“Is it true that the slower the heartbeat, the longer the lifespan?” I received a private message from a fan in the background. This is a very strange question. If you don’t believe me, take a look at the turtle. The turtle only has a heart rate of 6-10 per minute. times, but the lifespan can reach hundreds or even hundreds of years. Can this statement be applied to humans?
1. How much is a slow heartbeat? The standard has changed
The normal heart rate of a person should be maintained between 60 and 100 beats/min. According to the previous standard, <60 beats/min is bradycardia, but just last year , The latest “Chinese Expert Consensus 2020 on the Evaluation and Management of Patients with Bradycardia and Conduction Abnormalities” defines sinus bradycardia as heart rate ≤50 beats/min. If your heart rate falls below 50 beats per minute, you can define a slow heartbeat.
The slower the heartbeat, the longer the longevity is a popular saying in life, but is there any scientific basis for this saying?
Chen Qingyong, an attending physician in the Department of Cardiology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University said that there are indeed many studies showing that there is an inverse relationship between heart rate and life expectancy. The total number of heartbeats in a person’s life is about 3 billion times. Under the condition of a certain total number of heartbeats, the more heartbeats per minute, the shorter the total life expectancy.
But this does not mean that the slower the heartbeat, the better, Slow heartbeat will lead to hypoxia of the heart and brain, especially For some elderly people with diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary heart disease and other diseases, slow heartbeat can lead to dizziness, fatigue, dark eyes, chest tightness and shortness of breath and other uncomfortable symptoms, which will bring about health problems. great threat.
In life, if the heart rate has been maintained at 40-60 beats/min, but there are no other symptoms of discomfort, generally no treatment is required. However, if the heart rate is consistently < 50 beats/min, accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, and dark eyes, seek medical treatment in time. In addition, some people whose heart rate is <40 beats/min for a long time must pay attention to seek medical attention in time. Since the heartbeat is not the slower the longer the life, what range should ordinary people keep their heartbeat in to live longer?
Second, research: How long does it take to live longer?
Professor Wen Qibang of China Medical University studied nearly 2 million medical examination documents and found that fast heart rate is an important factor in shortening life expectancy. After adjusting for high risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, diabetes, etc. that are prone to induce cardiovascular disease, healthy people’s heartbeat should be around 60 beats/min after lying down for five minutes, and it is too fast if it exceeds 70 beats/min , For every extra heartbeat, the average life expectancy may be reduced by 4 months.
1. Heart beats more than 100 times a minute: 13 years of life may be shortened.
2. Heartbeat 90 to 99 times a minute: It may shorten life expectancy by 8 years.
3. Heartbeat 70~89 times per minute: it may shorten life expectancy by 3 years and 6 months on average.
In this regard, Wen Qibang explained that the faster the heartbeat, the greater the burden on the heart. large, which is likely to be the cause of longevity. In daily life, if you find that your heartbeat is too fast, you must pay attention.
Three, sometimes the heartbeat is too fast, pay attention to these reasons
1. Excessive nervousness and anxiety
Emotions of tension and anxiety will lead to the release of adrenaline and cortisol hormones, which will then cause the heart rate and blood pressure to increase. The tachycardia can be relieved after the mood is relieved.
2. Wrong diet
A large intake of foods containing caffeine, alcohol and nicotine will stimulate the nerves and cause blood pressure to rise High, rapid heart rate. Cardiologists at the Mayo Clinic advise adults to limit their daily caffeine intake to 400mg, which is roughly equivalent to 4 cups of coffee.
3. Excessive sweating
The body sweating a lot will be in a state of dehydration, in which the body The effective blood volume will decrease, which will lead to lower blood pressure. The heart needs to work overtime in order to maintain the normal function of the body, which causes the heart rate to increase.
4. Lack of sleep
Insufficient sleep will increase the secretion of cortisol hormone, which can also easily lead to increased blood pressure and increased heart rate.
5. Thyroid problems
Thyroid hormones have a regulating effect on the function of major organs in the body, Once the thyroid hormone secretion is insufficient, it will lead to bradycardia. Conversely, excessive thyroid hormone secretion can lead to tachycardia. So for some people with a fast heart rate, what should be done to reduce the heart rate? teach you three methods.
Fourth, the heart beats fast, how to slow down my heartbeat?
1. Determine whether there is a disease.
There are many reasons for tachycardia. It is clear whether it is caused by a physiological cause or a disease cause, and then the treatment is carried out after the cause is identified.
2. Correct the incentives
Because of the rapid heartbeat caused by the disease, it is necessary to carry out targeted treatment in time. After the primary disease is cured,The rapid heartbeat can also be relieved naturally. For some fast heartbeats due to physiological reasons, it is necessary to change these habits in time, correct drinking, smoking, staying up late, etc.
3. Exercise
Exercise has great benefits for heart health , but note that exercise must be done according to your ability, do not perform overloaded exercise outside the acceptable range of your body, this will have the opposite effect. Do regular aerobic exercise by walking or jogging for half an hour to an hour each day.
In life, it is not recommended to worry too much about the speed of the heartbeat, just keep the heartbeat within a healthy range. Excessive attention to the heartbeat, on the contrary, it is easy to ignore some healthy living habits, etc., and it is very likely that the small will lose the big.
References:
[1] “The official standard for “bradycardia”, how slow is the heartbeat to see a doctor? “. Life Times. 2021.8.17
[2] “Doctor: The number of heartbeats is the best in this range”. Guangming.com. 2022.2.24
[3] “Rapid heartbeat What are the reasons? “. Linyi Disease Control. 2018.2.7