Heart rate increase upon inhalation

I know this sounds odd, but I had always thought perhaps I was just paranoid or a hypochondriac or something of that nature, but it is a recurring thing to me that on occasions, I will notice that when I inhale my heart rate seems to speed up considerably. I have not had it checked out or anything as I don't want to embarrass myself, however when I touch my fingertips to my throat while trying to check, it feels as though the number of beats almost double when I'm inhaling only slightly slower than my usual respiration pattern, as opposed to exhaling. I found this to be quite unusual. I also THOUGHT I noticed that my heart almost "stuttered" a few times through the past couple years, but it would happen so infrequently that I could not gauge this or re-check it to see if maybe it was my imagination or something. The most frequent times I notice this is when I am resting or laying down, not after any particularly vigorous activity just daily things. Also note -possible relation - I often feel faint or dizzy upon standing, but it is not always.

[irrelevance]

One more thing, it may be nothing at all, but every time I ever checked my blood pressure at those stands they have by the pharmacy at wal-mart and such, just out of curiosity, it always said "Pre-hypertension" Considering I have no idea what that is, I figured I should add that.

[Momto3]

Good news!

"Inhalation does increase heart rate.  This is due to a number of different factors including blood return and autonomic nervous system factors.  The rate of increase is generally in the 10-20% range but it is possible to have higher increases (e.g. from 60 to 90 bpm) given the right circumstances.  A greater increase in heart rate is actually a sign of good heart health." http://www.medhelp.org/forums/cardio/messages/32980.html

It is very possible you felt your heart "stutter."  Many, many people experience what are called premature beats.  It feels like your heart is skipping, but in reality what is probably happening is your heart is beating normally, gets a little ahead of itself, throws an early beat, then you feel a pause (the stuffter), and finally, your heart kicks back into its normal rhythm.  It is extremely common while we are resting, lying down, or just sitting.  When we're busy and our hearts are beating faster, we either don't notice it, or it is not occurring at all.

The dizziness/faintness upon standing could be because of the change in BP because of the change in your body's position.  You may notice the same sensation after getting up after being in the sun.

Store BP machines are notoriously wrong; however, I would follow up with a physician to be certain your BP is not bordering on hypertension (high blood pressure)

Hope that helps : )
connie

[Bon-Bon]

Hi KStarr07.  I do not place too much confidence in machines they place by the pharmacys; although, I use them on occassion myself.  Sometimes they are pretty accurate, sometimes not.  The people at the store tell me, "Yes.  It's accurate." when I've asked them.  When in some cases,  I found it wasn't.  

Consider letting your doctor check your blood pressure.  That is most accurate.  If you ask, the doctor can also recommend a good quality blood pressure monitor for you to use at home, in order to record your readings from time to time when or, if, your doctor advises you to do so.  My blood pressure readings at home are usually lower as, I am not having to deal with the "white coat" syndrome at the doctors office.    

One day, I was in my physicians office for a routine checkup.  He placed the stethoscope on my heart and listened intently.  As he did so, he asked me to take in a deep breath...hold it...and release.  When I did so, he told me that my heart beat had increased upon inhalation (immediately, when he said that, I thought something was wrong) on the contrary, he told me that was a good sign!  He told me, as you inhale, it is what I was expecting as, it is normal for the heart rate to go up and was a good sign regarding my heart function.

[irrelevance]

Thanks a lot! Now I can quit worrying about this. :)

[Bon-Bon]

Hi KStarr 07 :  )  

As you know, the experience I shared was based on my personal case / experience.

In my previous post I wrote, "Consider letting your doctor check your blood pressure.  That is most accurate.".  

It would be best if you were to have your doctor check you "personally", just to be certain.  You can probably do this during a routine checkup.  This way,  you would be "professionally informed" regarding your personal case.  It is best to take advise from the doctor.

Have a blessed day.

[irrelevance]

I do not have a doctor, but thanks for the advice. I had regular blood pressure checkups while I was pregnant and they always said it was fine.