What causes a fast pulse?

Many friends find that their pulse rate quickens in life and worry whether there is something wrong with their heart. There are several factors that cause a fast pulse, including psychological and physical factors. If you want to know more, please read below.

What causes a rapid heartbeat?

During sleep, a normal adult's pulse beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. If it exceeds 100 times, it is medically defined as tachycardia. When you have a lot of work to do and need to pump more blood and oxygen into your body, your heart will beat faster. Exercise, excitement, tension, and a large meal can all cause your heart rate to increase. If you are overweight, your heart has to work harder. Sometimes a pulse rate slightly above normal is normal for some individuals, depending on their individual body chemistry.

Illness or changes in body mass can also put extra stress on the heart. These diseases include high fever, high or low blood pressure, asthma, anemia, etc. The heartbeat often becomes unstable in order to adapt to external stimuli, such as nicotine, caffeine, and various drugs. Severe nutritional deficiencies, especially of potassium and B vitamins, can also make your heart beat faster. In fact, fad diets can upset your mineral balance and increase your pulse.

A rapid pulse is common in patients with heart disease or heart failure. When the heart is damaged, one way to increase output is to increase rate. Sometimes, a damaged or even healthy heart may gradually show defects in its internal electrical conduction system, causing the heart to send out rapid signals. A common arrhythmia is paroxysmal ventricular tachycardia - a sudden but brief increase in the heart rate to as high as 200 beats per minute. However, ventricular tachycardia is easily treated and not life-threatening.