What do you know about your heart rate?

Article written by MSc Nguyen Van Phong - Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Interventionist, Cardiology Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Heart rate or pulse rate is the number of times the heart beats in 1 minute. Everyone's heart rate is different and changes with age. Knowing your heart rate and understanding whether your heart rate is healthy or abnormal is an important part of taking care of yourself.

Resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in a minute when you are at rest and your heart doesn't have to work so hard to pump blood around your body.
Some drugs such as beta-blockers (Concor, Betaloc, Nebilet...) or Procoralan can slow the heart rate and decrease the heart rate even at rest.
Healthy resting heart rate
Most healthy adults have a resting heart rate of 60-90 beats/min. The more you exercise, the lower your heart rate will be. Athletes can have a normal resting heart rate of about 40-50 beats/min. A healthy body is a sign when your heart doesn't have to work too hard to circulate blood.

You can feel your heart rate by placing two fingers on an artery (inside your wrist, inside your elbow, side of your neck, or on the top of your foot). After you find it, count the number of beats you feel in 15 seconds and multiply that by 4 or count the whole minute (60 seconds).

This can be as easy as just relaxing - sit down, drink a glass of water or take a few deep breaths. A healthier lifestyle, including exercising at least 30 minutes a day, eating healthier, watching your weight and cutting down on alcohol, caffeine and smoking... are all helpful measures.
If that's still not enough, you can try to find ways to reduce stress, such as tai chi, meditation, tai chi, yoga...

When your heart rate is outside the normal value called arrhythmia. There are usually 4 main groups:
Tachycardia: when your heart rate is too fast, usually > 100 beats/min. Bradycardia: When your heart rate is too slow, usually <50 beats/minute. Unless you are an athlete or regularly practice sports. Supraventricular Arrhythmia: An arrhythmia that originates in the atria, the upper half of the heart. Ventricular Arrhythmia: An arrhythmia that originates in the ventricles, the lower half of the heart.

Several causes can lead to arrhythmia. These include:
Narrowing or blockage of the arteries that feed the heart (coronary vessels). High Blood Pressure . Heart valve disease. Consequences of myocardial infarction. Occurs during recovery from heart surgery. Some cases are due to electrolyte imbalance, for example, hyperkalemia or hypokalemia.

5.1 Tachycardia A resting heart rate greater than 100 beats/minute is common in children. Tachycardia is also common in women. Primary causes of tachycardia include: stress, smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol, coffee or other alcoholic or caffeinated beverages.
5.2 Bradycardia A heart rate slower than 50 beats/min can be seen in infections, thyroid problems (hypothyroidism), imbalances in the blood, sleep apnea, or inflammatory diseases of the system. system like lupus erythematosus.
In some cases there may be congenital bradycardia.
5.3 Heart rate and exercise When you exercise, your heart rate increases, but not too much.
To find the right number, start by calculating your maximum heart rate using the formula: 220- your age.
If you are just starting a training regimen your goal is about 50% of your maximum heart rate. If you exercise regularly, your heart rate can reach 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Some devices can help monitor your heart rate during exercise such as treadmills, smart watches.

Outside conditions like weather, humidity can make your heart beat faster. Feelings of extreme excitement or boredom or anxiety can also alter your heart rate. A sudden change in position can also raise your heart rate for a few seconds.
6.1 When to see a doctor? You should seek medical help if you are taking a medicine that makes you dizzy or faint. Also see your doctor as soon as you feel an irregular heartbeat: palpitations, heart skips, beats slower than usual...
Depending on your current condition, the doctor They can change your medication or perform in-depth investigations to find out the cause and extent of your arrhythmia, thereby recommending the most appropriate treatment.
Vinmec International General Hospital always provides customers with Cardiovascular Screening Packages with the implementation of a team of highly specialized, experienced doctors and the support of advanced modern machinery systems. , will help to screen for prevention of cardiovascular diseases with subjects with arrhythmias for the most accurate results.