What is tachycardia?
When you have tachycardia, your heart beats faster than normal for a few seconds to a few hours. Normally, your heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute when you’re not active. When your heart beats more than 100 times a minute at rest, that’s tachycardia.
Because your heart beats too often, it doesn’t have the time it needs to fill with blood between beats. This can be dangerous if your heart can’t supply all of your cells with the blood and oxygen they need.
Your heart normally responds to electrical signals from your heart’s sinoatrial (SA) node. These signals control how often your heart beats. When you’ve had a scare or are very emotional or anxious, or are exercising, your heart may send signals more frequently for a short time. This is called sinus tachycardia and goes away when you calm down or rest.
Other types of tachycardia can come back regularly and can be more serious.
Types of supraventricular tachycardia (SVT)
These begin in the atria, or upper chambers of your heart, when you have an issue with electrical signals there.
Types of ventricular tachycardia
These begin in your ventricles, your heart’s lower chambers, when you have an electrical signal issue in that area.
Who does tachycardia affect?
Atrial or supraventricular tachycardia can affect:
- Women and people assigned female at birth more than men and people assigned male at birth.
- Children, especially those who have anxiety.
- Anyone who’s very tired or drinks a lot of alcohol or caffeine.
- People who smoke a lot.
Ventricular tachycardia or fibrillation can affect:
- People who’ve had a heart attack, cardiomyopathy (heart muscle issue), myocarditis (inflamed heart muscle), heart failure or heart disease.
- People who smoke or have high blood pressure or diabetes.
How common is tachycardia?
About 2 million Americans have atrial fibrillation and 90,000 others per year get a supraventricular tachycardia diagnosis. Each year, an estimated 184,000 to 450,000 Americans die from ventricular arrhythmias that cause sudden cardiac death.
FAQs
Tachycardia is a heart rate that's faster than normal, or more than 100 beats per minute at rest. It can start in your upper or lower chambers of your heart and can range from mild to life-threatening. Treatments include medicines, an ablation procedure and implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) placement.
What is the main cause of tachycardia? ›
Sinus tachycardia is an elevated heart rate that occurs when the sinus node generates and transmits faster electrical signals. It is often a response to an external stimulus, such as fear, stress, exercise, pain, or drugs. In some cases, it may be caused by a thyroid condition, anemia, bleeding, or fever.
How I cured my tachycardia naturally? ›
Reduce a racing heart rate with tips such as coughing, gagging, taking, a cold shower, the Valsalva maneuver, meditation, yoga, deep breathing, relaxation techniques, and staying hydrated. In many cases, no treatment is needed for tachycardia and the heart will return to a normal heart rate on its own.
What not to do when you have tachycardia? ›
If you have tachycardia or any type of heart disease, it's important to take steps to keep your heart healthy. Steps include lifestyle changes such as eating a heart-healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and not smoking or using tobacco. Your care team also may suggest that you limit or avoid caffeine.
Can heart recover from tachycardia? ›
Reports on the recovery time of ventricular function differ, but the most improvement can be seen within the first several weeks, with continued slow improvement for up to six months. This will vary depending on the duration of the tachycardia and if other forms of heart disease are present.
Does drinking water help tachycardia? ›
Drinking water is also a stimulus to the vagus nerve, and may immediately stop a run of supraventricular tachycardia. Not having enough fluid (what people think of as “dehydration”) is another stimulus for fast heart rates, so some additional fluid is a second reason that water may help, though not instantly. Dear Dr.
What deficiency causes tachycardia? ›
Iron-deficiency anemia may be suspected from general findings on a complete medical history and physical examination, such as complaints of tiring easily, abnormal paleness or lack of color of the skin, or a fast heartbeat (tachycardia).
What is the fastest way to cure tachycardia? ›
Cardioversion - A procedure used to treat tachycardia to restore an irregular heartbeat to a normal rhythm. Typically, cardioversion patches are placed on the chest and back to deliver short, electrical impulses to reset the heart to a regular rhythm.
How do you calm down tachycardia? ›
Healthcare providers often use these:
- Valsalva maneuver (bearing down like you're having a bowel movement (pooping). See below).
- Diving reflex.
- Carotid sinus massage.
- Gag reflex.
- Coughing.
- Handstand for 30 seconds. ...
- Applied abdominal pressure.
There is no one specific fruit that is best for heart palpitations. However, fruits that are rich in potassium and magnesium, such as bananas, avocados, and oranges, may help regulate heart function and reduce the occurrence of heart palpitations.
Ventricular tachycardia episodes may be brief and last only a few seconds without causing harm. But episodes lasting more than a few seconds, called sustained V-tach , can be life-threatening. Sometimes ventricular tachycardia can cause all heart activity to stop. This complication is called sudden cardiac arrest.
What is the first line treatment for tachycardia? ›
Anti-arrhythmic medications are the first-line therapy in emergency departments and CCUs, as discussed earlier. Amiodarone is most commonly used, along with lidocaine, and in some cases procainamide.
When to go to the ER for tachycardia? ›
When to Visit Emergency Room for Tachycardia Treatment. Most people experience occasional bouts of heart palpitations, and these alone should not be a cause for concern. However, if you think that Tachycardia is causing dizziness, fatigue, or tightness in your chest, go to the nearest emergency room immediately.
Who is most likely to get tachycardia? ›
Risk factors for SVT/PSVT
- Anxiety and stress.
- People middle age and older.
- Women more than men.
- Children (SVT is the most common heart arrhythmia in children)
Some people may find the following relaxation techniques helpful:
- meditating.
- deep breathing.
- journaling.
- practicing yoga.
- spending time outdoors.
- exercising.
- taking short breaks from work or school.
- using guided imagery, which a person can access online.
Medicines for treating tachycardia
- Digitalis or Digoxin.
- Verapamil.
- Diltiazem (Cardizem®)
- Metoprolol (Lopressor® or Toprol-XL®)
- Atenolol.
Immediate action required: Call 999 or go to A&E if: you have been diagnosed with SVT and your episode has lasted longer than 30 minutes.
