Alarming Facts About Your Heart Rate You Can’t Ignore!

Heart rate is the measure of how many times your heart beats in one minute. Pulse rate is a crucial indicator of overall heart health, especially when measuring the rate of blood pressure. Your heart rate is a window into the health of your cardiovascular system. Normal heart rate is 60–100 beats per minute (bpm), while heart rate always does not remain constant. It varies from high to low rate, and a subtle fluctuation can signal underlying medical conditions.

Why does heart rate vary?

Variations in the heartbeat of a normal person happen due to several factors that affect how fast or slow your heart beats. Here are some of the reasons:

• Physical activity: Heart rates increase during vigorous exercise to supply more oxygen-rich blood to body muscles. In contrast, they slow down during the resting period.  
• Emotional state: Stress, anxiety, excitement or fear can increase your heart rate. However, relaxation and calmness have the tendency to reduce it.
• Health conditions: Heart disease, thyroid disorders or fever can cause a fluctuation in the heart rate.  
• Age and fitness level: A lower resting heart rate indicates a fitter heart. In addition, athletes’ resting HR is generally lower than that of non-athletes. As you age, the physiological change in later life affects the heart rate variability.
• Body position: Your heart rate can change based on the position, whether you’re standing, sitting or lying down. It typically increases when you stand up and normalises after a short period.
• Environmental factors: Hot environments also make your heart beat fast because the body tries to produce sweat to cool itself down.

Understanding these factors can help you better monitor and manage your heart health.

How to measure heart rate?

Heart rate measurement can be done in various ways, depending on the context and the tools available. One common method is measuring the pulse. The pulse can be felt at various points on the body where an artery is close to the skin, such as the wrist (radial pulse) or neck (carotid pulse).

To measure your heart rate manually:

1. Locate a pulse: Put your middle and index fingers on your wrist, on your neck beside your windpipe or below the base of your thumb.
2. Count the beats: Using a clock or watch, count the number of beats you feel in 15 seconds.
3. Calculate your heart rate: Multiply the number of beats by 4 to get your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm).

Understanding abnormal heart rate

An alarming aspect of heart rate is the prevalence of abnormally high and low heart rates. Another concerning fact is that many people with or without cardiovascular diseases experience an irregular heartbeat, often termed tachycardia or bradycardia.  

A heart rate above 100 beats per minute at rest is termed tachycardia, which can be caused by several factors, such as:

• Stress
• Fever
• Dehydration
• Anaemia
• Underlying heart conditions such as hypertension and heart attack
• Certain medications
• Consuming alcohol, tobacco and smoking

Some people with tachycardia don’t feel symptoms, while others may have mild to severe symptoms, which include dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, lightheadedness and a fast-pounding heartbeat. If you observe such symptoms, consult your doctor to rule out the cause and get the right care.

Bradycardia, characterised by a heart rate below 60 beats per minute, is equally concerning and may indicate a problem with the heart’s electrical system or arrhythmia. The causes of bradycardia include electrolyte deficiencies, inflammation, infections, rheumatic fever, heart blocks and certain drugs. The symptoms associated with bradycardia can be similar to tachycardia. Its typical symptoms include

• Confusion
• Memory problems
• Difficulty in concentrating
• Behaviour problems  
• Hypothyroidism

Why is monitoring heart rate important?

Alarmingly, research has shown that persistent variation in heart rates can carry significant health risks. For instance, a resting heart rate towards the higher end of the normal range (80–100 bpm) has been linked to an increased risk of hypertension, heart attack and early mortality. Additionally, excessive heart rate variability (the natural fluctuations in heart rate) has been associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, including dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system, increased stress levels and a higher likelihood of cardiovascular diseases. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring heart rate and maintaining it within a healthy range to reduce potential health risks.