat, can happen for many reasons. While some causes are harmless, others may signal underlying health issues that need attention. Below are some common causes of elevated heart rate while resting:
1. Stress and Anxiety
When you're stressed or anxious, your body releases stress hormones like adrenaline, which can make your heart race. This is a natural response to situations like fear or excitement but can become a problem if it happens frequently.
2. Physical Activity or Overexertion
It’s normal for your heart rate to increase during exercise, but overdoing it—especially without warming up—can push your heart to beat faster than it should.
3. Caffeine, Alcohol, or Stimulants
Too much coffee, energy drinks, or certain medications can overstimulate your heart, causing it to beat faster. Alcohol and recreational drugs like cocaine or amphetamines can have similar effects.
4. Underlying Heart Problems
Conditions like arrhythmias, heart disease, or previous heart attacks can cause the heart to beat faster than normal. These conditions often need medical treatment.
5. Fever or Illness
When you're sick, especially with a fever, your heart works harder to circulate blood and oxygen. This can result in an elevated heart rate.
6. Dehydration
When your body doesn’t have enough fluids, your heart has to work harder to pump blood, which can increase your heart rate.
7. Thyroid Problems
An overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) speeds up your body’s processes, including your heart rate, while an underactive thyroid may also cause complications.
8. Smoking and Tobacco Use
Nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products acts as a stimulant, increasing your heart rate and putting extra strain on your heart over time.
9. Poor Sleep or Sleep Apnea
Lack of sleep or conditions like sleep apnea can stress your heart and cause it to beat irregularly or faster.
10. Medical Conditions and Disorders
Health issues like anaemia (low red blood cells), low blood pressure, or infections can lead to tachycardia. Additionally, conditions affecting the electrical signals in the heart may directly cause a rapid heart rate.
Certain factors can increase the likelihood of developing tachycardia. These include:
Heart Problems: Conditions like high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, or previous heart attacks increase the risk.
Age: As you age, your risk of heart-related conditions, including tachycardia, goes up.
Lifestyle Choices: Smoking, excessive alcohol, drug use, and poor diet can strain your heart over time.
Stress and Anxiety: Chronic stress or anxiety can overstimulate your heart, leading to tachycardia.
Medical Conditions: Thyroid issues, anaemia, diabetes, and sleep apnea are known contributors.
Electrolyte Imbalance: Low levels of essential minerals like potassium or magnesium can disrupt heart rhythm.
Genetics: A family history of heart arrhythmias or sudden cardiac events may increase your risk.
Medications and Stimulants: Certain medicines, caffeine, and recreational drugs can trigger a fast heart rate.
The treatment for tachycardia varies based on the cause and type. Here are common management and treatment approaches used in controlling an elevated heart rate:
1. Lifestyle Changes
Healthier lifestyle changes are often the first treatment. This includes the following:
Avoid caffeine, alcohol, and smoking.
Reduce stress through yoga, meditation, or breathing exercises.
Remain hydrated and maintain a well-balanced diet.
2. Medications
Doctors may administer certain medications to regulate your heartbeat or even treat the underlying cause by:
Beta-blockers to slow down the heart rate.
Anti-arrhythmic medications to control abnormal rhythms
3. Vagal Maneuvers
These are quite simple maneuvers that you can attempt, such as coughing, or applying gentle pressure around the neck, to trigger the vagus nerve and slow it down.
4. Cardioversion
For those with tachycardia that is not resolved, the person's heart could be subjected to an electric shock or medication that could resynchronize the heart's beats to normal rhythms.
5. Catheter Ablation
It is often applied to the severe, recurring tachycardia. The doctor would do a catheter ablation that allows destroying the part of heart tissue that makes it perform irregular signals.
6. Devices
A pacemaker is a device implanted in the chest for the heart's regulated rhythm.
For high tachycardia in a life-threatening sense, an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) is used for the treatment
7. Surgery
Surgery may be required to correct structural heart defects or remove problematic tissue in rare cases.
If you experience any of the following symptoms along with a rapid heartbeat, it’s important to seek medical help right away:
Chest Pain or Pressure: This could be a sign of a heart attack, especially if the pain spreads to your arms, neck, or jaw.
Shortness of Breath: Difficulty breathing or feeling like you can’t catch your breath can indicate a problem with your heart or lungs.
Fainting or Near-Fainting: Sudden loss of consciousness or feeling lightheaded might mean your heart isn’t pumping enough blood to your brain.
Extreme Fatigue or Weakness: A racing heart that leaves you feeling drained could be a sign of something serious.
Dizziness or Confusion: These symptoms could mean your brain isn’t getting enough oxygen.
Irregular Heartbeat: If your heart feels like it’s skipping beats, fluttering, or beating unevenly, it’s time to see a doctor.
Keeping your heart healthy can help prevent tachycardia. Here are simple, effective tips:
Manage Stress: Practice relaxation techniques like yoga or meditation to reduce anxiety.
Exercise Regularly: Aim for 30 minutes of moderate activity, like walking or swimming, most days.
Eat Heart-Healthy Foods: Focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins while limiting salt, sugar, and caffeine.
Avoid Stimulants: Cut back on caffeine, energy drinks, alcohol, and recreational drugs.
Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water to keep your heart working efficiently.
Quit Smoking: Stopping smoking can significantly lower your risk.
Prioritize Sleep: Get 7–8 hours of restful sleep and address sleep apnea if needed.
Monitor Your Health: Manage conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid issues with regular check-ups.
Know Your Triggers: Identify and avoid specific triggers, such as stress or overexertion.
See Your Doctor Regularly: Regular screenings can catch problems early.
Small lifestyle changes can make a big difference in keeping your heart rhythm steady and healthy!
Tachycardia is a condition where the heart beats at a faster rate than normal, which is usually more than 100 beats per minute while resting.
Common causes are stress, anxiety, fever, anaemia, high blood pressure, heart diseases, over-consumption of caffeine or alcohol, and certain medications.
Dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, and fainting in extreme cases may be the symptoms of tachycardia.
The treatment varies with the type and cause but may include medications, lifestyle changes, medical procedures like catheter ablation, or the use of devices such as pacemakers.
You should seek medical attention if you have a persistently high resting heart rate, especially with symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, or shortness of breath.
