High Heart Rate - 226 BPM ???

[Alexandra]

Just had some one email me with the same exact same condition.

I would be very interested to hear about other people's experiences of this problem. Everyone is welcome to pm me.

[Flopsy]

I have had my Polar show freak highs when the battery was giving out, but they were only momentary spikes.

I have also had a few incidents of tachycardia (ultra fast heart rate). With the first my HR went up to 200, which for a person then 67 was way above my notional max. Surprisingly, I didn't feel that bad, except for the worry, but I certainly couldn't have run fast for very long. The high HR continued all morning - maybe 5 hours - but gradually coming down. It left me feeling pretty washed out. Since then I have had a few more incidents, but with my HR only going up to a less worrying 170 or less. This is never associated with exercise, but comes on while still in bed in the morning or shortly after getting up. My normal HR while still in bed in the morning would be usually max 60.

fter the 1st incident I saw a GP who made light of it. He obviously thought someone who routinely checked her HR every morning must be a complete hypochondriac. I tried to explain that this is something many runners do but ... Later, after a few more widely spaced incidents, when I had 2 attacks in 1 month I went to another GP who sent me to a specialist. I have been very satisfied with the care at the hospital. I got to wear a 24 hour monitoring device, which picked up a few abnormal beats I hadn't even noticed. What they really need in order to find out what is going on is to do an ECG while I am having an attack, but since then I haven't had one. If/when I do, I have to get myself to the hospital and they will ECG me straight away, day or night.

Naturally, I have researched this problem thoroughly. The danger is that when the heart beats so quickly it is beating very inefficiently. The blood is left pooling in the heart and clots can form, resulting in, worst case, stroke.

I suggest that anyone who experiences an ultra high heart rate for any length of time, (momentary spikes are OK) especially if it occurs more than once, should get checked out, and also research remedies on the web. There are various medical strategies, and also home remedies that work for some to stop the high heart rate when it is happening. What works varies enormously from person to person. I have tried all the home remedies and for me, the only thing that works at all is to walk gently (NOT run) in the open air.

Just wanted to add some reassurance here. There are many heart conditions that can give similar symptoms of arrythmia and many of those conditions are not life threatening. And also to some extent being too aware of your heart rate can be self perpetuating.

I say this as someone who has a diagnosed heart condition, diagnosed about 12 odd years ago, that can cause my heart to go from 60 to 200 in an instant just when sat down doing nothing. 24 hr tracing showed many episodes of fast heart rate a day. But it is a sudden increase. It is the reason I don't use a heart rate monitor for training.

My personal advice is that if you don't feel unwell during a supposed increased reading then it's probably a misreading on the HRM as during episodes of very increased heart rate you will feel it (due to the lack of efficiency in pumping oxygen around the body) and the longer it goes on the more unwell that can make you feel. But I stress that for many people such episodes are not dangerous.

Further, usually with heart conditions the change is sudden (up or down) and not gradual.

As for techniques to lower heart there are some techniques that involve pressure on particular arteries, in the neck for example. But they never worked for me.

If you feel unwell during episodes of increased heart rate, don;t panic but go to your doctor for tests. I stress most arrythmias are nothing to worry about and worrying can make the matter worse.

If you don't feel unwell then consider the fact the HRM may be wrong. HRM's often say I'm dead so I don't bother. So go on how you feel not what your HRM says IMO.

[IanDarkpeak]

Just wanted to add some reassurance here. There are many heart conditions that can give similar symptoms of arrythmia and many of those conditions are not life threatening. And also to some extent being too aware of your heart rate can be self perpetuating.

I say this as someone who has a diagnosed heart condition, diagnosed about 12 odd years ago, that can cause my heart to go from 60 to 200 in an instant just when sat down doing nothing. 24 hr tracing showed many episodes of fast heart rate a day. But it is a sudden increase. It is the reason I don't use a heart rate monitor for training.

My personal advice is that if you don't feel unwell during a supposed increased reading then it's probably a misreading on the HRM as during episodes of very increased heart rate you will feel it (due to the lack of efficiency in pumping oxygen around the body) and the longer it goes on the more unwell that can make you feel. But I stress that for many people such episodes are not dangerous.

Further, usually with heart conditions the change is sudden (up or down) and not gradual.

As for techniques to lower heart there are some techniques that involve pressure on particular arteries, in the neck for example. But they never worked for me.

If you feel unwell during episodes of increased heart rate, don;t panic but go to your doctor for tests. I stress most arrythmias are nothing to worry about and worrying can make the matter worse.

