What happens if heart rate gets too high

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician. An alarming one in three American adults has high blood pressure.

Known medically as hypertension, many people don't even know they have it, because high blood pressure has no symptoms or warning signs. But when elevated blood pressure is accompanied by abnormal cholesterol and blood sugar levels, the damage to your arteries, kidneys, and heart accelerates exponentially. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy to detect and treat. In the Special Health Report, Controlling Your Blood Pressure , find out how to keep blood pressure in a healthy range simply by making lifestyle changes, such as losing weight, increasing activity, and eating more healthfully.

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Preventing preeclampsia may be as simple as taking an aspirin. Caring for an aging parent? Instead of pace per mile, heart rate training relies on bpm as a guide for how fast you should run. Heart rate training uses zones based on your maximum heart rate. Marathon runners, for example, focus on keeping a steady pace for many miles. They may want to spend half their training in zones 1 and 2.

They can do some speed or interval training in zones 3 and 4, though. Elite athletes and sprinters may focus more of their training in zones 4 and 5. Use a heart rate monitor to keep track of your training. If you find yourself continuously working in zone 4 or higher, you might want to slow down. You can work with a professional trainer or running coach to help you determine a workout schedule based on your goals. Heart rate training can be an effective way to measure how hard your body is working while running.

Remember not to push yourself to the point of complete exhaustion when training. Trying to keep your heart rate up in a comfortable zone can be challenging.

Work with a running coach or fitness professional to design workouts at an appropriate level for you. Always see your doctor before starting a new running or fitness routine. Learn the signs of heart problems during exercise, including: chest discomfort, shortness of breath, dizziness, and light-headedness. Many health experts recommend a combination of aerobic and anaerobic exercises.

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Atrial or supraventricular tachycardia SVT is a fast heart rate that starts in the upper chambers of the heart. The disruption results in a faster than normal heart rate. Atrial or SVT is less commonly associated with heart attack or serious mitral valve disease. Some people with atrial or supraventricular tachycardia may have no discernible symptoms.

Others may experience:. But if the episodes are prolonged, or recur often, your doctor may recommend treatment, including:. Your gift helps raise awareness about tachycardia and how you can lower your risk.

Sinus Tachycardia Sinus tachycardia is a normal increase in the heart rate. Your doctor should consider and treat the cause of your sinus tachycardia, rather than just treating the condition. Simply slowing the heart rate could cause more harm if your rapid heartbeat is a symptom of a more serious or long-term problem. This type of arrhythmia may be either well-tolerated or life-threatening, requiring immediate diagnosis and treatment.

The seriousness depends largely on whether other cardiac dysfunction is present and on the degree of the ventricular tachycardia. These disorders can include:. The cause of your ventricular tachycardia will inform your treatment options.