Normal Heart Rate
In a healthy state, the heart of an adult beats at the rate of 72 times per minute. This is much higher in infants and kids, in the normal state. It is completely okay for the heartbeat to drop or rise until and unless it stays in the range of 60-80 beats per minute.
However, there are certain situations in which if the heart rate goes above 80, then, it is still considered normal. Such conditions are while exercising, running, having a high fever, or recovering from a surgery or intense treatment. In those situations, an increased heartbeat should not be a cause for concern.
Abnormally High Heart Rate
A problem arises, when our heartbeat rises up to 100 or above, even when our body is in the resting state. Such persistent rate of heartbeat is regarded as abnormal by the doctors and the person should immediately seek medical help from a specialist.
In clinical terms, this state is known as tachycardia and is usually characterized by symptoms like chest pain, heavy breathing, lightheadedness, dizziness, and low blood pressure.
Causes of High Heart Rate
While having a vigorous workout session does raise the heartbeat to an abnormal level, having a sudden shock or severe emotional stress may also cause the same.
If a person has gone through any surgery previously, then, he is likely to develop this condition in the body. Going on a severe medication for a chronic illness can also induce tachycardia.
Other reasons may include anemia, tumor, low or high blood pressure, age factors, high alcohol consumption, and intake of severe stimulants like drugs etc.
A lung disease, congenital cases of heart defects, excessive caffeine intake, smoking, and suffering from hyperthyroidism develop the chances of abnormally high heart rate.
Effects of High Heart Rate
Of course, a rapid rate of heartbeat gives less time to the heart for supplying enough blood to the body. This means, an insufficient blood supply to the body. Ultimately, the effect is visible in forms of dizziness, low blood pressure, pain in chest, weakness, and the person may even faint.
Cases, where the heartbeat has reached more than 100 beats per minute, there are chances of cardiac arrest too. This happens because of rapid production of electrical signals at a pace which the heart cannot handle. Thus, it goes into an arresting mode and requires immediate treatment.
Prevention of High Heart Rate
Some simple and easy steps to take in order to prevent the heart from tachycardia are exercising regularly, keeping the body hydrated, eating healthy diets, staying away from junk foods, reducing the amount of alcohol intake, quit smoking, taking less stress, and doing meditation.
Treatment of High Heart Rate
In the initial stages, simple medications and vagal maneuvers may work. However, to deal with tachycardia, the doctors may also give some injections to control the heart rate. The other severe measures are open heart surgeries, heart bypass surgery, ablation, and use of mild electric shocks to bring the heartbeat back to normal pace.
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