An increased heart rate is a rate that is faster than the normal rate. The Mayo Clinic indicates that the healthy adult heart beats 60 to 100 beats per minute while at rest. The medical term for an increased heart rate is tachycardia. Some tachycardias are minor and cause no complications, others can be severe enough to disrupt normal heart function.
Exercise
The American Heart Association indicates exercise as a cause of increased heart rate. With exercise the body will have an increased need for energy and oxygen. Blood carries oxygen from your lungs to the muscles during exercise. The more intense the exercise is, the more oxygen will be needed. The heart will beat faster to help send more oxygen to the muscles during exercise.
Fever and Infection
Fever is an important part of the body's defense against viral or bacterial infections. When there is infection the body will have an increased need for oxygen to the tissues. The heart will attempt to accommodate the additional oxygen needs by beating faster.
Dehydration
The body can lose fluids because of not drinking enough, through vomiting or diarrhea and sweating. When the body has a volume loss, it will respond by increasing the heart rate and constricting blood vessels to maintain a normal blood pressure.
Anemia
People who have anemia do not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen to their tissues. When tissues are in need of more oxygen, the heart will beat faster in attempt to provide more blood flow to the tissues.
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Increased heart rates are seen in people who have a history of anxiety or panic attacks. The intense feeling of fear and apprehension associated with anxiety and panic attacks will cause the patients to feel stressed. Stress will use up the body's oxygen and energy, requiring the body to compensate. The body will increase the heart rate as a compensatory mechanism.
Medications and Stimulants
"Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum" describes a number of medications or stimulants that can cause increased heart rates. These medications mimic a part of the body's nervous system that responds to acute stressors. Examples of these medications and stimulants include epinephrine, cocaine and caffeine.
Critical Rapid Heart Rate
In some instances rapid heart rates are caused from abnormal electrical signals in the heart's conduction system. Some rhythms can create an unorganized pumping or quivering of the heart that does not allow the heart to fill and pump blood to the body. These situations are medical emergencies that can result in death if not treated.
References
- "Emergency Nursing Core Curriculum": Saunders Elsevier: 2007
- "Advanced Cardiac Life Support"; American Heart Assocation; 2005
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