exercising with svt

[loopy lou]

does everyone else carry on exercising with svt? i used to be so active, but since my svt has got worse im too frightend to. hense i now have a big bum as well as svt

[JohnWright]

Are you sure your resting heart rate is half 130, or 65, and you are just reading your water wrong?

[JohnWright]

Swimming's my key to manage SVT. I'm 68, and if I don't do regular exercise, I get SVT every 3 days to 3 weeks going to 160 BPM without any erratic beats. I read that a swimmer's maxium heart rate is 17 beats lower and more uniform than doing exercise on dry land, so I started swimming laps for 45 minutes every day using a front mounted snorkel so I could relax while swimming. Over 1 month, my SVT reduced in frequency, and now, 3 months after starting, I've had no SVT for 2 months. I don't know if this will last but my resting is 62 BPM with no extra beats and the Doctor says keep swimming. Has anyone else been able to manage and even stop SVT by swimming?

[JohnWright]

I get SVT every 2 to 5 days lasting up to 3 hours if I'm working and don't exercise regularly to strengthen and tone my heart, but if I swim with a snorkel (swims.ca) every day for 1/2 hour doing sprints at the end of the swim to get my hear-rate up to 90% max, I don't get any SVT's.  

[andi114]

I was diagnosed with svt when I was 10, I had an ablation at 14 which turned out unsuccessful. I was optimistic at first but within months it returned. I refuse meds such as beta blockers because your body gets used to them and then you have problems when you're taken off of them or the dosage is adjusted. It's been under control and I am 24 now, I started working out again a couple months ago as I've always had a relatively active lifestyle. But suddenly I'm having new symptoms- while im sleeping! My heart doesn't race, but it beats wrong. Like part of it is not beating and the lower half is? Throughout the days I've been dizzy and easily get weak. I've checked my bp which is fine, my resting heart rate is lower than normal (im guessing from the cardio a few times a week) and my diet is healthy, when i am up moving around, everything seems fine? Anyone? I'm afraid to sleep, I've been taking natural sedatives and hoping to distract myself long enough to get some rest.

[ireneo]

It's not recommended that you continue running if your heart is in SVT mode anyway. I've never been able to run due to PSVT. But that doesn't mean a person has to stop moving. A brisk walking pace with a bit of incline (if your heart will take it) is still excellent cardio without the impact from running. Weights keep the muscles toned. And swimming, as mentioned, can be good too. I found doing anything with upper arms like the elliptical machine will set off my tachy but you try it, see what works for you.

[dionwisn]

most ymcas have a pool. You could join a water aerobics class. Since you enjoy running try getting a hr monitor and do some out door running.

[eliboo77]

I try to work out at the ymca as much as 4 or 5 times a week...I love to run but it seems that I can't keep the treadmill going due to my rapid heart rate (SVT)...Within 5 minutes my heart rate is 180-195 and the machine shuts off automatically when your heart rate is over 150...What can I do? Are there other forms of exersize that can do just as much for me? If I gain weight I have more attacks and when I try to lose weight I have attacks...it's a vicious cycle. Any suggestions?

[sb786]

I have a question which has been bugging me for a while....

My doc said that SVT attacks are caused by either an extra electrical route near the av node (AVNRT) or a single cell in the atria which over rides the pace maker cell and controls the heart rate during an svt attack. Now i understand that adenosine breaks the current in the av node during an svt attack and stops AVNRT svt but how does it terminate the other type of SVT which is caused by a cell in the atria? I hope my question makes sense!

[loopy lou]

my resting heart rate is about 130 and when i have an attack its 230. i can suffer with these sometimes up to three times a day. each lasting an hour or so, the last one i had i ended up in a&e after about 1 hour 45 mins

[anacyde]

How frequent and how long are your SVT episodes?

I'm confused as to why some people seem to be treated immediately while some are told not to bother worrying about it.

[CollegeGirl143]

yep, i find exersize instrumental in helping to control the svt. Are you getting any kind of treatment for the svt? beta blockers, ccb's?

[loopy lou]

i ave had it for 19 years but have only just got help for them. when i was younger i was told they were panic attacks. and just recently was told i was just stressed. but someone has eventually listened to me. i have been put on a ccb drug and have been booked in for ablation! i think thats what it is. after all these years its so nice to have found this site as people understand what im on about

[anacyde]

I just posted something about that tonight.  Yes, I do keep exercising, though I know when to scale it down.  Today I failed to and had a run of SVT because I was a fool.  I find that I have limits at certain times of the month (no more than 30 minutes of intense aerobic/cardio work and no more than every 2-3 days during that week long window.  Hormones are a key player.  I can get away with Yoga though, just nothing intense.  I'm too convinced of the benefits of regular exercise to give it up.  I figure there are steps than can be taken to keep me active (medications, or ablation if medications fail) so I'm not giving up just yet.