What Causes Atrial Fibrillation
When the heart beats normally, its muscular walls tighten and squeeze to force blood out and around the body.
They then relax so the heart can fill with blood again. This process is repeated every time the heart beats.
In atrial fibrillation, the heartâs upper chambers contract randomly and sometimes so fast that the heart muscle cannot relax properly between contractions. This reduces the heartâs efficiency and performance.
Atrial fibrillation happens when abnormal electrical impulses suddenly start firing in the atria.
These impulses override the heartâs natural pacemaker, which can no longer control the rhythm of the heart. This causes you to have a highly irregular pulse rate.
The cause is not fully understood, but it tends to affect certain groups of people, such as older people and people living with long-term conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure or obesity.
It may be triggered by certain situations, such as drinking too much alcohol or smoking.
Atrial fibrillation can be defined in various ways, depending on the degree to which it affects you.
For example:
- paroxysmal atrial fibrillation episodes come and go, and usually stop within 48 hours without any treatment
- persistent atrial fibrillation each episode lasts for longer than 7 days
- permanent atrial fibrillation when itâs present all the time
- long-standing atrial fibrillation where youâve had atrial fibrillation usually for over a year
Whats A Normal Heart Rate
A heart rate is a measurement of the number of times the heart muscle beats per minute. Healthy kids and adults will have hearts that beat at different speeds because of their age and body size. If the heart is beating too fast or too slow, this could mean you have an underlying health problem. Your resting heart rate will also allow you to gauge your current heart health.
In general, a lower resting heart rate means the heart is beating less per minute, which likely means its more efficient. Your resting heart rate tells you how fast your heart is beating when youre in a relaxed state, like sitting or laying down. If your resting heart rate is too high, this might mean you have lower physical fitness, or that youre at risk of developing a heart condition.
Knowing what your target heart rate should be for your age can help you recognize if and when your heart rate is abnormal, which may be an indication that its time to go to the doctor.
| Normal heart rate by age | |
|---|---|
| Age | |
| 18 and older | 60-100 bpm |
As we get older, the range of whats considered to be a healthy normal resting heart rate will change.
The average healthy adult will have a resting heart rate of 60 bpm or higher. Although in clinical practice, the resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm is considered to be normal, people with a resting heart rate higher than 80 bpm could have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
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Studies Participants And Exercise
Initially based on database queries and through screening of additional sources 15,992 articles have been identified and included in the screening process. After exclusion of 660 duplicates, 15,332 articles have been screened. Finally, the literature search yielded 191 studies meeting the eligibility criteria. Ten of these articles presented the same data as presented in another article and therefore were excluded. Thus, finally the data of 181 articles encompassing 215 samples were included in the meta-analytical synthesis. The selection process of the articles included in this systematic review is presented in Figure 1 and detailed descriptions of the 215 samples included in the meta-analysis are presented in Table 1.
All studies included have been published between 1971 and 2018. Altogether, 12,952 individuals were incorporated in the intervention and control groups . The sample sizes of these groups ranged from 5 to 1456 within the studies with a median sample size of 17 participants . Of the 215 comparisons 92 included both female and male participants, whereas 65 only included females and 58 only males. Wiley et al. did not report the gender of their participants . This study was considered in the group of studies including both sexes.
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How To Lower Your Heart Rate
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Find out why your resting heart rate is so high in the first place, says Dr. John Elefteriades, who directs the Aortic Institute at Yale University. Someone struggling with heart or lung problems, for example, will have an elevated pulse that needs to be corrected immediately with medicine. But even with no serious health problems, lowering the number of times your heart beats in a minute can decrease its burden. Once you determine your resting heart rate by making several measurements count the beats for 30 seconds, then double that number start exercising regularly for a long period of time. If youre a couch potato, your pulse rate might go up just by doing normal activities, Elefteriades says.
For someone who is not inclined toward exercise, just walking is great, he says. Walk one to two miles, five times a week, or bike three times as far as you would walk or run. In addition to reducing your resting heart rate, such exercise will improve the efficiency with which your heart pumps blood to various bodily tissues. But dont overdo the workouts. Endurance athletes use lowering heart rates as a badge of honor, which is not necessarily a good thing, Elefteriades says, adding that the heart wasnt made to operate for much more than one hour in a high aerobic state.
