An irregular heartbeat is known as an arrhythmia and can be caused by several conditions that disrupt the normal and healthy electrical flow in the heart. A heart attack, for example, may scar heart tissue that plays a part in electrical activity and leads to an arrhythmia. High blood pressure and coronary artery disease can also result in heartbeat irregularities. If you have an arrhythmia, you should be careful about exercise, but don't assume that you can't be active. In fact, for people with most types of heart conditions, including arrhythmias, some type of doctor-approved activity is important for long-term health.
Risks of Exercise
Your heart will naturally beat faster when you exercise because your body requires more oxygenated blood when you are physically active. In healthy individuals, the heart returns to a normal rhythm after exercise ends. For many types of arrhythmias, regular exercise can be helpful in strengthening the heart. But for some types, such as long QT syndrome (LQTS), which can be a threat to children and adults, physical activity can be dangerous. If you have been diagnosed with any type of irregular heartbeat, or you experience a racing heart after you exercise, you should talk with your doctor about the best way to manage your condition. You will likely be instructed how to measure your heart rate and how to focus on changes or irregularities in your heart rhythm.
Benefits of Exercise
While you need to be careful about exercise if you have an irregular heartbeat, getting regular physical activity is still crucial to good heart health. If you have been diagnosed with an arrhythmia, you may be referred to a cardiac rehabilitation program, in which you can learn about safe exercising and the warning signs that you may be overdoing it. Regular exercise strengthens the actual heart muscle itself and improves circulation through the heart and throughout the rest of the body, which leads to healthier bones, muscles, tissue and organs. Don't assume that because you have a heart condition you can't get your heart rate going, because exercise may be just the thing you need to maintain or improve your heart's health.
Prevention
Smoking, excessive alcohol consumption and diabetes are all risk factors for arrhythmias, so quitting smoking and limiting or eliminating alcohol can help lower your risks. Managing your diabetes with medication adherence and weight loss resulting from a healthy diet and regular aerobic exercise, such as running, bicycling, aerobics classes and sports, can also lower your odds of developing a future arrhythmia. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recommends 2 ½ hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity per week.
Exercising with a Pacemaker
One of the ways physicians treat arrhythmias, if medications and lifestyle changes don't work, is to implant a pacemaker or other device to help regulate your heart's rhythm. Such devices can respond when your heart is asked to pump more blood during exercise. But you should get special instructions about the type of exercise that is approved with your device. Sports that may lead to a lot of contact, such as football, basketball or soccer, may be out of the question, but jogging, tennis, racquetball and swimming may be encouraged.
