A stress test is a screening tool used by physicians to test your heart health. During the test, the electrical activity in your heart is measured and your blood pressure is monitored. The test is designed to gauge your body's reaction to an increased need for oxygen. It continues until you reach your target heart rate or you develop complications.
Tools
Patches attached to electrodes are applied to your chest with wires connecting you to a machine that measures the electrical activity in your heart, called an electrocardiogram, or EKG. The results are printed on a paper with lines depicting the variations. While the patches may be cool on your skin, you won't feel any pain during the test. There is no risk of shock and no electricity passes through your body. You typically take the test while walking on a treadmill, closely monitored by professionals who remain in the room.
Targets
A healthy adult should have a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minutes. Athletes in peak condition may have lower target heart rates, closer to 40 to 60 beats per minute. You should be able to reach and maintain your target heart rate for 10 to 15 minutes through increasingly harder exercise on the treadmill, depending on your condition. Increasing the speed and incline of the treadmill every three minutes places stress on your heart that shows up on the EKG. All the while your heart rate is being monitored as it rises to anywhere 100 to 130 beats per minute.
Benefits
A stress test can gauge the condition of your heart. Typically it is used to measure your heart activity following a heart attack or severe angina pains. It is also often performed prior to surgery to make sure you can withstand the stress. If you have heart disease or other risk factors for cardiovascular problems, you may undergo a stress test prior to starting an exercise program to make sure you're up to the activities.
Warning
You should not undergo a stress test to reach your targeted heart rate if you have congestive heart failure or very high blood pressure. Those with pulmonary embolisms or deep veinous thrombosis also should not take this test. The very obese -- over 350 lbs. -- and those with mental or physical disabilities may not benefit form the stress test because it could do more harm than good.
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