Healthy Heart Rate Ranges
Heart rate ranges can vary according to age and general health.
| Heart rate | ||
|---|---|---|
| Your heart rate is below 60 bpm. | This is known as bradycardia. | A low heart rate can be healthy in athletes, but if it causes fainting, dizziness, or tiredness, contact a doctor. |
| Your heart rate is 60100 bpm. | This is a typical resting heart rate. | A heart rate in this range reflects a lower risk of heart disease. |
| Your heart rate is above 100 bpm. | This is known as tachycardia. | If your resting heart rate is over 100 bpm on a regular basis, contact a healthcare professional. It could indicate one of many potentially dangerous conditions. |
In children, a typical resting heart rate should be in the range of 70100 bpm.
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How Does Physical Fitness Play Into Resting Heart Rate
The reason why runners and other athletes typically have lower resting heart rates than their sedentary peers is a matter of adaptation. As you increase your physical activity, the body says, How can I deliver oxygen to my blood cells more efficiently? Comana explains.
The answer: more red blood cells and, therefore, an increased blood volume. To accommodate that higher blood volume, the heart becomes stronger and able to pump out more blood with every contraction. If youre able to eject more blood out of the heart with every beat, your heart doesnt have to beat as many times. So, thats the reason why your resting heart rate comes down, Comana says.
Lessen your training or stop working out, and your resting heart rate will eventually creep back up. You no longer have that demand for as many red blood cells, Comana explains. So, as red blood cells die , the body manufactures fewer new ones, blood volume decreases, and the heart and its stroke volume shrink. Its like a muscle: If you dont use it, you lose it, Comana says.
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Add More Fish To Your Diet:
Similarly to exercising, maintaining a healthy diet is beneficial to each of us for many reasons. For one, incorporating more fish has been associated with lower resting heart rates, according to a study from the American Heart Association. Dont enjoy eating fish? Talk a doctor about taking fish oil supplements, which may have positive effects on heart rate as well.
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Effects Of Exercise On Rhr By Considering Different Types Of Sports/exercise
The mean baseline and post-interventional RHR according to the different forms of sports and/or exercise are presented in Table 2. Under consideration of all comparisons, the RHR significantly decreased more in the exercising groups compared to the control groups . The meta-analyses on specific types of sports and exercise also revealed significant higher decreases in RHR in the intervention compared to the corresponding control groups for endurance training , yoga , strength training , and combined endurance and strength training .
Causes Of A Slow Heart Rate
Its normal for your heart rate to change throughout the day. It speeds up when you exercise, slows down as you recover from exercising, and is usually at its lowest while you sleep.
Sometimes people have a slower heart rate than normal. This is called bradycardia, and it isnt necessarily a problem. Its diagnosed when your heart beats less than 60 beats per minute.
There are several causes of a slow heart rate. The most common are being young or physically fit. The heart is a muscle, and just like the other muscles in your body, it responds positively to exercise. When youre in good shape, your heart doesnt need to beat as often to supply your body with enough oxygen.
But a slow heart rate can also be a sign of a medical problem, such as a heart condition. If your resting heart rate is slow and you have other symptoms of bradycardia such as lightheadedness, call your doctor or go to the ER.
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Possible Mechanisms Of The Heart Rate
Bahrainy et al. suggest that neither an increase in resting parasympathetic tone nor a decrease in response to beta-adrenergic stimulation contribute to the decrease in RHR after regular exercise or physical activity in humans. The effect may be due to a decrease in the intrinsic heart rate via mechanisms which have not yet been fully understood. In the case of yoga, lower RHR may also be caused by an enhanced parasympathetic output .
General Discussion Of Findings
The present meta-analysis is the first determining the effects of any regular physical activity, exercise, or sports on RHR of healthy people by considering different types of sports and exercise as well as differences between males and females. The literature search in six data bases and additional sources revealed a total of 191 primary studies suitable for inclusion that overall encompassed 215 samples, resulting in a comprehensive evaluation of existing studies on the effects of sports and exercise on RHR in males and females.
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A Lower Resting Heart Rate Is Healthy
The resting heart rate for an adult typically varies between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
With an average life expectancy of 75 and 85 years in most of the Western world countries, quick math reveals that the ticker should expect to be contracting anywhere between 2,365,200,000 and 4,467,600,000 times.
Even without counting the zeros, its plain to see thats a lot of work for one muscle. An athletes heart, on the other hand, is bigger and stronger than the average Joes and, therefore, needs far fewer beats to do its job.
That is a huge difference, and it comes with notable consequences.
Indurains of the world aside, a well-trained athletes resting heart rate can fall as low as below 40 beats per minute. If the athletes life span is the same as that of someone whose heart works 100 times a minute, the athletes heart would only need to take on around 40 % of the workload of the less trained heart.
