Does heart rate really correlate with lifespan? "Your heart rate is a bit fast, you should go to the hospital!" "Isn't a fast heart rate a sign of a healthy heart? How can it be a bad thing?" "Haven't you heard that a slower heart rate leads to longer life? If the heart beats too fast, working day in and day out for decades, wouldn't it be more prone to problems and even break down?" After Mr. Zhou and his wife had their blood pressure and heart rate measured at the pharmacy, they found that Mr. Zhou's heart rate exceeded 90 beats per minute. His wife, Ms. Wang, felt something was wrong and began to worry about whether he had a heart problem. Coupled with some online claims that even lazy turtles can live for thousands of years, it seemed that a fast heart rate was indeed not a good thing. However, Mr. Zhou believed that a fast heart rate was a sign of a healthy heart, and the two argued about it at the pharmacy. So, is it true that a slower heart rate leads to a longer life? Is heart rate really related to lifespan? If your heart rate becomes too fast or too slow, how can you scientifically improve it? Pharmacist Wang will discuss these issues in detail. I. Does a slower heart rate lead to a longer life? Heart rate refers to the frequency of heartbeats. The heart rate we usually talk about is actually the heart rate measured in a resting state. If the heart rate increases after exercise or intense anger, the measured heart rate will be significantly faster, but this is meaningless for measuring cardiovascular health. Heart rate can indeed reflect whether the heart muscle is functioning normally, but the heart muscle needs to consume oxygen and energy to complete each beat. If the heart rate is too fast, it will increase the oxygen consumption of the heart muscle and increase the workload on the heart. Just like an engine running at an overload every day, over time, it will lead to wear and tear on parts, resulting in heart fatigue, heart failure, and other problems. In other words, a faster heart rate is not necessarily better. This conclusion has been confirmed by many clinical studies. One study found that for every 5 beats per minute increase in the human heart rate, the risk of death from cardiovascular disease increases by 13%! However, a slower heart rate is not necessarily better either. The heart is the engine that pumps blood to the whole body. If the heart rate is too slow, it means that the heart is "working slack off," directly resulting in insufficient blood output from the heart, leading to insufficient blood supply to the whole body's tissues and organs, affecting the normal functioning of various organs, and even sudden death. In other words, both excessively fast and excessively slow heart rates are detrimental to the body. Generally, the normal heart rate range for healthy adults is 60-100 beats per minute. For the elderly, a slightly lower heart rate of 55-65 beats per minute is also normal. For young people who exercise regularly, a slightly higher resting heart rate is also normal. II. Causes and Prevention of Rapid Heart Rate Generally speaking, if a resting heart rate exceeds 100 beats per minute, one should be alert to the possibility of tachycardia. We previously mentioned the dangers of a rapid heart rate, such as myocardial fatigue, heart failure, malignant arrhythmias, and atrial fibrillation. But why does a rapid heart rate occur in the first place? Common causes of rapid heart rate include: hyperthyroidism and heart failure leading to an increased heart rate; anemia causing insufficient blood circulation, forcing the heart to work faster and increase the heart rate to meet the body's needs; and increased blood volume during pregnancy, requiring the heart to pump blood at a faster rate, approximately 30%-50%. Mental factors such as stress and anxiety can increase the levels of adrenaline and cortisol, leading to a faster heart rate. Insufficient sleep can also increase cortisol levels, resulting in higher blood pressure and heart rate. If you measure a fast heart rate, we recommend the following: First, have your heart rate measured again scientifically at a hospital. Heart rates measured during exercise, excitement, or anger tend to be faster. It is recommended to measure your heart rate scientifically under the guidance of medical professionals to avoid errors caused by other interfering factors. Second, check if your heart rhythm is normal and undergo relevant examinations to check for problems such as hyperthyroidism, anemia, and heart failure. Based on the examination results, targeted interventions can be implemented. Third, the causes and prevention of bradycardia: If a person's heart rhythm is normal, that is, if the examination shows sinus rhythm, a heart rate below 50 beats per minute is considered bradycardia, clinically also called slow heart rate. However, for those who exercise regularly or are athletes, this heart rate range is also considered normal. If a healthy person experiences a slow heart rate, the main causes are as follows: hypothyroidism can lead to a slower heart rate; hyperkalemia may slow the heart rate by triggering and transmitting electrical impulses in the heart; heart diseases such as myocardial infarction can cause narrowing or blockage of the coronary arteries, leading to myocardial ischemia and hypoxia, thus slowing the heart rate; certain medications can also cause arrhythmias. Prevention and treatment require the patient to undergo further examination at a reputable hospital to rule out possible causes of a slow heart rate, determine the underlying cause, and receive targeted treatment based on the examination results.