If you don't feel unwell then consider the fact the HRM may be wrong. HRM's often say I'm dead so I don't bother. So go on how you feel not what your HRM says IMO.

sound like you have Wolf-Parker-Wight, as you say not serious but it can be, best to get it checked out though.

I went out tonight and pushed quite hard in the last race of our summer series that I could attend, Certainly the hardest I've pushed since my trip to Hospital. felt really good except I've lost a bit of race speed, either way threw away a second place after missing a path junction. still a hard won third was good enough:w00t:

[Chris K]

I'm just back from being 'zapped' back into normal rhythm a week before my 'final' check since my last (third) ablation back in November.
I'd started the Arnison Horseshoe on Saturday, felt rough and tired so pulled out at the top of the first field, however didn't feel the AF until an hour or so later back at home - HRM showed 130ish resting pulse - thought I'd be able to correct things, but couldn't! Anyway 25 hours later I'd been 'zapped' back into normal rhythm, note to self; try not to go into AF on Bank Holiday weekend again!

[Alexandra]

I'm just back from being 'zapped' back into normal rhythm a week before my 'final' check since my last (third) ablation back in November.
I'd started the Arnison Horseshoe on Saturday, felt rough and tired so pulled out at the top of the first field, however didn't feel the AF until an hour or so later back at home - HRM showed 130ish resting pulse - thought I'd be able to correct things, but couldn't! Anyway 25 hours later I'd been 'zapped' back into normal rhythm, note to self; try not to go into AF on Bank Holiday weekend again!

Glad you're back to normal. I wonder whether you were feeling "rough and tired" because in fact the AF had kicked in for a while during your sleep the night before. I can find no correlation at all between my activities and bouts of AF, in the sense that AF can come on the morning after strenuous activity but also the morning after days of relative incactivity. However, I do find I sometimes wake feeling off after what was apparently a normal night's sleep, leading to under-performance the next day (seriousfor me as my performance is already pretty low!). I am considering the theory that I am having minor bouts of AF during the night. Maybe you too had an unnoticed episode of AF while asleep, and then another later in the day, and the fact that you attempted a race in between had nothing to do with it. Just an idea, but perhaps worth bearing in mind if you are feeling nervous about your next race.

[IanDarkpeak]

Glad you're back to normal. I wonder whether you were feeling "rough and tired" because in fact the AF had kicked in for a while during your sleep the night before. I can find no correlation at all between my activities and bouts of AF, in the sense that AF can come on the morning after strenuous activity but also the morning after days of relative incactivity. However, I do find I sometimes wake feeling off after what was apparently a normal night's sleep, leading to under-performance the next day (seriousfor me as my performance is already pretty low!). I am considering the theory that I am having minor bouts of AF during the night. Maybe you too had an unnoticed episode of AF while asleep, and then another later in the day, and the fact that you attempted a race in between had nothing to do with it. Just an idea, but perhaps worth bearing in mind if you are feeling nervous about your next race.

Me too Chris Glad you are ok.

Feeling nervous just fuels it in my opinion. My WPW only kicks off when tired/run down and when my heart is slow. It very rarely goes off whilst exercising. I had a brief episode on holiday the day I was due to fly home but then I'm not a lover of flying.

[Alexandra]

[QUOTE=IanDarkpeak;357284]Me too Chris Glad you are ok.

My WPW only kicks off when tired/run down and when my heart is slow. /QUOTE]

Yes, it's ironic isn't it - I have spent years checking my waking HR hoping that my fitness activities were lowering it, only to find a low HR may trigger palpitations. Lucky I was never successful in getting my HR super low. I have also read warnings that athletes with low HRs are MORE at risk of DVT when flying. So any athletes about to fly should not think they can rest on their laurels, but take extra care to move around regularly and do exercises in their seats.

[Chris K]

Thanks guys! It puzzled me why it kicked in, but I had a very tiring physical week and had not warmed up, a possible reason, but I hadn't thought about AF at night. Next week I have this planned 24 hour tape as part of the 'final' check, that should show any night time irregularities.
I should also have mentioned that the doctor came out with WPW - the first time I'd ever heard of it - but when he saw my notes ruled it out quite quickly. Anyway I'll keep this thread posted on my outcome from next week, and may well suggest at our next FRA meeting a new trophy/championship for AF's, WPW's and any other HR problem athletes!

[ydt]

A man's maximum heartrate is approximately equat to (220 - age)bpm. A rate of 226 is most likely an instrument error. Try wetting the contact between the Garmin and the skin from the start and you might get a true reading straight away.
ydt

[Rob Furness]

ydt that calculation can be way off, my max is 198 and that calc would put it at 191 and others have reported being out by 20 beats. Although you may well be correct about the instrument error.