Am I okay? 19 year old, prett fast HR

[2_Anxious]

Hi, I am a 19 year old male. This is my first ever post on MedHelp, and I was just wondering if anyone could give me insight to what I am feeling? I have been diagnosed with anxiety but I constantly feel my heartbeat, I try to take my pulse, and it generally ranges from 108-140? Is this okay? I went to a cardiologist three months ago and was give a stress test (treadmill) and echocardiogram, both test came back fine and my cardiologist says that he didn't find any abnormalities or enlargements. I am worried that I have tachycardia, is this normal for a 19 year old with anxiety? Any help will be much appreciated.

[MichelleP_3811]

It very well may be related to your anxiety but it could be life style related as well.  Not drinking enough or eating enough or even exercising enough can affect our heart rate.  If you have a very low sodium diet it is possible that you have low blood pressure which can cause the heart rate to become elevated.  Have you had blood tests done to check your thyroid levels?  Hyperthyroidism can cause an elevated heart rate.  In general a rate of 140 isn't a super concerning rate but if it is at rest it is a bit high so finding and working on the cause is probably a pretty good idea.  Work on your anxiety and it very well will help your heart rate come down.  Take care.

[2_Anxious]

Thank you for commenting, I had one blood test done (but it was done by my pediatrician, currently looking for a GP) and everything came back normal from what I understood. My pediatrician didn't tell me anything that was cause for concern. I'm not 100% sure on how blood tests work, meaning I dont know if I would need a blood test to specifically check my thyroid.

[MichelleP_3811]

The blood tests your pediatrician gave you probably were complete but you may want to ask and make sure they tested for thyroid issues.  It is possible for it not to be tested so just ask to see so you know for sure it isn't your thyroid causing the issue.  

Do you agree with the doctors that you have anxiety?  Just because they say it doesn't make it true but if you sense you have a lot of fears and worries that preoccupy your mind you may want to go for counseling to learn tools to work with your emotions and repetitive thoughts.  it really will help in the long run.  One thing you can try when you feel it coming on is to self talk and remind yourself that you are OK and that the world is not coming to an end and then do some slow deep breathing.  This will help calm your emotions and then you can work on any cycling thoughts that are trying to keep your attention.  It's a practice that will take time to take hold but if you keep at it you can make progress on getting control of your anxiety.  Counseling would help further to sort through things.  Take care.