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If your resting heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute, you are at an increased risk of heart disease, with a risk factor 78% higher than someone with a normal resting heart rate. A fast resting heart rate could signal that your health is in poor condition or that you're experiencing too much stress. If this happens, it's crucial to take steps to slow your heart rate down. The following methods can help lower your heart rate temporarily if it's too fast or extremely high. The next step involves improving your heart rate over time through exercise.
Caution: This condition may indicate tachycardia, which is related to a heart attack and requires immediate medical attention.
Steps
How to Lower a Rapid Heart Rate
Practice deep and slow breathing. Although this might seem challenging, slowing your breath will also help slow your heart rate. Inhale for 5-8 seconds, hold your breath for 3-5 seconds, then exhale slowly for 5-8 seconds. Try to fully exhale to help lower your heart rate.
- Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Here's how: inhale while counting to 4, hold your breath for a count of 7, then exhale for a count of 8, making a "whooshing" sound. Repeat this exercise 3 times or more.
Stimulate the Vagus Nerve. This method targets the vagus nerve, which plays a key role in controlling heart rate. To do this, you can try the Valsalva maneuver. After taking a deep breath, tighten your abdominal muscles as though you're straining to have a bowel movement. Hold this position for 5 seconds, then relax. You can repeat this process several times for the desired result. Other ways to stimulate the vagus nerve include:
- Coughing
- Inducing a dry gag reflex with your finger
- Pressing your knees tightly to your chest
Perform the Carotid Sinus Massage. The carotid artery runs down the neck near the vagus nerve. You can use your fingers to gently massage the area, stimulating the nerves nearby and helping to reduce your heart rate.
Splash cold water on your face. Splashing ice-cold water onto your face triggers the diving reflex, which slows down the metabolic process. Keep splashing cold water on your face until you notice your heart rate starts to decrease.
Take Beta-Blockers. If you're frequently experiencing a fast heart rate, you can consult a doctor to get a prescription for medications like beta-blockers, which help lower heart rate. It's important to visit your doctor to determine the cause of your elevated heart rate. The doctor can guide you in choosing the best treatment and determining whether beta-blockers are suitable for you.
- Beta-blockers can have several side effects, including dizziness, fatigue, and weakness. People with asthma should avoid beta-blockers.
Improving Long-Term Heart Rate
Consult with a doctor to determine the intensity level of exercise suitable for you. Intense workouts are not ideal when you're just starting out. Instead, you should gradually increase your exercise intensity. Short bursts of strenuous exercise, such as sprinting alternated with recovery periods to avoid exhaustion (also known as interval training), can improve cardiovascular performance by over 10% compared to steady-paced aerobic exercises.
- Gradually increase the exercise load until you reach your maximum safe heart rate in the final workout segment, followed by a cool-down. Alternate your workout routine – jogging, using machines, uphill walking, stair climbing, weightlifting, dancing, water walking, outdoor or uphill walking – to train your heart to pump blood more efficiently with fewer beats.
- Running: If using a treadmill, set it to an interval running mode. If running outdoors or on an indoor track, make sure to warm up for 5 minutes. Sprint for 1 minute, followed by a 1-minute slow jog. Repeat this cycle 6 to 8 times before cooling down for 5 minutes.
- Swimming: Swim 10 laps of 45 meters each, resting 15 seconds after every two laps. Breathe while swimming, aim for a moderate heart rate without overexertion to avoid breathlessness.
- Cycling: Warm up for 90 seconds. Begin pedaling at moderate intensity for 30 seconds, followed by a 90-second recovery pace. Then pedal vigorously at high intensity for another 30 seconds. Gradually increase intensity after each 30-second high-intensity interval.
Get a good night's sleep and ensure sufficient rest. Use earplugs if necessary to block out noise in the bedroom. Sleep disturbances caused by noise can increase your heart rate by 13 beats per minute.
Make sure to urinate regularly. People who hold in their urine until their bladder is full experience a heart rate increase of 9 beats per minute. A full bladder activates the sympathetic nervous system, causing blood vessels to constrict, which forces the heart to pump faster.
Take fish oil supplements. Even better, opt for mollusk oil, which is rich in DHA, one of the most important forms of omega-3. Dr. Oz recommends taking "a daily fish oil supplement or some omega-3 source that provides at least 600mg of DHA." A daily fish oil pill can reduce your heart rate by up to 6 beats per minute within two weeks. Researchers believe fish oil helps the heart respond better to the vagus nerve, which in turn helps regulate heart rate.
