Your resting heart rate is the rate at which your heart is pumping the minimum amount of blood your body requires to function during your day-to-day activities. In general, the heart rate of a healthy adult should be less than 100 beats per minute (bpm) at rest.
Many factors can affect your resting heart rate, including:
- Pain, fever, and infection. When the body is under stress because of pain, fever, or general illness, the heart rate can go up considerably.
- Stress/anxiety. Stress causes certain hormones to race through your blood, causing your heart rate to increase.
- Poor physical conditioning. If you are generally out of shape, your heart has to work harder to pump oxygen-rich blood around your body.
- Overweight and Obesity. Studies have shown that carrying extra weight increases your resting heart rate. It also increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, heart disease, and other chronic conditions.
- Decongestants may stop a runny nose, but they can also cause your heart to race as they may contain ingredients that can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart rate.
- Caffeine is a stimulant that can make your heart rate faster.
- Smoking causes narrowing of the blood vessels which results in a rise in heart rate.
- Medical disorders. Anemia, overactive thyroid, diabetes, and heart disease can all lead to a fast resting heart rate.
The connection to diabetes and your heart rate
Diabetes and heart disease go together. Adults with diabetes are at increased risk of developing heart disease, even when blood glucose levels are well managed. In the long term, diabetes can lead to damage of various organs in the body, including the heart, which may contribute to heart rhythm disorders.
Having diabetes can directly increase the resting heart rate due to:
- Elevated blood glucose levels and high levels of insulin circulating in the blood stream both lead to a higher resting heart rate. 1
- Damage to heart and blood vessel nerves results in sympathetic dominance (similar to a prolonged fight or flight reaction), which results in a higher resting heart rate. 1
- Diabetes impacts the heart’s electrical conduction system which can result in abnormal heart rhythms (cardiac arrhythmia).2
Abnormal heart rhythms
An abnormal heart rhythm is a condition where your heart beats either too fast, too slow, or irregularly. They may happen because of the following:
- Acute hypoglycemia – low blood glucose (sugar) may cause an irregular or fast heartbeat (tachycardia).
- Hyperglycemia – high blood glucose (sugar) can cause a fast heartbeat due to vomiting and dehydration.
- Insulin resistance – insulin resistance is a condition where the cells in your fat, liver, and muscles don’t respond well to insulin. Studies have shown insulin resistance increases the risk of developing dangerous arrhythmias, a problem with the rate or rhythm of the heartbeat. The process of insulin resistance can start years before someone actually develops diabetes.3
- Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) – untreated hyperglycemia can lead to a condition called diabetic ketoacidosis, an emergency situation in which there is a lack of insulin along with very high blood glucose levels. This results in the buildup of ketones in the blood and body tissues leading to a rapid heart rate, vomiting, dehydration, confusion and possible coma.
- Atrial fibrillation – this is common heart rhythm disturbance where the heart’s upper chambers contract randomly and fast. A large study of over 845,000 patients found that diabetes is a cause of atrial fibrillation and other cardiovascular diseases. Obesity, which is common in people with diabetes, also contributes to atrial fibrillation4.
If your heart rate is consistently high, you should make an appointment with your doctor. Seek immediate medical assistance if you have shortness of breath, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near fainting, and chest pain or discomfort.
4https://www.frontiersin.org/ articles/10.3389/ fphys.2018.01669/full
https://healthcare. utah.edu/cardiovascular/ conditions/racing-heartbeat.php
https://www.mountelizabeth.com.sg/ healthplus/article/ heart-rate-what-is-normal-and-what-is-not
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