The most significant health benefit of a low RHR is a substantially decreased risk of heart disease and cardiac events, like heart attacks. The potential immediate downsides of a fast-beating heart are low energy levels, chest pain or discomfort, reduced blood circulation, and chest pain or discomfort.
Resting Heart Rate And Fitness
Verywell / Photo Illustration: Michela Buttignol
Your resting heart rate gives you a good look into your health, especially when you’re ready to embark on a new fitness regime. Regularly checking your resting heart rate can help you keep track of your fitness levels and may allow you to recognize possible health issues.
Understanding what your resting heart rate should be, as well as how to measure it, will allow you to take action and prioritize your health and fitness.
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How To Lower Your Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is key to your overall health.
Caroline Roberts
Digital Editorial Intern
Caroline Roberts writes articles and notifications for CNET. She studies English at Cal Poly, and loves philosophy, Karl the Fog and a strong cup of black coffee.
We all want to live a long and healthy life, and many of us go to great pains to continually check in on our overall health. We keep track of our weight, deep sleep per night, and even our waist-to-hip ratio, but how many of us are measuring our resting heart rate? Your resting heart rate is easy to ignore, but it’s vitally important to our long-term health and well-being. A normal resting heart rate falls anywhere between 60 to 100 beats per minute, though if you’re in great shape, it could be even lower.
It’s easy to measure. Just find your pulse on your neck or wrist, and count the number of beats you feel in 60 seconds. To some extent, your resting heart rate is influenced by outside factors, like the weather, your current emotions and medications you take. However, if it’s consistently too high, you’ll definitely want to get it checked out by a doctor, especially if you experience other symptoms, like dizziness, fatigue or shortness of breath.
Some fitness wearables can give you a measure of your resting heart rate.
Read more: Heart rate variability: The most important health metric you aren’t tracking
Develop Techniques For Long
Stress makes our bodies release adrenaline, which increases the heart rate. If that goes on for a sustained period of time, it could damage the heart.
Yoga, meditation, and relaxation techniques are good habits to develop to cope with stress in a way that is healthy for your heart and will lower your heart rate.
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Causes For A High Heart Rate
Our heart is designed to keep us safe, which is why when you need it to work harder it will. You dont have to ask it to beat faster when you start running or send in a request for more beats when youre stressed out it does this automatically. Other reasons for a temporary spike in heart rates may be:
- Increased emotional responses cause the stress response to kick in.
- High temperature or high humidity outside means the body is working to cool down.
- Standing up too quickly or a rapid change in body position.
- Fright or terror sparks an adrenaline response.
- Hormone changes can affect the heart rate.
- Sleep deprivation and fatigue cause the body to work harder.
- Obesity can cause your heart to work overtime, even while resting.
If you find your heart rate is consistently higher than others, there may be a few reasons for this. First, the heart rate typically increases with age. As those muscles grow weaker, they have to work harder. So if youre the oldest person in the room, your heart rate is likely higher. Also, if you have underlying conditions such as a poor diet, smoking habits, excessive alcohol use, high blood pressure, or recreational drug use, these are all reasons why your heart is working overtime and its time to lower your heart rate.
What is the Ideal Heart Rate?
Your body is not designed to run at 100% capacity all the time. Is yours running too much? Heres a quick way to tell if you need to lower your heart rate: First, find your pulse, and find a clock.
Stay Out Of The Heat:
The warmer the temperature, the faster your heart beats. This is because your heart is working quickly to pump blood to the surface of your skin, produce sweat and cool off the body. To ensure your heart isnt beating on overdrive, stay in cool, comfortable places when possible and remember to stay well hydrated.
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Lower Resting Heart Rate With Meditation
Researchers from New Delhis Maulana Azad Medical College worked with 60 coronary artery disease patients. All had greater than 50 percent coronary-artery obstruction.
The patients were assigned randomly to two groups of 30. All of them took medication and were encouraged to make dietary modifications.
Only one group, however, practiced one hour of meditation five days a week. On two of the days, they meditated as a group.
On the remaining three days, they meditated at home alone and recorded the length of their meditations in diaries.
Before starting the study, their average resting heart rate was 72.2. When the study ended six months later, it had dropped to 68 over 4 percent lower!
Their accompanying drop in blood pressure led the researchers to conclude:
In the present study, it was concluded that there is significant decrease in the heart rate and systolic and diastolic blood pressure in CAD patients practicing meditation for a period of 6 months.