Occasionally, everyone experiences a heart that beats too fast. An abnormally rapid heart rate can be brought on by mental or physical strain, physical exertion, or even excessive use of alcohol or caffeine. But, if you discover that your heartbeat is frequently irregular or if your heartbeat is racing, you should consult a medical professional.

Although stress and fever are prominent culprits in cases of rapid heart rate, significant cardiac diseases such as atrial fibrillation can also lead to such symptoms. Cardiologists are necessary for patients with these diseases as they require constant monitoring and treatment.

Fortunately, the possible reasons for a racing heartbeat are discussed in this article, along with strategies for dealing with each of them.

But first:

How Do Medical Professionals Characterize a Normal Heart Rate?

The United States National Library of Medicine considers a resting heart rate of 60 – 100 beats per minute (bpm) to be within a “normal” or healthy range for most persons.

The heart can deliver oxygenated blood to critical organs at a healthy rate between these two points. For example, suppose you’re a runner who regularly puts in a lot of miles. In that case, you can have a considerably lower resting heart rate than someone who doesn’t exercise as much. This is because cardiovascular activity, in particular, makes your heart more efficient, allowing it to circulate blood slightly slower.

Consistently high or low resting heart rates (above 100 if you’re an athlete, under 60 if you’re not) may indicate a problem.

What’s A Rapid Heart Rate?

A rapid heartbeat is when your heart rate is over 100 beats per minute. Tachycardia is the medical term for rapid heart rate.

Tachycardia exists in three categories:

Supraventricular

This occurs when the heart’s upper chambers experience a disruption in the normal flow of electrical signals, resulting in a rapid heartbeat. When it contracts before it can fill with blood, it constantly skips beats. Your blood pressure will rise, and your organs will not get as much oxygen.

Ventricular

This is a racing heart rate that originates in the lower chambers of the heart. This causes a misfiring of electrical signals for specific areas in the lower chambers. Yet again, the heart is beating so rapidly that it cannot take in enough blood to supply the body.

Sinus tachycardia

This fast heart rate happens when the heart’s internal pacemaker sends out abnormally rapid electrical signals. The rate of your heartbeat is rapid, but it is regular.

Image alt text: racing heart rate. A medical picture of lead sinus tachycardia-a form of rapid heart rate disease.

Author credit: By Glenlarson – Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2599791

What Are the Potential causes of a Rapid Heart Rate?

Usually, you don’t have to give much thought to the processes that keep your body running smoothly since the autonomic nervous system takes care of your blood pressure, a host of gastrointestinal processes, urination, and heart rate.

However, rapid or irregular heartbeats can be brought on by several factors, including but not limited to poor lifestyle choices, stressful situations, or even illness.

Here are some of the reasons you may experience a faster or racing heart rate:  

  • Stress
  • Taking too much Caffeine
  • Smoking
  • Fever, cold, or flu
  • Inadequate sleep
  • Anxiety disorders
  • Anemia
  • Heart conditions like arrhythmia  
  • Pregnancy
  • Certain heart medications

How Can Stress Affects Your Heart Rate?

Physical or mental strain can have varying effects on various people over time. Anxiety and stress can cause people to consume more than they need, leading to health problems.

An increase in body mass index (BMI) is associated with increased blood pressure and may precipitate diabetes complications. Worry-related insomnia elevates cortisol levels, and increased cortisol has been linked to diabetes and obesity, increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Also, a series of unfortunate incidents is precipitated by a tense circumstance. And when you’re stressed, your body releases adrenaline that produces a momentary acceleration of respiration and heart rate and a rise in blood pressure. That’s the “fight or flight” response at work, preparing you to face whatever danger lurks ahead.

High-stress levels can also cause an increased risk of atherosclerosis (commonly known as “hardening of the arteries”), which can have severe consequences for the heart and blood vessels.

As the body’s stress hormones are released into the bloodstream, it causes a spike in blood sugar levels. The blood vessel walls may become inflamed if blood sugar levels are too high for the body. When this happens, cholesterol-rich plaque builds up in the arteries, leading to an elevated or racing heart rate and, in extreme cases, causing stroke or a heart attack.

Therefore, to help eliminate stress-induced rapid heart rate, you must strive to reduce your stress levels.

How to reduce stress-induced racing heart rate

The health of your heart and body depends on your ability to handle stress and bounce back from adversity. Here are some recommendations to consider:

Learn to identify and deal with stress signs and symptoms

Distraction, difficulty focusing, headaches, cold hands, tense muscles, a worried stomach, clinched teeth, an anxious disposition, restlessness, irritability, and withdrawal are all signs of stress.

Learning how your body expresses itself in stressful situations is essential. Acknowledge the presence of these sensations and give them names, whether to oneself or a companion. The next step is to take measures to mitigate their impact.

Inducing relaxation and lowering stress levels can be accomplished by various methods, such as deep breathing, getting some quiet time to concentrate, stretching, or going for a daily walk to boost your heart health.

Be social and keep in touch with others

Maintaining contact with the people that matter most in your life is simpler than ever, thanks to modern technological advancements. In times of stress, having someone to talk to or be that someone might be helpful. Therefore, find people you trust and let them know how you feel.

