Slow heartbeat or fast heartbeat? How much does a heartbeat live longer? Experts give research results
Although Aunt Hu is 67 years old, she is in good health. She was found to have three highs last year.
Recently, Aunt Hu always felt chest tightness, fatigue, her face looked pale, and occasionally she was sweating profusely. Although her family persuaded her to go to the hospital for examination, Aunt Hu always said that it would be better if she sat down for a while. .
One day, Auntie Hu began to have chest tightness again, and even accompanied by discomfort such as asthma and chest pain. She thought it was just like before, but it didn’t take long for Auntie Hu to faint and go into shock. The family rushed Auntie Hu to the hospital. , found that Aunt Hu's heart beat interval reached 2.6s, and the heartbeat frequency reached 180 to 200 beats per minute.
It turned out that Aunt Hu's discomfort was all due to atrial fibrillation , but luckily she saved her life. Heartbeat is an important life indicator of the human body. Do you know enough about it?
The 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.
Typically, a baby's heart beats 120 to 140 beats per minute when emotionally quiet, 90 to 100 for a toddler, 80 to 90 for a school-aged child, and 70 to 80 for an adult.
Under normal circumstances, the heart rate of young people is faster than that of the elderly, the heart rate of women is faster than that of men of the same age, and the heart rate of athletes is slower than that of ordinary people, which can reach about 50 beats/min.
In short, the human heart rate is not static, such as diet, emotions, diseases, etc., will affect the heart rate fluctuations. At rest, heart rate levels 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, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, explained that the total number of heartbeats in a person's life will be maintained at about 3 billion times , and for other mammals, it is about 1 billion times.
An adult's normal heart rate should be around 60 to 100 beats per minute . Some people say that the slower the heartbeat, the better. Whoever jumps first will walk first. Does it make sense?
Dr. Chen Qingyong said that the rapid heartbeat has caused 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 Research in Baodao, began to collect 2 million health check-up data in 1994.
Through analysis and research, Professor Wen found that the heart rate of healthy people is around 60 beats/min, and if the heart rate of 60 to 70 beats per minute is increased once, 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 than that of people with a heart rate of 60. Participants in the group with a heart rate of 90-100 had an average of 8 years shorter life expectancy.
The "Copenhagen Urban Heart Study" has calculated and found that a 19% reduction in heart rate compared with 65 beats per minute compared with 80 beats per minute may extend the lifespan of men by 4.6 years and women by 3.6 years.
So, generally speaking, in the normal heartbeat range, the slower the heartbeat, the better.
3. The heartbeat is too slow and too fast, so be vigilant
As mentioned earlier, it is normal for the heart rate to be around 60-100 beats. What value does the heart rate reach, and do we need to be vigilant?
First of all, if the heart rate exceeds 100 beats/min, it belongs to sinus tachycardia. When it occurs, it will cause discomfort such as chest tightness, palpitation, dizziness, shortness of breath, vertigo and fatigue, and can further induce diseases such as arrhythmia or angina pectoris.
Generally, sinus tachycardia may be caused by physiological reasons, such as exercise, mood swings, smoking and drinking coffee, etc., or may be caused by pathological reasons, such as heart failure, acute myocarditis, acute myocardial infarction, anemia, fever, infection, shock, Hyperthyroidism, etc., is also related to the application of drugs such as epinephrine.
For physiological sinus tachycardia, in fact, as long as the incentive is removed, and pathological sinus tachycardia requires symptomatic treatment, such as diuretics, vasodilators and other drugs for congestive heart failure.
Secondly, a heart rate lower than 50 beats/min is considered sinus bradycardia . The patient may be asymptomatic, or may show dizziness, fatigue, chest tightness, forgetfulness, and inability to concentrate.
Generally, sinus bradycardia may be caused by physiological reasons, such as lower heart rate in athletes, and degenerative changes in atrioventricular conduction in the elderly can also lead to slow heart rate.
It may also be a pathological cause, such as acute myocardial infarction, cardiac surgery, hypothermia, infection, myocardial ischemia, etc. In addition, some patients with sleep apnea syndrome also have bradycardia performance.
For asymptomatic patients with a heart rate of not less than 50 beats/min , no treatment is generally required, but after excluding reversible factors, the heart rate is still low, and electrocardiogram and other examinations can also be done.
For patients with heart rate lower than 50 beats per minute, dizziness, chest tightness, forgetfulness, irritability, inability to concentrate and other symptoms, it is necessary to seek medical attention in time .
4. Let the heart beat a little slower, try doing this
If your heart rate is high, but it's not caused by a disease, you can adjust your lifestyle to slow it down.
1. Keep exercising
Persistent 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 for 20 to 60 minutes each time, such as jogging, swimming, and tai chi. The heart rate during exercise is about 20 times faster than that at rest. Exercise heart rate = 170 - age, if the body Weak and older people, exercise heart rate = (170 - age) × 0.9.
2. Weight control
Obesity will increase the burden on the heart. If you want to slow down your heart rate, you must actively lose weight.
Researchers from the Heart Centre at the University of Adelaide 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 improved.
According to the Chinese adult BMI-body mass index comparison table, a BMI of 18.5-23.9 is considered normal, and greater than or equal to 28 is considered obese.
3. Keep calm
**Emotions such as anger, anxiety, tension, etc. often increase the heart rate, so we should pay attention to adjusting our emotions in peacetime and maintain a peaceful state. Like meditation and sitting, we can restore peace.
4. Medication safety
Certain medicines, such as cold medicines and some antidepressants, may have the side effect of increasing heart rate, so you should consult your doctor before taking them. If you feel unwell while taking the medicine, seek medical attention in time.
Summary: During daily activities, it is normal to cause heart rate fluctuations. If you have chest tightness and palpitation for a long time, and you cannot find the cause, it is best to go to the hospital. We can also slow down our heart rate a bit by exercising, keeping our mind calm, and controlling our weight.
References:
[1] "The speed of the heartbeat is actually related to life expectancy? Expert reminder: When the heart has these symptoms, be careful! ". Health Times. 2021-05-29
[2] "The speed of heartbeat affects life! Doctor: Heart rate is the best in this range". Popular Science China. 2022-02-24
[3] "The heartbeat is too fast, consuming the "total heartbeat" of the human body? A set of cardiologists' deceleration method". Life Times. 2022-08-29
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