Most healthy adults have a heart rate of anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute. This rate can easily accelerate when the body is exposed to some sort of stimulus, such as fear, stress, exercise and even an elevation in body temperature. But if your heart rate accelerates without any apparent cause, it's sometimes an indication of tachycardia, a condition that causes your heart to race over 100 beats per minute.
Significance
This acceleration in heart rate is linked to disruptions in the electrical impulses or signals that control your heart. Normally, an electrical signal starts at the top of the heart and travels to the bottom, causing the heart to contract, explains the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. When these signals are blocked or delayed in some way, it can change the pumping action of the heart and trigger a more rapid heartbeat.
Factors
A number of different factors can contribute to tachycardia. Some are quite minor and not necessarily a cause for alarm. Substances like caffeine, nicotine and alcohol can all lead to an accelerated heart rate. Reducing your intake of these substances may help combat this event. However, other contributing factors can be rather serious and may require medical intervention. High blood pressure, heart disease, hyperthyroidism and electrolyte deficiencies have been known to cause tachycardia. Even prescription medications can have the side effect of rapid heartbeats in some people, requiring a change in medication.
Symptoms
While not everyone has symptoms of tachycardia, other than an accelerated heart rate, it's possible for them to manifest, especially when the rapid heart rate affects blood flow. In this situation, you may begin to experience dizziness, lightheadedness, shortness of breath, chest pain and loss of consciousness, advises MayoClinic.com.
Diagnosis
If you're experiencing an accelerated heart rate, contact your primary health care provider. Medical professionals can take into account your symptoms, coupled with a medical exam, to help determine the exact cause of your condition. The cause can dictate treatment.
Treatment
Treatment usually involves slowing the heart rate. MayoClinic.com explains that this can be done by performing maneuvers that affect the vagus nerve, which is a nerve that regulates your heart rate. Coughing is one of the more common vagal maneuvers, but placing an icepack on the face and contracting your muscles as if taking a bowel movement can also help.
The use of vagal maneuvers, however, does not preclude medical treatment. These maneuvers only help to return your heart rate to a normal level and do not correct the underlying problem. Medications, implantable cardioverter-defibrillators, radiofrequency ablation and open-heart surgery can all be used to reduce tachycardia, depending on the cause of the condition.
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