A high heart rate can be due to many factors, such as physical activity, panic, stress, or anxiety. In order to accurately measure your heart rate, you will need to measure it while you are in a relaxed, resting state.
Although tachycardia is considered relatively harmless, it can decrease the efficiency of the heart by lowering the amount of blood pumped throughout your body. With less oxygenated blood circulating the body, the body receives less oxygen and the person may ultimately experience dizziness, lightheadedness, chest pain, or fainting.
Tachycardia can be caused by several factors:
Heart conditions – heart related conditions such as high blood pressure and poor blood supply to the heart muscle due to coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, heart failure, heart muscle disease, tumors or infections.
Health conditions – Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) and emphysema and other lung diseases
Stimulants – drinking large amounts of alcoholic or caffeinated beverages, smoking cigarettes, and abuse of recreational drugs.
Other – abnormal electrical pathways caused by a genetic defect at birth, electrolyte imbalances in the body (too little potassium, calcium, sodium and other minerals), and side effects of heart medications
Contact your doctor about your heart rate to find the best treatment for your health.