What Heart Rate Is Too High? Chart, Max and Dangerous Rate (2024)

Heart attack usually is caused by a clot that stops blood flow supplying oxygen to an area of heart muscle, which results in heart muscle death. Stroke or "brain attack" is caused by a loss of blood supply to the brain (usually a blood clot) or by hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding within the brain), which results in brain tissue death. Both heart attack and stroke usually come on suddenly, produce similar symptoms, can be disabling, and can be fatal.

The classic symptoms and warning signs of heart attack are different.

Classic heart attack warning signs are chest pain or discomfort, shortness of breath, pain that radiates to the shoulders, back, arms, belly, jaw, or teeth, sweating, fainting, and nausea and vomiting. Moreover, woman having a heart attack may have additional symptoms like abdominal pain or discomfort, dizziness, clammy skin, and moderate to severe fatigue.

The classic symptoms and warning signs that a person is having a stroke are confusion or loss of consciousness, sudden severe headache, speech problems, problems seeing out of one or both eyes, and numbness or weakness of only one side of the body. Moreover, a woman having a stroke may have additional warning symptom and signs like shortness of breath, disorientation, agitation, behavioral changes, weakness, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and hiccups.

Recognition of stroke symptoms is vital for emergency treatment. The acronym "FAST" stands for recognition of Facial drooping, Arm weakness, Speech difficulty, and a Time for action.

If you experience the symptoms heart attack or stroke (FAST) or see them develop in another person, then contact 911 immediately.

What Heart Rate Is Too High? Chart, Max and Dangerous Rate (2024)

FAQs

What is too high for your maximum heart rate? ›

Your maximum heart rate depends on your age. Subtracting your age from the number 220 will give you your maximum heart rate. Suppose your age is 35 years, and your maximum heart rate is 185 beats per minute. If your heart rate exceeds 185 beats per minute during exercise, it is dangerous for you.

What is the max heart rate before danger? ›

Target heart rate is generally expressed as a percentage (usually between 50 percent and 85 percent) of your maximum safe heart rate. The maximum rate is based on your age, as subtracted from 220. So for a 50-year-old, maximum heart rate is 220 minus 50, or 170 beats per minute.

How high of heart rate is too high? ›

You should visit your doctor if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you're not an athlete), or you're also experiencing: shortness of breath. fainting spells.

What is a dangerous heart rate for adults? ›

Consult your doctor if your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 beats a minute (tachycardia) or if you're not a trained athlete and your resting heart rate is below 60 beats a minute (bradycardia) — especially if you have other signs or symptoms, such as fainting, dizziness or shortness of breath.

How high of a heart rate is alarming? ›

What is a high heart rate? Generally, your resting heart rate should be around 60 to 100 beats per minute. A resting heartbeat that's higher than 100 beats per minute, also known as a rapid heart rate, or tachycardia, should be checked by a doctor.

At what heart rate should you go to the hospital? ›

If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.

What is the danger zone for high heart rate? ›

There isn't a set range for when a heart rate is deemed dangerous, but Dr. Ronen says a heart rate above 100 beats per minute or in the 50s or lower while resting is often a cause for concern. However, a cardiologist should consider the degree of danger on a case-by-case basis.

What is a life threatening high heart rate? ›

Tachycardia means that your heart is beating much faster than normal, usually more than 100 beats per minute. Sinus tachycardia is your body's normal response to stress. Supraventricular tachycardia and ventricular tachycardia can be dangerous or even life-threatening.

What is emergency level heart rate? ›

If your heart rate is below 35–40 beats per minute (bpm) or above 100 bpm, it's worth getting evaluated by a healthcare provider — especially if the measurements you're getting are abnormal for you or if you're recognizing these changes along with other symptoms, such as: Heart palpitations. Shortness of breath.

How do you calm a racing heart? ›

Some people may find the following relaxation techniques helpful:
  1. meditating.
  2. deep breathing.
  3. journaling.
  4. practicing yoga.
  5. spending time outdoors.
  6. exercising.
  7. taking short breaks from work or school.
  8. using guided imagery, which a person can access online.

Is it bad to have a high heart rate when high? ›

Heart-related risks

Marijuana can cause the heart to beat faster and blood pressure to rise, which can be dangerous for people with heart disease. The risk of heart attack is several times higher in the hour after smoking marijuana than it would be normally, research suggests.

What is the highest heart rate ever recorded? ›

The fastest human ventricular conduction rate recorded to this day is a conducted tachyarrhythmia with ventricular rate of 600 beats per minute, which is comparable to the heart rate of a mouse. For general purposes, a number of formulas are used to estimate HRmax.

What is the highest heart rate that is still safe? ›

A quick and easy way to calculate your maximum heart rate is to subtract your age from 220. The predicted maximum heart rate for a 50-year-old person is 170 beats per minute. This is the simplest formula to get an estimate of the maximum heart rate for a person.

What is a dangerous heart rate with AFib? ›

Guidelines and recommendations vary, but heart rates exceeding 120–150 beats per minute are generally considered concerning and might necessitate medical evaluation, especially if symptoms are present.

What is an inappropriate heart rate? ›

Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia (IST) is a clinical syndrome characterized by a sinus heart rate inexplicably higher than one hundred beats per minute at rest that is associated with symptoms like palpitations, dyspnea or dizziness in the absence of primary causes of tachycar-dia.

Is 190 bpm bad when exercising? ›

For moderate-intensity exercise, 67-76% of the estimated heart rate maximum (134-152 bpm for the 20-year-old, and 107-122 bpm for our 60-year-old) would be normal. When working out in the vigorous-intensity range, 77-95% of their estimated heart rate maximum (154-190 bpm, and 123-152 bpm) would be expected.

What is the maximum heart rate a human can withstand? ›

The maximum heart rate (HRmax) is the age-related highest number of beats per minute of the heart when reaching a point of exhaustion without severe problems through exercise stress. In general it is loosely estimated as 220 minus one's age. It generally decreases with age.

Is 180 bpm bad when exercising? ›

A normal resting heart rate for endurance athletes will fall in the 50–70 bpm range. During exercise, your heart rate will rise substantially, sometimes up to 180–200 bpm. For most beginner runners, a "high heart rate while running," will be somewhere around 150–190 bpm, or 80–90% of their maximum heart rate.

Why is my heart rate 200bpm? ›

Supraventricular tachycardia is a rapid heartbeat caused by faulty electrical signals in the upper parts of your heart. Patients usually experience a burst of accelerated heartbeats. SVT usually affects young, healthy people, who will experience a heart rate between 160 and 200 beats per minute.

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