What Does it Mean to Have Sinus Tachycardia?

Sinus tachycardia is a condition, in which a person experiences faster heart rhythm than what it should be in the usual case. This article discusses what it means to have sinus tachycardia. Our heart generally has a natural pacemaker, which is usually called a sinus node. The function of the sinus node is to generate the electrical impulse, which in turn moves through the muscles of the heart and cause the heartbeat. Generally, the electrical impulse generates at a rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute. This normal condition is called normal sinus rhythm. Sometimes this rate is more than 100 beats per minute and such a situation is called sinus tachycardia.

If you are wondering what does it mean to have sinus tachycardia, you need to understand the symptoms of sinus tachycardia and the condition in which they occur. The patient mainly experiences sinus tachycardia, when performing some strenuous activity such as exercise or heavy weight lifting. A person may also experience these symptoms when suffering from anxiety or depression or any kind of emotional distress or when suffering from fever. A person may also experience sinus tachycardia when taking some medication or when the heart muscles get stimulated due to the consumption of caffeine, nicotine or alcohol. When a person takes cocaine or any other kind of recreational drugs he may also experience the symptoms of sinus tachycardia.

Sinus tachycardia is not a serious disease as, in this disorder, only the heartbeat becomes faster than the normal rate. In some cases, the rate of heartbeat remains higher even when the person is sleeping or resting. However, it is not a good symptom to have sinus tachycardia as it may cause serious complication to the heart of the patient.
Some of the common symptoms of sinus tachycardia are:

• Shortness of breath
• Lightheadedness
• Rapid pulse rate
• Heart palpitation
• Chest pain
• Fainting

Some patients do not experience these common symptoms even when suffering from sinus tachycardia. Sinus tachycardia is detected in them only when they go for physical examination such as Electrocardiograms (ECG).

Although sinus tachycardia is not a serious disorder, it may put a strain on the heart or can damage the tissue of the heart. It may increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, anemia, sleeping apnea, thyroid, etc.

Apart from that, there are certain complications and risk factors associated with sinus tachycardia, which include

• It may lead to a blood clot, which can increase the risk of a heart attack.
• It may also cause an inability to pump enough blood to the heart which can ultimately lead to heart failure.
• It may cause frequent faintness or unconsciousness.
• It may also lead to ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation due to which sudden death may take place to the patient.

Some studies suggest that prolonged elevated heart rate, which is sinus tachycardia is a risk factor for adverse cardiac events and poor subarachnoid hemorrhage.¹

You should not take the symptoms of sinus tachycardia lightly. It is essential to take some precaution for eliminating the risk of sinus tachycardia.

The following are some precaution that you should take to avoid the symptoms of sinus tachycardia:

• Doing regular exercise and taking healthy diet.
• Maintaining a healthy weight.
• Keeping the level of blood pressure and cholesterol under control.
• Quit smoking and alcohol.
• Avoiding recreational drugs.
• Limiting the use of caffeine
• Controlling the level of stress.
• Doing scheduled checkup at a regular interval of time.

Now that you are aware of what it means to have sinus tachycardia, you can discuss any related symptoms with your physician. Sinus tachycardia may not be serious but it is mostly seen that when a patient suffers from a serious disorder like cardiac problems, high blood pressure, diabetes, anemia, etc. Thus, you should be very careful and if you ever feel the symptoms of sinus tachycardia seek medical opinion to diagnose your condition. Moreover, it is also important to change your lifestyle and take some precaution for eliminating the symptoms of sinus tachycardia.

References:

Also Read:

• Is Sinus Tachycardia Serious?| What Medications Are Used to Treat Sinus Tachycardia?
• What is Sinus Tachycardia in Pregnancy: Causes, Symptoms, Treatment, Prevention