Hi, I have a normal heart resting rate of around 70-80bpm but when i go for a jog my heart rate goes up to 175, I am out of breath but can hold a conversation. I also jog at my local park run and would like to beat my PB at 34mins but as soon as I run a little faster my heart beat quickly raises to around 188/190bpm. I know this is very high, I am 47 years old. Anyone else had this problem, or can advise me please?
Thank you
Hi 4Animals. I started on the Maffertone method to strengthen my heart and lower my running heart rate. I’m about 2 months in and it continues to work. I was a little sceptical to begin with. It’s all about training your heart to operate at a lower rate when exercising and as your heart gets stronger you get faster with exerting any more energy. It does take about 6 months perseverance though. I run with a max heart rate of 140. Have a read on google. Chris.
*without exerting any more energy…!
Hi Chris, thank you for replying, I will have a look into this, thank you
Whoops!!!!! replied to Chriswood79 here goes i get up to 125 bpm just walking fast, usually over 140-150bpm( check this out) is the cut of point to be concerned Would recommend the HUAWEI Band 6 FITNESS tracker which gives 24/7 heart rate monitoring over 24 hours my heart rate was over the past 24 hours 40bpm (while asleep) awake resting rate 45-55 bpm) & 117 bpm while exercising, tracker also has sp02 reader which is the main reason for my purchase I have Heart Failure so sp02 monitoring important No harm in speaking to GP/Healthcare Professional to check this out Best Wishes.
After 3 heart attacks follows by quadruple CABG & Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest with a diagnosis of NYHA Stage 2 heart failure at the age of 66 I will take what is available to improve My Cardiac Function/breathing, my stats work for personally iam not expert sportsperson thanks
Hi Outoftheblues, thank you for replying, I have been running on and off for around 7 years, iam now a bit overweight but working on it (about 1 stone over where i need to be). I am generally fit, I walk for about an hour every day at least and have no medical issues. I can still hold a conversation and sing (although not sure you would call it singing!) while my heart rate is at 175, i feel i could just keep jogging at this pace for a long time. Many thanks
I think i may buy a strap, i have a garmin watch at the moment. Thank you
Hummmm it seem like I got them same problem, any time I go see my GP my blood pressure rate goes higher, what's that means?
I am no expert but would say that is high, I would speak to a GP or cardiac nurse (or physio)
With the caveat that I’m not remotely medically qualified.
A few thoughts, one is that as others have said, even brands like Apple and Garmin wrist worn devices are known to be not great for accurate measurements of heart rate. Another you covered in some of your replies, which is your weight and overall level of fitness - if you were very overweight and/or returning to exercise after a period of inactivity, it would be fairly normal to have a (relatively) higher heart rate in the first instance, although that high would still be somewhat anomalous and warrant further thought. Last but not least, there is something called inappropriate sinus tachycardia, which is where the heart is in a normal rhythm but beats inappropriately fast for the situation or activity.
Sinus tachycardia is normal, it’s what our hearts should do in response to things like intense stress, very strong emotion, and moderate to vigorous activity, but IST is where the increase in hr exceeds what would be reasonably expected. A lot of the time in the UK, it (wrongly) only gets diagnosed when someone’s heart rate averages above 90bpm each day, but consultants who are au fait with it as a diagnosis all agree that IST can occur as excessive, exaggerated increases in someone with an otherwise normal daily average hr, particularly if the person’s resting heart rate is on the low end of normal or drops quite low overnight. I’m 38, relatively fit (when my arthritis allows, I do 5 miles in around 14 minutes on my static bike), with a resting heart rate in the high 50s/low 60s, but I easily hit 180 when exercising, and that’s WITH medication to lower my heart rate. Like you, I can also still hold a breathless conversation at those levels. In actual fact, my heart rate routinely jumps 20-30 beats when speaking, goes over 100 if I drink or eat, and it goes to 120 -130 just walking across the room. The minute I stop talking/moving/walking/whatever, it rapidly drops back to resting rate, usually within seconds. I do have an underlying diagnosis of a mild arrhythmia (SVT), but I haven’t had an episode in several years now, and a holter monitor a couple of years back had nothing of note other than a dozen ectopics - expected, because ectopic beats trigger SVT, and they found I was having hundreds a day when I was diagnosed with SVT in 2009 - and a heart rate over 24 hours ranging from 37bpm when sleeping through to 188 when exercising. Cardiology weren’t bothered, in part because I have few worrying symptoms other than my heart rate being inappropriately high for what I’m doing. Interestingly, we still don’t really understand much about it, but inappropriate sinus tachycardia is thought to originate from the same place in the heart that ectopic beats and SVT do, so in my case, the fact that I appear to have IST fits really well with the nature of the rest of my cardiac history.
In terms of advice…see a doctor. Whether the underlying cause is benign and nothing to worry about or not, there’s no escaping that your heart rate is excessively high for your age and your fitness level based off what you’re saying. An ecg and a 24 hour holter would probably be enough to clarify if there’s any further testing or referrals required, and in England at least, a GP can usually request both of these. Either way, taking it up with a doctor is a win-win: you’ll either have the tests and be told nothing to worry about and you can carry on as you are with that reassurance, or you’ll have further tests and know why your heart rate is so high, even if there’s an underlying diagnosis that’s causing it. Bottom line for me, though, is that our hearts are kind of vital, so ignoring something that isn’t right, even if it ultimately turns out to be fine, is never a good idea. Getting it checked out will give you peace of mind.
Thank you so much for your response, I do think I have a naturally high heart rate but you are right that I probably should get it checked out, I'm not normally the kind to see the GP if i'm honest. Thank you again.
Glad if it helped. Believe it or not, I’m not one for seeing doctors, either, but have discovered my body has other ideas and, as a result, sometimes needs must 🤷♂️🙄😂 Joking aside, though, it’s worth doing if only to put your mind at rest: it’s been bothering you enough to put a post here, even if it’s only a thought rather than a full blown worry. It’s also one that can be easily resolved. Good luck.
You are right, thanks again. I have emailed GP.
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