How Long for Heart Rate to Totally Return to Resting Rate

[Trbfan]

This is something that has scared me for the last 6 weeks, I dont know if its gone on longer but I've noticed it and monitored it since then. Anytime I get my heart rate up over 100 or do something physical it feels like it takes a very long time for my heart rate to come down and stay down to my normal resting levels. My normal resting level is between 65 and 72 bpm.

For example, I mowed the lawn last week. I put the mower up, came in and my pulse was 115, I kinda freaked out at that, because it had been 2-3 minutes before I checked it. Over the next hour it hardly came under 100, for the next 2-3 hours it stayed in the 80s and 90s, and it wouldnt come down into the 70s, and it feels like the slightest trigger would make it jump 8-10 beats.

Today I was doing a sim race, online..wheel, pedals, you drive. It can be adrenaline producing, but we had a 40 minute race with no breaks, I've had acid reflux or something the last two days and I can really feel my heart beating. I got done, sat calmly for 3-4 minutes, could still feel my heart pounding, I checked my pulse and it was 106, which is very high for me. I got up, because I figured the acid reflux is making it beat harder, I sat down calmly on my bed, and it just wouldnt come down. The lowest I could get it to was 84, the slightest trigger or breathing differently or moving or talking could shoot it into the high 90s. When im calm and its at its resting rate it does that.

I read your heart rate should come down 12 BPM per minute after an activity or there could be an issue, does that include all the way to 65-72 or is it normal for it to stay 10-15 bpm higher than usual? Also could acid reflux be contributing to it being like this and increasing my heart rate.

Its really bothering my anxiety.

[48tce]

ok i’ve had problems with my heartrate in the past and still do actually so i can give an answer.

no, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with your heartrate being faster than usual. it’s normal for it to be 10-15 bpm higher than usual. it’s because you’re noticing it that it’s harder for it to go back to normal resting rate. it’s also because of your anxiety over it. drink LOTS of water and don’t bother checking your bpm! the more you focus on it the faster it gets. if i focus on mine right now i can easily get my heartrate to shoot up into the 120s (i have a fast resting heartrate so 120s is normal for me, don’t be scared lol.)

[Trbfan]

I really hope thats it. I never see my heart rate go to extremely high levels, its just the annoying 10-15 beats over my resting rate that it always seems to sit at when I look at it. I also notice it seems to pick up bigtime if I bend over..maybe thats stomach issue related im not sure.

[ankietyjoe]

I used to have this all the time. When you suffer from anxiety and you're always stressed your body won't react to stress in the same way and it can take longer for the HR to come down again.

The answer for me was start working out quite vigorously. This forced my heart rate up over 120-140bpm twenty times or so over the period of an hour. At first it would take a long time for it to come back down, but it soon started improving. You just need to get used to your HR doing what it does.

Oh, and online sim racing is totally stressful!

I found that reflux can increase your heart rate due to the vagus nerve being stimulated.

Also, if you're worrying about your heart rate and checking that it hasn't come down as much as you thought it should, that can easily spike it another 15-20bpm for as long as you're checking.

[Trbfan]

I used to have this all the time. When you suffer from anxiety and you're always stressed your body won't react to stress in the same way and it can take longer for the HR to come down again.

The answer for me was start working out quite vigorously. This forced my heart rate up over 120-140bpm twenty times or so over the period of an hour. At first it would take a long time for it to come back down, but it soon started improving. You just need to get used to your HR doing what it does.

Oh, and online sim racing is totally stressful!

I found that reflux can increase your heart rate due to the vagus nerve being stimulated.

Also, if you're worrying about your heart rate and checking that it hasn't come down as much as you thought it should, that can easily spike it another 15-20bpm for as long as you're checking.

Now this sounds like me...A lot of people I tell this too I get "Go to the hospital" which makes it worse. Yea the last 6 months have been very bad with feeling sick overall and serious anxiety from feeling sick. I've been scared lately to try to get my heart rate up too much, plus my chest seems to just get ultra tense and almost makes my breathing feel weird it seems when I do.

This does seem to happen much more often when I have reflux. Reflux seems to freak out my entire nervous system if its bad enough.

Yea I know sim racing can be stressful..especially battling for wins like I was the last two nights when these issues kicked off.