Doctor my Pulse (heart rate) is Rapid- By Dr Harold Gunatillake
Transcript: When you check your blood pressure with your personnel BP monitor next time, pay attention to your pulse rate in addition to the systolic and diastolic pressure readings.
The systolic should reading between 120-130 mmHg and diastolic in the ranges between 70- 80 mmHg.
Pulse reading at rest should be approximately between 60 and 80 and should be regular. Count for at least 30 seconds. It is mentioned in the text that a normal resting heart rate for adult’s ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
Women’s heart rates are about 2-7 beats per minute faster than men’s on average.
Also, when you feel the pulse in your wrist, roll the radial artery placing your index and middle fingers, to check the thickness of the arterial wall which reflects the thickness of your coronary vessels.
If you feel the artery walls are thin and elastic, that would be a good sign that all your blood vessels, including your coronaries are in good shape.
Referring to your pulse rate count, generally, a lower pulse rate at rest implies more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness. For example, a well-trained athlete might have a normal resting heart rate closer to 40 beats per minute.
These readings apply whether you are on antihypertensive medication or not.
When you measure your pulse rate at the wrist you are measuring your heart rate. You could measure your heart rate on the side of your neck or the pit opposite your elbow. The pulse is
really the pulsating rhythm of your blood due to heart contractions and matches the movements of your heart and indicates your heart rate.
Why does a good resting pulse or heart rate matters? When you regularly check on your BP and pulse, and if the pulse rate is not within the normal ranges mentioned, it could be an early sign that you need to see your doctor to find out.
Your doctor may prescribe a beta blocker or a calcium channel blocker to reduce the heart rate, if he feels it is too rapid. He will also take steps to find out why the pulse or the heart rate is rapid, before prescribing such medication to slow your heart rate. Such medication also lowers your blood pressure.
You need to keep your resting heart rate as low as possible. One large, long-term study compared men with heart rates above 90 and those below 80. The men with higher average heart rates were associated with triple the risk of death.
People with lower heart rates have more reserve power of the heart to be more active and get more exercise than others.
Therefore, a daily 1–2-hour brisk walk will make you more active and fit, and also lower your heart rate.
The pulse gets elevated with age, stress, obesity, drinking coffee or smoking soon after, drinking alcohol, and medications and medical conditions.
If the pulse or heart rate goes up over 100 beats a minute, it is called tachycardia.
You need to see your doctor immediately in such a situation, especially with irregular heart rhythms.
Atrial fibrillation is the most common type of irregular heart rhythm. This is due to irregular electrical signals in the upper chamber or the atrium of the heart.
Ventricular tachycardia is when the irregular heart starts in the lower heart chambers or the ventricles.
Supraventricular tachycardia is caused by irregular heart beats starting above the ventricles.
Ventricular fibrillation is a situation when the lower chambers quiver instead of contracting ina coordinated way.
Other causes that lead to fast heartbeat or tachycardia are fever, heavy alcohol use or withdrawal, high or low blood pressure, imbalance of electrolytes like potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium, over active thyroid, or due to unknown causes.
Special mention needs to be mentioned about tachycardia caused in overactive thyroid, due to the over-production of the thyroid hormone
In this situation, you feel nervous, moody, weak, and tired. You tend to sweat for no reason, your skin is moist and warm. You need to see your doctor to find out the cause by ordering a thyroid function test done on a sample of blood.
Poor blood supply to the heart muscles due to blockage of coronary arteries, or heart valve disease, infections of the heart muscles called myocarditis can all cause fast heart beats. See your doctor soon for investigations.
Let us discuss now about bradycardia, meaning a very slow heart rate, below 60 beats per minute.
Just the way you can get fast heart beats, you could get very slow heart beats called bradycardia, that needs prompt attention.
It occurs frequently in older adults. “As people get older, there is occasional normal wear and tear on the electrical system of the heart, which slows the heart rate.
Normal range of the heart beats is 50 to 100 beats per minute. If it is below 50 we call it bradycardia
A heart malfunction can cause slowing of your heart rate.
The most common cause for bradycardia is a malfunction in the heart’s natural pacemaker, the sinus node. It controls how quickly the top and bottom heart chambers pump blood through the body.
Bradycardia can be caused by: Heart tissue damage related to aging. Damage to heart tissues from heart disease or heart attack. A heart disorder present at birth (congenital heart defect).
AV Block
Another cause of bradycardia is atrioventricular block (AV Block), in which the top and bottom chambers don’t communicate well and your heart rate drops as a result.
Do not mistake physiological bradycardia found in athletes who regularly exercises for fitness.
Taking too much of magnesium supplements can cause bradycardia and dizziness. Be aware of it if you on this supplement.
Certain illnesses can cause bradycardia, include -Heart attacks due to coronary artery disease. A bacterial infection in the blood that attacks your heart.
Inflammation of your heart muscle. Low thyroid function.
An electrolyte imbalance.
Too much potassium in your blood.
Certain medications, including beta blockers and antiarrhythmics.
If you have any symptoms such as lack of energy, low stamina, dizzy feelings, weakness with low heart rate, you need to see your doctor.
In conclusion, I would like to stress the importance of checking your pulse rate whenever you check on your blood pressure and take notice of if there is any abnormality, and see your doctor for further investigations.
Hope this video talk was useful
Stay safe at home, and Goodbye for now
