Emerging Risk Biomarkers in Cardiovascular Diseases and Disorders - Upadhyay - 2015 - Journal of Lipids
A Dangerous Heart Rate Involves More Than Just Your BPM — Here Are Red Flags That Something's Wrong
What is a dangerous heart rate?Your heart rate refers to the number of times that your heart beats in a minute, which you can measure manually or check with a heart rate monitor.
The normal heart rate is typically between 60 to 100 beats per minute (BPM). If you go outside this range, you experience either of the following:
However, having a resting heart rate outside of the 60 to 100 BPM is not necessarily dangerous, says Dr. Jim Liu, a cardiologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
By itself, the heart rate is not always meaningful because it still depends on the individual, their symptoms, potential underlying causes, and the overall heart rhythm, he adds.
Note: The heart rate is different from the heart rhythm, which refers to the thump-thump pattern in which your heart beats. You can have an abnormal heart rate with or without irregular heart rhythms, aka arrhythmias.
Here's what you need to know about the heart rate and when you should seek medical attention.
Normal variations in heart rateIt's normal for heart rates to fluctuate widely based on what's going on with the body, Liu says. For instance, your heart rate typically increases during exercise or in times of stress, while it can decrease and fall below 60 BPM during sleep.
Other variables could affect your heart rate, such as:
Here is a chart showing how the normal resting heart rate changes with age:
In general, a heart rate that's normal for you might not necessarily be normal for somebody else. Therefore, it's difficult to establish a universal heart rate that is considered dangerous for everyone.
"Some individuals may be able to tolerate a certain heart rate better than others, whereas other individuals who may have underlying heart problems or other medical conditions may not tolerate those same heart rates," Liu says.
What could cause a heart rate that is too slow?A low heart rate — less than 60 BPM — is not always concerning because it can be due to a number of factors.
For example, the following could result in a low heart rate:
It's important to consider the heart rate with the heart rhythm and any concerning symptoms. If you have a heart rate around 40 BPM, but your heart has a normal rhythm and you don't have any concerning symptoms, it's not necessarily dangerous, Liu says.
On the other hand, if your heart rate is about 50 BPM but you have symptoms like dizziness, weakness, or confusion, you would need immediate medical attention.
Serious causes of a slow heart rate may include:
A fast heart rate is a normal physiologic response to a lot of different things, Liu says. Any of the following may drive the heart rate up:
It may be concerning if the fast heart rate is due to problems with the electrical signals in the heart, says Aziz. These electrical abnormalities lead to irregular heart rhythms, which include:
"A normal heart rhythm with rates around 120s may not be considered dangerous, but someone with a serious arrhythmia like atrial fibrillation in those same heart rates would be considered differently," Liu says.
When to see a doctor immediatelyAccording to Aziz and Liu, you should seek medical attention if an abnormal heart rate — whether too slow or too fast — occurs with the following symptoms:
If you are concerned with any new or sudden irregularities with your heartbeat, consult an electrophysiologist, a cardiologist that specializes in heart rhythm abnormalities, Aziz says.
Insider's takeawayYour normal heart rate depends on various factors like your age and physical fitness. By itself, a slow or fast heart rate is not necessarily concerning.
"The heart rates have to be taken into context with respect to symptoms, rhythm, and what else is going on with the patient," Liu says.
If you feel chest pain, shortness of breath, or dizziness, seek medical attention immediately.
Carla Delgado
Freelance Reporter, Insider Reviews
I'm A Longevity Expert – This 30-Second Test May Reveal Your Risk Of Early Death
In a recent episode of the ZOE podcast, Bryan Johnson – a man famous for trying pretty much every supposed longevity booster going – spoke with the gut health company's co-founder Dr Tim Spector and CEO Jonathan Wolf.
Bryan said that his progress was being measured with a "few different modalities," adding that it's possible to "measure the biological age of the heart anatomically."
Though many of the methods the controversial millionaire uses to track, preserve, and even try to reverse his body's age are experimental, researchers have found that one of the metrics he uses – resting heart rate – really can be linked to mortality.
How does resting heart rate affect longevity?Harvard's site says that measuring your resting heart rate, or the number of times your heart beats in a set period while you're relaxed, is "one of the easiest, and maybe most effective" health markers we have.
Dr Jason Wasfy, director of quality and analytics at Massachusetts General Hospital Heart Center, said: "A lower resting heart rate can mean a higher degree of physical fitness, which is associated with reduced rates of cardiac events like heart attacks".
