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Irregular Resting Heart Rate

Hey there,
My name is Raven, 18 years old, 5'1", and 128lbs. I eat a balanced diet, I exercise three times a week, and I try my best to keep myself relatively relaxed. Now here's my issue, my heart rate, at rest, is always somewhere between 120 and 140 but recently has been creeping up to 177bpm, which is the highest recorded bpm I've had so far.

I've experienced tingling and numbness on the whole left side of my body as well as severe chest pain when I breathe, even right now.

I'm curious as to what this could mean for me, as a young adult who comes from a long history of heart disease and disorders.
Any insight?
3 Responses
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1298588 tn?1330318981
I agree with the posts above: you should most definitely speak to a doctor about this. Your doctor will probably administer an ECG test, wherein he or she will monitor your heartbeat in order to determine the nature and cause of the irregularities you describe. The doctor may also want you to wear a Holter monitor for 24 hours, in order to keep track of your heart rhythm over a longer period of time and in a variety of situations. Finally, he or she will probably also want you to have a blood test done, because your rapid heart rates may be caused by a factor outside of your heart itself. For example, the thyroid gland is notorious for causing high heart rates, and may be the culprit here. The thyroid gland controls our metabolism by secreting a hormone called thyroxin, and when it secretes too much, a condition known as hyperthyroidism, it sends the entire body, including the heart, into a state of hyperactivity. By looking at a sample of your blood, doctors will be able to determine if your thyroxin levels are too high, and therefore determine if your thyroid is working overtime. There are other components of the blood that also have the ability to increase the heart rate if found in imbalance, so doctors always make sure to look for these as well when examining a blood sample, and will be able to find out if your problem lies in your bloodstream. Either way, as long as you contact the proper medical professionals, they will be able to get to the root of your problem. You sound like a healthy girl who takes excellent care of herself, so whatever the issue here, I'm confident that you'll be able to conquer it and live a long and full life.
Good luck and keep us posted!
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Those are pretty high resting heart rates, particularly for someone quite young.   They are not normal numbers, and even though you seem to have kept some kind of record of your heart rate, this needs to be medically documented.

Frankly, since you mention a strong family history of cardiac disorders, I think it would be wise for you to see a cardiologist for a complete baseline workup fairly soon.  That will give you advice about how to live what should be a very long life in the most healthy way.

Getting your heart checked out is the most important matter.  You do mention numbness and tingling on the left side that relates to breathing.  That would be a matter for a pulmonologist to look at after your heart is examined.  To me, the numbness and tingling does not sound cardiac:  Something a bit like this is often felt by people who have panic attacks and hyperventilate as a result.
Helpful - 0
612551 tn?1450022175
COMMUNITY LEADER
A true resting HR over 100 bpm is considered tachycardia, or a HR that is too fast.  While I can't suggest what is causing the high HR, I believe it should be checked by a medical doctor - perhaps a electrocardiogram should be taken.

Your other symptoms are also something to include in any doctor visit.

Your young age and healthy life-style should help you deal with whatever is found.  

Helpful - 0
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