Experiment with different habits or routines

More structure in your day, like setting regular times for activities like taking a bath and going to bed and planning and prioritizing your work, will help you tune in to the body’s cues. As a result, you may be able to begin stress management procedures sooner than before.

Relax and enjoy some time off

Establish regular habits of self-care. It’s not self-centered to put your needs ahead of those of others, even if doing so sometimes means turning down requests or putting other obligations behind you. Even minor adjustments to your daily routine can help you become more resilient to stress.

Make time in your schedule for physical activity, unwinding, getting enough sleep, and healthy eating for a healthier lifestyle. When feeling stressed, including a routine of exercises like yoga or meditation might be pretty significant. Also, it can help to shift your emphasis from the negative to the positive by doing the things you like most.

Sleep and Racing Heart Rate: What’s the Connection?

According to the research, getting a good night’s rest can help flush out the toxins that accumulate in the brain. Together with repairing your muscles and restoring your capacity to focus, a good night’s sleep is essential for memory consolidation.

However, lack of sleep or chronic insomnia is linked to cardiovascular problems like hypertension, an increase in stress, a decrease in the desire to engage in physical activity, and an increase in the consumption of foods high in saturated fats and sugar, all of which are detrimental to cardiovascular health.

Heart rate slows during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages. Still, it speeds up again as you near awakening during a normal night’s rest.

Inadequate sleep, such as being woken up suddenly, can cause a significant increase in heart rate. It has been discovered that those who have trouble sleeping are more prone to report cardiac rhythm issues. As a result of these factors, sleep deprivation may contribute to a racing heart rate or heart palpitations.

Therefore, to reduce sleep-related heart complications, you must strive to

What can you do to get adequate sleep?

Here are some sleep tips for better and quality slumber:

  • Ensure your bedroom is calm, repose, and dark
  • Take advantage of the sun’s rays, particularly in the morning. Whether it’s before work or after, try getting out for a stroll.
  • Make sure you’re getting enough exercise every day. Avoid working out in the hours right before bed.
  • Maintain a consistent pattern of sleeping hours. Maintain a regular bedtime and rising time, even during the weekends

Collaborate with your clinical professionals to pinpoint any underlying health issues preventing you from getting adequate rest.

What’s The Connection between Racing Heart and Anxiety Disorders?

According to the American Psychological Association, persistent, excessive worry may be a sign of one of the numerous anxiety disorders, including:

  • Generalized anxiety disorder,
  • Social anxiety disorder,
  • Panic disorder
  • Separation anxiety disorder, amongst other.

Image alt text: measurement of radial pulse to diagnose a pacing heart rate.

Author credit: By Pöllö – Own work, CC BY 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9385715

While the specific settings in which social anxiety disorder becomes apparent (for example, in everyday life) may vary, all of these diseases share the ability to cause bodily manifestations, such as a rapid heartbeat.

Intense worry can cause physical manifestations such as a racing heart, which may be early warnings of an impending panic attack. Fear that comes on suddenly and unexpectedly and leaves you unable to move is a hallmark of a panic attack. It’s distressing to feel like you can’t breathe, have chest aches, sweat excessively, or even have a rapid heartbeat that makes you think you’re dying the next minute.

How can you manage anxiety disorders?

Psychotherapy and pharmaceuticals are the two mainstays in the treatment of anxiety disorders. Putting the two together could be the best option for you. Finding the most beneficial treatment options may need some experimentation.

Psychotherapy: Also known as psychological counseling, psychotherapy involves talking to a therapist to alleviate anxiety. Reducing anxiety with this method can be quite helpful.

Most people with anxiety problems benefit greatly from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). CBT is a short-term treatment that aims to teach you the skills to alleviate your symptoms and resume the activities you may have abandoned due to anxiety.

As part of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure therapy is used to help patients overcome their fears of specific objects or situations by gradually exposing them to those triggers.

Medications: Different drugs may be prescribed to alleviate symptoms with respect to the particular form of anxiety illness and any coexisting physical or mental conditions. For instance:

  • Anxiety disorders are also treated with several antidepressants
  • An anti-anxiety medicine, like buspirone, could be administered
  • Doctors may also prescribe additional medications, such as a beta blocker and a sedative medication (also known as a benzodiazepine), depending on your specific situation. These drugs are not designed to treat anxiety permanently; they provide temporary respite.

It’s important to discuss the potential upsides, downsides, and risks of any medications you’re considering taking with your doctor.

Besides medications and psychotherapy, doctors may also recommend a specific change in lifestyle choices to help reduce or manage various anxiety disorders.

Lifestyle Remedies for anxiety disorders

Most people who suffer from anxiety disorders require psychotherapy or medicine to manage their symptoms, although making positive adjustments to one’s way of life can also help. Here are some lifestyle modifications you should consider:

Keep your body moving: Make it a point to exercise regularly, preferably seven days a week. Regular physical activity has been shown to significantly lower levels of stress. Possible health benefits include an uplifted disposition. Be patient with yourself as you work your way up to full speed.

