High heart rate all day long. Please help!

[nontraditional]

Hi.  I have a "high" heart rate, pretty much all day.  I found this out b/c I bought a chest strap heart monitor for working out and the work out people were concerned about my heart rate.  So I started wearing it all day.    When I am on the elliptical I find it almost impossible to keep my b.p. under 160 and still be moving.  It frequently is at 170 and if a good song comes on it will go to 180 and stay there until I completely slow down.  I am not winded or sweating or feeling faint etc. while this is occurring.  I wouldn't even know if I didn't have the heart monitor on.  The workout people checked the monitor and it is working fine, it is brand new.  My heart rate stays between 115 and 130 around the house.  Getting dressed, fixing my hair, putting on make up etc.  Putting groceries in the car 135.  Vacuuming 140.  Mopping 155.  Sitting here and typing 99.  I am 37 y.o. female. 5'8" 135 lbs.  Normal bmi, etc.  No drugs, alcohol, smoking, etc. No health problems of any kind. No heart disease in my family. I am "normal" active, but not a fitness guru.  Is this bad or hurting my heart.  Is something wrong?

[hockeycrazy3033]

I go through the same thing!

Just yesterday I was working out and my heart rate went up to 160ish. Regulary when im not doing anything it's around 100. If I just go up and down the stairs an do some laundry or something it'll rise up even more.

Have you been to a cardiologist? I've been twice over the last two months and they did an EKG, Ultra Sound, and Monitor on me and everything came out normal. EVEN my episodes of my heart going up to about 120. They said it wasn't irregular or anything and that I just needed to calm myself down because I apparently have a nervous personality.

Does fast heart rates by any chance run in your family? Anxiety attacks sort of run in mine and that's where I get my issues at!

Hope this helps somehow. Let me know how it's going.

[heartofgld]

Here is a link that may reduce your level of anxiety. Was there a you decided to wear a heart monitor?


http://www.clevelandclinic.org/heartcenter/pub/guide/prevention/exercise/pulsethr.htm

[abl]

Hi nontraditional,

I know everyone else is sick of this but, have you checked out "hyperthyroidism" symptoms.  I am 38, 5'7", and 136 lbs.  same with no smoke, drugs, not even caffeine for me.  I eat crazy healthy even.  and I workout, but not excessively.  Your weight and height indicate to me you are definitly thin, so not an issue of excess weight putting strain on heart.  We are very similar, except I just found out I have a multi-nodular thyroid gland.  and I have absolutely no symptoms of hyper r hypo.  I am now waiting for all blood wrok to come back, becasue TSH came back normal, and that's just not a good barometer as far as thyroid function goes.  So, you might want to have your doc, physically check your thyroid, and do some blood work, because, hyperthyroids are known for having higher resting heart rates.  In case you don't know, (because I didn't and we are teh same age), your thyroid helps regulate your heart rate.  So, I may have just found teh reason for my "benign" heart palpitations.  At least I hope I have!  And maybe this will be an answer for you too!

Oh also, have you recently been pregnant?

Take care!

abl

Also, it is very common now for people to develop thyroid issues early...ahem, what are we putting in our bodies?!

[veggiemom]

Your thyroid theory sounds very convincing.  I thought about 11 years ago that I had hyper.  I was showing many symptoms of it anyway: hungry like a bear, lost about 10 lbs (and I'm thin anyway), heart was racing constantly, couldn't sleep...  Then shortly after I got pregnant which seemed to stop it all.  I've always had, at least since then, a fast resting heart rate (and I exercise regularly).  And when stressed or worried it goes way up and I tend to lose weight quickly.  Like you, I'm a health nut.

Over the last ten years, I have had blood work several times to check thyroid, most recently in Sept when my PVCs started, and all seemed to be okay.  It does appear that there are different blood tests tho.  Is that right?  Should I be asking for a more thorough work-up?

Also, my heart's been beating rather fast the last couple days, waking me two nights in a row.  I couldn't get back to sleep and have lost a few pounds.  It seems I usually do when going through these "rapid heart rate" moments.  Nothing stressful in my life now and I'm not prone to panic attacks like many here are.

Anyway still looking for answers.  And your comments recently have made me look in another direction.  Thx.

L

[abl]

There are absolutely more tests!!!  Do you have copies of your lab work?  If not, go look at them.  See if on your test it only says TSH, or are there tests for t4's, t3's and antibodies too.  That would mean you have had a complete thyroid blood work done.  For 3 years my TSH levels have been normal, and yet my OB/GYN thought she could feel my thyroid starting in 2004.  So, this year I went to GP for preconception care, and did the blood work, except I asked my Doc for a complete thyroid blood check, and he said okay.  Ecxept he wouldn't touch my neck.  So, I had substitute Doc check it while he was on vacation, and she could feel mine.  so, she ordered ultrasound.  Anyhow, blood work came back and he was looking at reports and said you are perfectly healthy, nothing wrong.  I said even thyroid?  He looked at his papers, and said Yep, you're fine.  I said even thyroid ultrasound.  He said, what ultra sound?  Anyhow, after looking for 45 minutes they found it, and I have a multi nodular thyroid gland.  So, I said, can I see my blood work, and teh only thing done was my TSH, and it was in the normal range.  I was furious, because I asked him to check it all, then I asked to see my blood work from the past three years, and everytime I was told I was fine, I was only beng checked for TSH.  So, just today, after meeting the best Doctor on teh planet yesterday, I had to have 10 viles of blood drawn.  And yeah my supposed great cardiologist, has never even drawn an ounce of blood from me to check anything!  Like I said, I just realized they could be related, I had no idea how many things the thyroid regulates!  

Let me know how things work out for you.  I just wonder why all doc's don't believe in just checking out the whole thing the first time around, seems like a huge waste of time for them!

take care!

abl

    

[liamn56]

If you hr is 100 bpm or more and you do not have any problems, it is a Sinus Tachycardia. Which would be considered normal for you. There are meds you can take to slow the hr down.