You may want to start with a visit to your health care provider if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you're not an athlete), or if you're also experiencing shortness of breath, fainting spells, lightheadedness or feeling fluttering or palpitations in your chest ...
A heart rate below 60 beats per minute or above 100 beats per minute is often considered dangerous when a person is at rest (and awake) but can be normal in other states. During sleep, for instance, a person's heart rate may often drop below 60 beats per minute.
If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.
The usual range for resting heart rate is anywhere between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Above 90 is considered high. Many factors influence your resting heart rate.
A slow heart rate isn't always a concern. For example, a resting heart rate between 40 and 60 beats a minute is quite common during sleep and in some people, particularly healthy young adults and trained athletes.
Bradycardia is a heart rate that's too slow. What's considered too slow can depend on your age and physical condition. Elderly people, for example, are more prone to bradycardia. In general, for adults, a resting heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia.
A normal adult resting heart rate is between 60–100 beats per minute (bpm). If you have bradycardia, your heart beats fewer than 60 times a minute. People who are physically very fit can have a heart rate as low as 40 bpm.
A note from Cleveland Clinic
But if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute while you're resting, you should call your healthcare provider. Also, tell your provider if your heart rate is often below 60 beats per minute, especially if you're not extremely active in sports or exercise.
If your heart rate is over 100 beats per minute when you are at rest, this is considered fast. A rapid heart rate, also known as tachycardia, can be related to many different health conditions. It's normal for your heart rate to increase when you're exercising or if your body is fighting off an infection.
Many people experience heart palpitations along with anxiety. Anxiety sets off the body's “fight or flight” response as part of the autonomic nervous system (ANS). When you feel uneasy about a situation, your ANS kicks in, increasing your heart rate.
Consult your doctor if your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 beats a minute (tachycardia) or if you're not a trained athlete and your resting heart rate is below 60 beats a minute (bradycardia) — especially if you have other signs or symptoms, such as fainting, dizziness or shortness of breath.
Fast heart rate (more than 120-150 beats per minute, or a rate noted by your doctor), especially if you are short of breath. Shortness of breath that doesn't get better if you rest.
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if: you have been diagnosed with SVT and your episode has lasted longer than 30 minutes. you have sudden shortness of breath with chest pain.
Summary: Bradycardia -- a slower than normal heartbeat -- does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study.
This structure controls the heart rate and is called the heart's natural pacemaker. The sinus node signals the heart to speed up during exercise or in situations that are stressful, frightening or exciting. For example, a 10- to 15-minute brisk walk typically elevates the heart rate to 110 to 120 beats per minute.
“In general, a sustained heart rate above 130 beats per minute, regardless of symptoms, should prompt urgent evaluation. Your primary care doctor or cardiologist should be alerted to rates between 100 and 130 beats per minute and can decide on the need for emergency care on a case-by-case basis.”
A fast heart rate may correct itself. But sometimes medication or other medical treatments are needed to slow down the heartbeat.
A chest strap gives 99% matching results with a professional EKG, but a wrist-monitor shows varying results. This brings us to the conclusion that the Apple Watch heart monitor is an accurate device for measuring the heart rate but not much reliable for serious heart patients.
While sleeping
For most people, their sleeping heart rate will fall to the lower end of the normal resting heart rate range of 60–100 bpm. In deep sleep, the heart rate may fall below 60 bpm , especially in people who have very low heart rates while awake.
Causes of Low Heart Rate Problems
Other causes of low heart rate include an atrioventricular block, age, and certain conditions such as inflammation of the heart muscle, low thyroid function, electrolyte imbalance, obstructive sleep apnea, or heart attack due to coronary artery disease.
Certain situations such as coughing, vomiting and others can lead to slow heart rate through the nerve system. Drugs that directly slow the heart rate include beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and others. Metabolic disorders such as hypothyroidism can lead to a slow heart rate.
Doctors consider a low heart rate to be 60 beats per minute (bpm) and below. In fact, if you have bradycardia, you'll have a low resting heart rate below 60, even when you're awake and active. In contrast, a normal range is 60 to 100 bpm while awake.
The normal range is between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is above 100, it's called tachycardia; below 60, and it's called bradycardia. Increasingly, experts pin an ideal resting heart rate at between 50 to 70 beats per minute.