Is it better to have a slow heartbeat or a fast heartbeat? How many heartbeats live longer? Experts give research results
Although Aunt Hu is 67 years old, she is in good health, but she was found to have three highs last year.
Recently, Aunt Hu has always felt chest tightness, fatigue, pale face, and occasionally sweating profusely. Although her family persuaded her to go to the hospital for examination, Aunt Hu always said that she would be fine after sitting down for a while. .
One day, Aunt Hu began to feel tightness in her chest again, even accompanied by asthma, chest pain and other discomforts. She thought that she would pass through like before, but she didn’t expect that Aunt Hu fainted and went into shock soon after, and her family rushed Aunt Hu to the hospital , It was found that Aunt Hu's heart beat interval reached 2.6s, and her heart rate reached 180 to 200 beats per minute.
It turned out that Aunt Hu's discomfort was all due to atrial fibrillation , but fortunately she saved her life. Heartbeat is an important vital indicator of the human body. Do you know enough about it?
Heartbeat is the beating of the heart, which mainly promotes the flow of blood, transports nutrients to the tissues and organs of the whole body, and takes away metabolites at the same time.
Under normal circumstances, when the mood is quiet, the heart of a baby can beat 120 to 140 beats per minute, 90 to 100 beats per minute for young children, 80 to 90 beats for school-age children, and 70 to 80 beats for adults.
In general, the heart rate of young people is faster than that of the elderly, and the heart rate of women is faster than that of men of the same age, while the heart rate of athletes is slower than that of ordinary people, which can reach about 50 beats/min.
In short, a person's heart rate is not static, such as diet, emotion, disease, etc., will affect the heart rate to fluctuate. In a resting state, heart rate can also help reflect the health of a person's heart.
2. Heart rate is related to life expectancy
Chen Qingyong, an attending physician from the Department of Cardiology at West China Hospital of Sichuan University, explained that the total number of heartbeats in a human will be maintained at about 3 billion times in a lifetime , while for other mammals, it is about 1 billion times.
The normal heart rate of an adult should be around 60 to 100 beats per minute . Some people say that the slower the heartbeat, the better. Whoever finishes the dance first will go first. Is it reasonable?
Dr. Chen Qingyong said that a fast heartbeat puts a greater burden on the heart. Indeed, relevant studies have confirmed that there is an inverse relationship between heart rate and life expectancy. For example, Wen Qibang, a professor from the Taiwan Institute of Health in Taiwan, began collecting 2 million health examination data in 1994.
Through analysis and research, Professor Wen found that the heart rate of healthy people is around 60 beats per minute, and at the stage of 60 to 70 beats per minute, if the heart rate is increased once, the life expectancy may be shortened by four years.
The life expectancy of people with a heart rate of 70-80 may be shortened by an average of 3 years compared with those with a heart rate of 60. Those with a heart rate of 90-100 had an average reduction in life expectancy of 8 years.
The "Copenhagen City Heart Study" has made calculations and found that if the heart rate is compared with 65 beats per minute and 80 beats per minute, a 19% reduction in heart rate may extend the life span of men by 4.6 years and women by 3.6 years.
Therefore, generally speaking, in the normal heartbeat range, the slower the heartbeat, the better.
3. If the heartbeat is slow or too fast, be vigilant
As mentioned earlier, it is normal for the heart rate to be around 60-100 beats, so what value should the heart rate reach and need to be vigilant?
First of all, a heart rate exceeding 100 beats/min belongs to sinus tachycardia. When it occurs, it will cause discomfort such as chest tightness, palpitation, dizziness, shortness of breath, vertigo and fatigue, and may further induce arrhythmia or angina pectoris and other diseases.
Generally, sinus tachycardia may be caused by physiological reasons, such as exercise, mood swings, smoking and drinking coffee, etc., or pathological reasons, such as heart failure, acute myocarditis, acute myocardial infarction, anemia, fever, infection, shock, Hyperthyroidism, etc., is also related to the application of epinephrine and other drugs.
For physiological sinus tachycardia, in fact, as long as the incentive is removed, pathological sinus tachycardia requires symptomatic treatment, such as congestive heart failure, diuretics, vasodilators and other drugs.
Secondly, a heart rate lower than 50 beats/min is sinus bradycardia , and the patient may be asymptomatic or may show dizziness, fatigue, chest tightness, forgetfulness, and inattention.
Generally, sinus bradycardia may be caused by physiological reasons. For example, the heart rate of athletes is low, and the degeneration of atrioventricular conduction in the elderly can also lead to slow heart rate.
It may also be caused by pathology, such as acute myocardial infarction, cardiac surgery, hypothermia, infection, myocardial ischemia, etc. In addition, some patients with sleep apnea syndrome will also have the performance of bradycardia.
For asymptomatic patients with a heart rate not lower than 50 beats per minute , no treatment is generally required, but the heart rate is still low after excluding reversible factors, and electrocardiogram and other examinations can also be performed.
For patients whose heart rate is lower than 50 beats per minute, dizziness, chest tightness, forgetfulness, irritability, inattention and other symptoms, they need to see a doctor in time .
4. Let the heart beat a little slower, try this
If your heartbeat is high, but it is not caused by a disease, you can slow down your heart rate by adjusting your lifestyle.
1. Keep exercising
Persistence in exercise can exercise our heart function. Some studies have pointed out that exercise for more than three months can reduce the heart rate by 4 to 5 times per minute.
It is recommended that you exercise three to five times a week, each time lasting 20 to 60 minutes, such as jogging, swimming, and Tai Chi. The heart rate during exercise is about 20 times faster than that at rest. The heart rate during exercise is 170-age. For weak and older people, exercise heart rate = (170 - age) × 0.9.
2. Control your weight
Obesity will increase the burden on the heart, and if you want to slow down your heart rate, you must actively lose weight.
Researchers from the University of Adelaide Heart Center in Australia asked 355 obese subjects with atrial fibrillation to lose weight and found that they lost 10% of their body weight and their atrial fibrillation symptoms eased.
According to the Chinese adult BMI-body mass index comparison table, a BMI of 18.5-23.9 is considered normal, and a BMI greater than or equal to 28 is considered obese.
3. Keep calm
**Anger, anxiety, nervousness and other emotions often increase the heart rate, so we should pay attention to adjusting our emotions and maintain a peaceful form. Meditation and sitting still can restore our calm.
4. Medication safety
Certain medicines, such as cold medicines and some antidepressants, may have the side effect of raising the heart rate, so please consult your doctor before using them. If you feel unwell while taking the medicine, you should also seek medical treatment in time.
Summary: During daily activities, heart rate fluctuations are inevitable, which is normal. If you have chest tightness and palpitation for a long time, and you can't find the reason, it is best to go to the hospital for treatment. We can also slow down our heart rate by exercising, maintaining a calm mood, and controlling our weight.
References:
[1] "Heartbeat speed is actually related to life expectancy? Experts remind: When these symptoms appear in the heart, be careful! ". Health Times. 2021-05-29
[2] "Heartbeat speed affects life span! Doctor: The heart rate is best in this range". Popular Science China. 2022-02-24
[3] "Too fast heartbeat consumes the "total heartbeat" of the human body? A set of speed reduction methods for cardiologists". Life Times. 2022-08-29
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