A quick way to get your heart rate up is to do a form of cardiovascular exercise, like going for a run. But at certain points, the rate at which your heart is beating could become dangerous.
Your heart rate is measured by how many times your heart beats per minute, called “BPM.” Humans’ heart rate usually slows down during sleep (resting heart rate) and increases when exercising.
Other factors that impact your heart rate include stress, hormones, medication, activity levels and anxiety, according to the American Heart Association. Every age has a target range of heart rates.
What is a dangerous heart rate?
Heart rate becomes a concern when your heart is beating too slowly (bradycardia) or too quickly (tachycardia).
An adult’s heartbeat can be too slow once it’s less than 60 bpm, and too fast once it’s over 100 bpm, according to the American Heart Association. But slower and faster heart rates are not always worrisome. The heart rate will increase during exercise and could slow to lower than 60 bpm when, for example, you are sleeping.
Cardiologists generally are more concerned about things like heart rhythm than heart rate. A February 2021 story by the American Heart Association News says it’s OK to track your heart rate but do not obsess over it.
“Heart rate is just a piece of the whole picture,” Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri told the AMA News. She added that high blood pressure, obesity, smoking are among issues that draw more focus.
What is a dangerous heart rate for a child?
According to an article by British doctor Dr. Sarah Jarvis that was published by Egton Medical Information Systems and updated in November 2021, what is considered tachycardia differs based on a child’s age:
- More than 160 bpm in children less than 12 months old
- More than 150 bpm in children between 12-24 months old
- More than 140 bpm in children between 2 and 4 years old
According to an article by Dr. Jennifer Silva, Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Biomedical Engineering at Washington University School of Medicine published on wolterskluwer.com and update in May 2021, bradycardia in children is
- Less than 100 bpm for infants
- Less than 80 bpm for toddlers and young children
- Less than 70 bpm for school-aged children
- Less than 60 bpm for adolescents
What is a pulmonary embolism?
A pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that forms in a blood vessel, most commonly in the leg, according to Johns Hopkins.
Afterward, it travels to a lung artery and blocks blood flow. The blood clot itself that forms in one part of the body, breaks off and then travels elsewhere is called an embolus. When a blood vessel is blocked by an embolus, it’s called an embolism, according to Johns Hopkins.
How do I know if I am having a panic attack?
A panic attack is an abrupt moment of anxiety that causes physical reactions when there is no actual threat or harm, according to Mayo Clinic.
Symptoms of panic attacks according to NHS inform include:
- sensations that feel like an irregular or racing heartbeat
- irregular or racing heartbeat
- sweating
- trembling
- shortness of breath
- a choking sensation
- nausea
- dizziness
- tingling fingers
- ringing ears
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