I'm a healthy young female.. but my cardio heart rate is 200 201.. is this normal?

[Tristan32]

I'm 5'5 , 21 years old.. and 129 lbs. I power walk as well as bike. I was at the gym the other day and seen my heart rate was 200-201. I wasnt breathing very hard.. and I felt no pain. I did feel alittle light headed.. but over all .. fine. I cant seem to understand how my heart rate could be so high. I've been under a bit of stress lately.. planning my wedding and working a new job. Could part of this be due to anxiety?.. Or may there be something really wrong with my heart? I have alos in the past few months woken up in the middle of teh night feeling kinda short of breath and cough for a bit. Usually just clear stuff..

[Tristan32]

Thank you both :) I feel alittle more at peace.

[ed34]

Well the forumla 220-age is not taken seriously by fitness professionals or cardiologists. The Doctors who came up with this formula actually said they didn't intend it to become a standard because it has no accuracy or scientific merit. Scientific equipment which monitors your heart during exercise and establishes your max, is very expensive and requires an expert. Such equipment has shown that the formula 220-age is very inaccurate because each individual can fall into a huge range, far different from that given by the formula.
I personally think your rate of over 200 is a bit on the high side, I would expect something more like 190. As your heart adapts to your physical fitness, it generally enlarges and the muscle thickens to pump more blood into circulation with each beat.
I have no idea if you've ever had an EKG? or echo scan? but it is recommended now that anyone who wants to become seriously fit should have a check up before starting to ensure there are no problems which will be worsened with exercise. If you are going light headed then you are overdoing things or there is possibly an underlying problem. What is your blood pressure like? do you have any kind of infection? are you drinking plenty of fluids? are you eating the right foods? To be on the safe side I would have a chat with your Doctor.

[curmudgen]

sorry for the typo - everything will work out with the wedding...it usually does.

[curmudgen]

for your age the maximum heart rate is 220 - age --  so you were at your maximum.   Exercise target range is 140-180...  and as long as your resting rate returns to your normal - I assume around 60-  this high rate shouldn't be a problem. Don't let your rate get that high too often.   Yes anxiety pays a role in heart rate since it raises adrenalin levels.  The nighttime shortness of breath/cough ?  - could be due to dreaming about planning for wedding?  Try to find a quiet corner and relax.. everything will work out without the wedding.  good luck.