Adjust your diet. Eat heart-healthy foods to help regulate your heart rate. Try including salmon, sardines, or mackerel, whole grains, leafy greens, nuts, and potassium-rich foods like bananas and avocados in your meals.
Hug more often! Frequent hugs can help lower blood pressure and boost oxytocin levels, which in turn helps reduce heart rate. Share hugs with your loved ones to enjoy the health benefits they bring!
Spend more time immersed in nature. Being outdoors in green spaces not only helps you reduce heart rate and blood pressure, but it also brings other health benefits, such as reducing stress, improving mood, and boosting the immune system. Even spending just 5 minutes outside can improve your health.
- Try taking a brisk walk in the park or hiking on weekends.
Reduce chronic rapid heart rate
Lie down and relax. Find a comfortable flat surface, such as a bed or sofa. If no comfortable surface is available, try sitting in a relaxed position.
- Make sure the room is quiet and pleasant. If the view outside the window is too chaotic, close the curtains or draw the blinds.
- Relax your muscles. Maintain the position and let your heart rate decrease at its own pace.
- If you've been in a position for a while, change it! Try sitting or lying down if you’ve been standing. Blood pressure can change when you change your posture, and this might also affect your heart rate.
Focus on soothing images in your mind. Calm your mind and body by using visualization techniques and imagining places that bring you joy. For instance, you could think of a beautiful mural, a scenic nature view, or a peaceful dreamlike scene.
- Find a picture or photograph of something that helps you feel calm. You can sit on your bed in a meditation posture and focus on the picture to soothe your mind and body.
- Write in a journal about a place you love or somewhere that gives you a sense of peace. Close the journal, visualize that place, and allow your mind to settle into serenity.
Practice meditation. Focus your inner attention on the rhythm of your heartbeat. Use your concentration to slow down your heart rate.
Breathe slowly. Try using the following techniques to reduce your heart rate:
- Abdominal breathing: Sit down, place one hand on your stomach, just below your chest. Inhale through your nose, allowing your stomach to push your hand up while keeping your chest still. Then, exhale through your mouth with pursed lips, as if you're whistling, pushing the air out of your stomach with your hand. Repeat as needed.
- Alternate nostril breathing: Start by inhaling through your left nostril while closing your right nostril with your thumb for a 4-second count. Close both nostrils and hold your breath for a 16-second count. Exhale through your right nostril for an 8-second count, then inhale through your right nostril for 4 seconds. Hold your breath again for 16 seconds and exhale through your left nostril for an 8-second count. Yoga practitioners believe this method helps balance the brain's hemispheres and calms the mind and body.
Massage. Regular foot massage and reflexology can help reduce heart rate by up to 8 beats per minute. You can either get a professional massage or ask a loved one to help you.
Eliminate caffeine from your daily routine. Caffeine increases both blood pressure and heart rate. Although this effect is temporary, the increase can be quite significant, depending on how much caffeine you consume. If you're dealing with high blood pressure, you should completely avoid caffeine.
- If you’re used to having coffee every morning, try switching to decaffeinated coffee or tea instead.
Advice
- Remember to inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth.
- Consult your doctor about biofeedback therapy for treating heart rhythm disorders. During this therapy, you will be attached to electrical sensors that monitor your heart rate. You can then focus your mind on reducing your heart rate, increasing lung capacity, lowering blood pressure, and relieving stress.
Warning
- Other factors that may increase the risk of arrhythmia include:
- Old age. As the heart weakens with age, it can lead to arrhythmia.
- Family history. If you have a family history of heart rhythm disorders, your risk of arrhythmia is higher.
- Risk factors for arrhythmia. Any condition that causes stress or damage to the heart can increase this risk. Medical treatment may help lower the risk of arrhythmia due to the following factors:
- Heart disease
- High blood pressure
- Smoking
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Excessive caffeine intake
- Use of stimulants
- Psychological stress or anxiety
- You might not be aware of a fast resting heart rate unless symptoms like dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting, palpitations, or chest pain occur. These are signs of tachycardia.
Exercise caution: If this condition lasts more than a few minutes, immediately call emergency services at 115 or go to the emergency room.
If it only lasts a shorter period, you should still arrange a doctor’s appointment as soon as possible.
