Why is my heart rate so high when i walk

A racing heart can be scary.

Table of Contents Show

Heart rhythm versus heart rate
When is a pulse too slow?
Know your heart rate
Checking your heart rhythm
When should you see a doctor about your heart rate?
Target Heart Rates
Measuring Metabolic Energy Equivalent (MET)
Learn more about MET exercises you can do:
What heart rate is too high when walking?
What is the normal heart rate for walking around?

Heart attack? Panic attack? The symptoms can be similar.

A fast-beating heart may be concerning or it could just be anxiety, which can come and go. A normal pulse or heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM) taken when you’re not exercising, known as your resting heart rate.

Anything that causes increased stimulation, whether physical or emotional, could increase your heart rate. That includes caffeine and other herbal and medicinal stimulants.

Heart rhythm versus heart rate

Besides the rate of your heartbeat, your heart’s rhythm is another indicator of whether your heart is healthy. Your heart muscle contracts and relaxes in a certain pattern. It could be regular, irregular, fast or slow.

A health care provider can tell if your heart rhythm is regular by listening to your heart with a stethoscope or examining an electrocardiogram or EKG, a test used to evaluate the heart.

If your heart rhythm is regular and yet you have a fast heart beat — over 100 BPM — your high pulse rate likely isn’t heart-related. What’s driving your heart rate up could be dehydration, anxiety, fever, medications, anemia, sleep deprivation, an overactive thyroid or another issue.

However, if your heart rhythm is irregular, the question of whether you need to be concerned depends on what’s causing it. Atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and supraventricular tachycardia are all conditions in which the heart beats faster than normal or at an erratic pace. Left untreated, these conditions could lead to heart failure.

When is a pulse too slow?

Instead of a consistently fast heart rate, say yours is often under 60 beats per minute. That, too, can be caused by several different factors. Medications, sleep apnea, fitness level, an underactive thyroid, hypothermia, anorexia or a disorder affecting how electrical impulses travel through your heart are some of the causes of a slow heart rate.

If you have other symptoms along with a slow heart rate such as dizziness, fainting, fatigue, confusion or shortness of breath, see your health care provider.

Well-conditioned athletes often have a low resting heart rate in the 40s or 50s. This is because exercise strengthens the heart muscle, allowing it to pump more blood with each heartbeat, so the heart beats fewer times per minute. Older individuals also sometimes have a heart rate under 60 BPM. Regardless of age, it’s also normal for someone’s heart rate to dip lower than usual during sleep.

Even more important than your heart’s rate is its rhythm. You can have a heart rate in the 30s or in the 120s, but if your heart rhythm is normal, that may not be dangerous.

Your pulse may even be normal and yet you have a dangerous heart rhythm, also called arrhythmia.

Know your heart rate

You can check whether your pulse is normal by taking it yourself, putting your pointer and middle fingers on the inside of your opposite wrist just below the thumb. When you feel a pulse, count how many beats you feel in 15 seconds then multiply the number you get by four to get the number of beats per minute.

Another way to find out your heart rate is with a device such as a blood pressure monitor or pulse oximeter, which measures the oxygen level in your blood.

Checking your heart rhythm

Several devices can be used to find your heart’s rhythm:

An EKG is a painless test that can be done in the office and gives a quick snapshot of heart rhythm at that time. Electrodes are placed on your chest, arms and legs to record the activity. The test takes just about 10 minutes.
A Holter monitor is a small device you wear that records a continuous ECG, usually for 24 to 48 hours.
A cardiac event monitor is similar to a Holter monitor but can be worn for up to 30 days.
Devices such as loop recorders can be implanted under the skin to monitor your heart rhythm for up to 3 years.

When should you see a doctor about your heart rate?

You may want to start with a visit to your health care provider if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you’re not an athlete), or if you’re also experiencing shortness of breath, fainting spells, lightheadedness or feeling fluttering or palpitations in your chest. It may be nothing to worry about, or it could be something that needs to be treated.

Target Heart Rates

The target heart rate is a guideline which can help you stay in a safe exercise heart rate range. This will help you improve your cardiorespiratory fitness. This means your heart and lungs will become stronger. As your age increases, your target heart rate will decrease.

Learn how to measure your pulse / take your heart rate.

The target heart rate, also known as THR, is based on 60 to 80 percent of a maximum heart rate. To figure your THR, use the table on this page.

If you keep your heart rate in the lower range of the guideline, you will be able to exercise longer and have more weight loss benefits.
If you keep your heart rate in the higher range of the guideline, you will have better cardiorespiratory fitness.

If you are just starting an exercise routine, you may want to start out at 60 to 70 percent of your THR. As you become more fit, you may want to progress to 70 to 80 percent of your THR.

Learn more about good exercise guidelines.

Certain medicines will lower your heart rate response. Be sure to talk with your doctor if you have any questions.

Age	60%	65%	70%	75%	80%
20	120	130	140	150	160
21	119	129	139	149	159
22	119	129	139	149	158
23	118	128	138	148	158
24	118	127	137	147	157
25	117	127	137	146	156
26	116	126	136	146	155
27	116	125	135	145	154
28	115	125	134	144	154
29	115	124	134	143	153
30	114	124	133	143	152
31	113	123	132	142	151
32	113	122	132	141	150
33	112	122	131	140	150
34	112	121	130	140	149
35	111	120	130	139	148
36	110	120	129	138	147
37	110	119	128	137	146
38	109	118	127	137	146
39	109	118	127	136	145
40	108	117	126	135	144
41	107	116	125	134	143
42	107	116	125	134	142
43	106	115	124	133	142
44	106	114	123	132	141
45	105	114	123	131	140
46	104	113	122	131	139
47	104	112	121	130	138
48	103	112	120	129	138
49	103	111	120	128	137
50	102	111	119	128	136
51	101	110	118	127	135
52	101	109	118	126	134
53	100	109	117	125	134
54	100	108	116	125	133
55	99	107	116	124	132
56	98	107	115	123	131
57	98	106	114	122	130
58	97	105	113	122	130
59	97	105	113	121	129
60	96	104	112	120	128
61	95	103	111	119	127
62	95	103	111	119	126
63	94	102	110	118	126
64	94	101	109	117	125
65	93	101	109	116	124
66	92	100	108	116	123
67	92	99	107	115	122
68	91	99	107	114	122
69	91	98	106	113	121
70	90	98	105	113	120
71	89	97	104	112	119
72	89	96	104	111	118
73	88	96	103	110	118
74	88	95	102	110	117
75	87	94	102	109	116
76	86	94	101	108	115
77	86	93	100	107	114
78	85	92	99	107
79	85	92	99	106
80	84	91	98	105

Measuring Metabolic Energy Equivalent (MET)

A metabolic energy equivalent (MET)measures how much effort an activity requires from you.

Try to increase your average MET level during cardiac rehabilitation.

Gradually increase your resistance and speed to increase your MET level.

See the Metabolic Energy Equivalent chart to see types of activities you can measure.

Learn more about MET exercises you can do:

Graded Exercise METS 1.8
Graded Exercise METS 2.1
Graded Exercise METS 2.8

What heart rate is too high when walking?

Subtracting your age from the number 220 will give you your maximum heart rate. Suppose your age is 35 years, 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 normal heart rate for walking around?

For the high end of your target heart rate, multiply 220 bpm minus your age by 0.85 (85 percent). For example, for a 40-year-old it'd be 180 bpm x 0.85 = 153 bpm. For this person, their target heart rate while walking would be between 90 and 153 beats per minute.