You must also:

  • Refrain from using tobacco products and limit your caffeine intake. Anxiety is exacerbated by both nicotine and caffeine.
  • Implement strategies for relieving tension and stress. Techniques like yoga, mindfulness, and guided imagery might help you unwind and calm your nerves.
  • Prioritize your sleep. Attempt to make sleep a priority so you can wake up refreshed. See your doctor if you’re having trouble sleeping.

How Health Medications Can Cause Rapid Heartbeat

Several drugs can alter your heart’s electrical impulses and hasten its rate. For instance, a decongestant can be used to assist in stopping a stuffy nose from dripping. These drugs work by narrowing the veins and arteries of the nasal passages. Nasal secretions will dry up after using this.

However, these drugs also have the potential to cause an inappropriate stimulation of the cardiovascular system. Hypertension, rapid heart rate, and even irregular heartbeats are all possible outcomes.

Other medications that raise your heart rate include:

  • Antidepressants: Heart rate can be increased by some antidepressant medications like clomipramine, amitriptyline, and desipramine
  • Supplements: Certain dietary supplements like bitter orange, valerian, ephedra, and ginseng have been linked to increased heart rate or arrhythmia.

Your medicine and health background will determine whether or not your racing heart is to be expected or whether you should seek other treatment. When in doubt, see a doctor.

How Fever, cold, or flu can raise your heartbeat

You may have a viral illness, especially if your racing heart is accompanied by other cold / flu-like indicators like cough, sneezing, or a fever. If you have an infection, your body will speed up your heart rate to restore equilibrium as quickly as possible.

Also, a decongestant, a common ingredient in cold and flu remedies, may be to blame for your beating heart. This is possible because the active components in these drugs have a vasoconstrictive effect. While this helps stop a runny nose, Harvard Health warns that raising the heart rate and blood pressure may have the opposite effect.

In other words, your heart rate is one of the earliest physiological responses to an increase in the body’s need for more blood. The heart rate increases to supply the body with more blood during increased demand, such as during exercise, fever, infection, pain, and disease.

How Pregnancy Impacts Your Heart Rate

Your heart and blood vessels are put under extra strain during pregnancy. To accommodate your growing kid, your heart rate and blood volume rise by about 5 beats per minute and 30 to 50 percent, respectively.

The heart also has to work harder during labor and delivery. It’s normal for your blood pressure and flows to fluctuate suddenly throughout labor and delivery, especially while pushing. It takes time for the heart’s stressful situations to restore to pre-pregnancy levels, sometimes weeks after giving birth.

In other words, a woman’s heart’s emotional and physical state goes through extreme changes throughout pregnancy. Because of the increased blood volume required to sustain a pregnancy, your heart may increase its beat to keep up with the increased blood flow.

Smoking and Heartbeat: Why You Should Stop Using Tobacco and Nicotine Products

Carbon monoxide is absorbed into the bloodstream when you smoke. If your heart isn’t getting enough oxygen, this is terrible news. In addition, smoking raises blood pressure and pulse rate. What this signifies is that your heart has increased oxygen requirements. Unfortunately, carbon monoxide prevents your heart from receiving the signal.

Hence, it beats more rapidly to provide your body with oxygen. With time, the stress on the heart increases with a higher heart rate. It’s a never-ending loop that leads to catastrophic health consequences.

Smoking also raises the risk of developing blood clots, a severe medical condition. This is why a blood clot can rapidly block an artery, especially when you have CAD and your blood arteries are already partly obstructed.

Even worst, tobacco use is directly linked to cardiac fibrosis or hardening of the cardiac muscle. If left untreated, this might cause tachycardia, a condition characterized by an abnormally rapid heart rate. Furthermore, tachycardia might develop from nicotine’s effect on the heart rate. Therefore, you must stop or quit smoking if you want to maintain a resting heart rate or prevent several complications that come along with it.

Arrhythmia and racing heart rate: what’s the connection?

An irregular heartbeat or arrhythmia occurs when the heart’s electrical system malfunctions.

Arrhythmias come in numerous forms and can be caused by various factors, but most frequently manifest as an uncomfortable sensation of the heart-pounding too rapidly or irregularly.

Arrhythmia is severe, especially in high-risk patients. Still, the good news is that many of these conditions are manageable with the proper care. Please watch out for arrhythmias symptoms like lightheadedness, nausea, fainting, chest discomfort, and difficulty breathing.

How does caffeine increase your heart rate?

Drinking caffeine travels through your digestive system and into your bloodstream, stimulating your brain and nerve system. Caffeine elevates your heart rate by stimulating receptors on heart cell membranes.

When your heart rate increases (by three beats per minute), your blood circulation rates up similarly. Caffeine’s effect of raising your heart rate can begin as quickly as 15 minutes after consumption and last for about six hours.

Conclusion

Having a heart that beats too fast is usually not a medical emergency. But you should dial 911 if you have chest discomfort, dizziness, weakness, shortness of breath, and a racing heartbeat. These could be signs of heart complications like stroke or heart attack.

If you suffer from a racing heart, it would be beneficial to determine the root cause, such as anxiety, caffeine addiction, stress, a medical condition, smoking, pregnancy, or a lack of sleep. Then figure out what works best to alleviate your symptoms.