Meanwhile, a higher resting heart rate could belie an increased risk of cardiac risk "as the more beats your heart has to take eventually takes a toll on its overall function".
A 2013 study found that men who had a resting heart rate between 81 and 90 had double the risk of premature death than those with a lower heart rate (
With every 10 added beats per minute, they found, the likelihood of premature death upped by 16%.
What's an ideal resting heart rate?The British Heart Foundation says an ideal resting heart rate is between 60-100 BPM (beats per minute).
Sometimes, very fit people have a lower heart rate than 60 BPM. A lower resting heart rate warrants a GP visit if it's accompanied by symptoms like dizziness, fainting, and fatigue.
Your heart rate can dip as low as 40 BPM when you sleep without any cause for cencern.
A heart rate over 100 BPM is too fast for most of us. See a doctor if you notice palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, or fainting.
How can I measure my resting heart rate?It takes about 30 seconds to measure your resting heart rate. You just need to make sure you're really, well, rested when you check it; soon after waking up is a great time to check your resting heart rate.
Put your index and middle fingers on your wrist or neck – anywhere you can feel a pulse.
Don't use your thumb, because that has its own pulse.
Measure the beats across 30 seconds and then double it to get your beats per minute (BPM).
You should repeat it a few times to make sure your reading is accurate, making sure it's not within an hour of either drinking caffeine or taking exercise (those elevate your heart rate).
For the most accurate stats, take your resting heart rate multiple times across that week at different times of day.
Garmin Heart Rate Zones: What You Need To Know
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Most professionals regard resting heart rate as a reliable measure of fitness. But when it comes to training, keeping your heart rate in specific "zones" is more important for building stamina and cardiovascular strength. Some of the best smartwatches allow users to set and keep track of their heart rate zones during workouts. Here's how to make the most of this feature on Garmin devices.
What are heart rate zones?The human heart beats at variable rates. It'll slow during rest and pick up during physical activity. You could reach your maximum/threshold heart rate depending on how intense that activity is. (Calculate your threshold heart rate by subtracting your age from 220 to get a figure in beats per minute.) However, you don't want to train too intensely for too long, which could cause more harm than good.
Medical experts recommend training in a heart rate zone to best serve your goals. Garmin states these zones vary between 60% to 110% of your threshold heart rate. Garmin will calculate these figures for you when you create your account based on your age, gender, and resting and maximum heart rate.
Garmin's heart rate zones
Jimmy Westenberg / Android Authority
Garmin classifies five particular heart rate zones:
Occasionally, some sections of your heart rate graph during workouts are labeled as No Zone. This means your heart rate was less than 60% of your threshold heart rate and below any classified zone.
How to set your heart rate zones on your Garmin watchIf you aren't happy with the heart rate zones defined by Garmin, you can adjust them. Thankfully, the process requires the Garmin Connect app. So whether you own a Garmin Venu 3 or a Forerunner 265, the process is the same:
You can also change your heart rate zones directly from some Garmin watches, including the Venu and Fenix series. Depending on your device, the feature is usually situated within Settings > User Profile > Heart Rate Zones or Heart Rate.
Heart rate zone training
Garmin Forerunner 245 Music heart rate sensor
Not everyone wants to improve their sprinting performance or peak power, so striving to max out your heart rate is not always necessary. Instead, studies have noted the benefits of training in low-intensity zones for most of a regimen, pushing hard only occasionally.
You may have heard the term "80/20 training" floating around before. This suggests that 80% of your training should be done at a low-intensity heart rate zone, with just 20% spent at higher zones. It's believed that this minimizes stress to the body and lowers recovery periods but doesn't diminish returns received from high-intensity training.
Train within Zone 2 to burn fatThe "Easy" heart rate zone, where your heart rate doesn't exceed 80% of its maximum but remains above 70%, is considered the optimum zone for burning fat. To achieve the latter, it's recommended that users spend 150 minutes in zone 2 every week. That's around 21 minutes daily, including weekends, or 30 minutes daily during the week.
Train within Zone 4 to improve top speedZone 4 effectively taxes your heart at its maximum. Working out in this zone is believed to improve anaerobic capacity and quick, powerful bursts of effort, but more importantly for runners, top speed. One way to stay in this zone is by adopting high-intensity interval training (HIIT). This involves alternating between short bursts of maximum effort (sprinting) with lower-intensity cardio (jogging or brisk walking).
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