Just imagine - every minute the heart muscle is able to distill up to 30 liters of blood throughout the body, and this is only with a normal and uniform heartbeat. The human heart is an organ that works every day without interruption so that people can continue their activities, so it’s quite possible to understand why for so many people it crashes so quickly. That is why people who have a strong heart rate, especially if it exceeds a hundred beats per minute, are so often prone to various heart diseases. Therefore, it is important for every person to know how to slow down the heartbeat at home with the help of not only medications, but also other methods.
Tachycardia and bradycardia
Cardiovascular diseases have long been considered one of the most dangerous to human life and health. In this age of eternal stress and carelessness about one’s own health, the heart becomes such a vulnerable organ that chronic diseases have become a completely natural occurrence. Concepts such as tachycardia have already become a part of everyday life of people whose pulse begins to go off the scale for normal numbers. Therefore, drugs that slow the heartbeat are so popular at the moment.
In a normal state, it is normal for a healthy person to have a pulse of 60 to 90 beats per minute. With such a rhythm, the heart wears out slowly, and therefore the risk of a disease is minimal. In turn, a slow heartbeat is called bradycardia.
The concept of tachycardia
An increased heart rate often occurs for a number of unpleasant reasons, such as severe stress, physical activity, and many others. When the pulse begins to exceed 90 beats, the heart muscle begins to work in an emergency mode, and therefore quickly wears out. All this leads to the development of diseases of the cardiovascular system. Such an overvoltage is very dangerous, because it leads to serious problems, especially for the elderly, who are already worn out.
Knowing how to slow your heart rate at home is important to every person, even if they are in good health. In order for the measures taken to have an effect, it should be understood for what reasons the pulse rises and falls.
Causes of Tachycardia
There are many reasons why a person has tachycardia. It is very important to distinguish which of them are pathological, and therefore require serious treatment, in contrast to the standard reaction to various stimuli.
It is normal when the heartbeat rises due to active physical work, brief stress or heavy consumption of caffeine or other energy drinks. However, in all other situations, we can say that the cause of the disease is a pathology that requires the intervention of doctors.
Various heart diseases can cause tachycardia - these include myocardial disease, deformation of the heart muscle or arterial hypertension. Heart defects or other birth defects can also cause an increased heart rate. However, the most common reason doctors consider vegetative-vascular dystonia.
In addition to these diseases, there are many other reasons, often not even related to the heart itself.
The concept of bradycardia
As soon as the pulse crosses the lower mark of 60 beats per minute, then no one has the question of how to slow down the heartbeat, since it is already minimal. However, bradycardia may not always mean a disease, since physically developed people, especially for high-level professional athletes, often have a heart rate of about 45 strokes. A slow heartbeat is also natural for sleeping - a pulse of about 50 is completely natural for a person who is gaining strength for a new day.
In this case, you should know that an ordinary person should worry if the heart rate is low, because often this can mean the presence of various diseases.
Causes of Slow Heartbeat
In addition to completely natural causes for a low heartbeat, quite often, for this symptom, it is possible to establish the presence of health problems. A slow heartbeat in a child and an adult can mean the presence of a number of diseases:
- infectious diseases like typhoid fever or hepatitis;
- severe injuries or pathological diseases affecting the brain and affecting the vasomotor center located in it;
- with violations of the blood supply to the heart, as well as other heart diseases like angina pectoris;
- ulcers affecting the duodenum or stomach;
- thyroid disease;
- severe pain or thermal shock to the body;
- long-term permanent neurosis;
- chest injuries can lead to bradycardia up to cardiac arrest;
- body intoxication with nicotine or lead;
- weakening of the body due to prolonged fasting or lack of nutrients from food.
Also, the cause is often taking certain medications and normal aging of the body. That is why it is important to listen to the appointment of a doctor who says what to do with a slow heartbeat in order to avoid possible complications.
Breathing exercises
With a very high pulse, the question immediately arises of how to slow down the heartbeat. In this case, simple breathing worked well. Moreover, it must be very deep. At first, such a method of breathing will be very inconvenient, but with time and practice it is quite easy to notice that slow breathing also gradually reduces the heart rate. Just take a deep breath for 5 seconds, then hold your breath for the same time period, and then exhale slowly and measuredly. Try to exhale so that all the air comes out of your lungs before taking a new breath.
Valsalva Test
When the question arises of how to slow down the heartbeat during excitement, it is best to try the Valsalva test. A similar method is directly connected to the nerve, which is responsible for controlling the pulse. It is better known as the vagus nerve. To carry out the procedure, you should simply inhale very deeply, and then strain the abdominal muscles in such a way as if you were pushing while sitting on the toilet. Hold in this position for about 5 seconds, then relax the whole body. If necessary, this procedure can be repeated several times until the heartbeat is stabilized.
Carotid test
In the throat area, immediately adjacent to the vagus nerve, there is a very important artery - the carotid artery. If you massage the throat in the area where this artery is located, then after such stimulation, the nerve will also begin to work, and therefore the pulse will also drop sharply.
Cold wash
The flow of cold water directly into the face of almost any person causes a "diving reflex." At such a moment, not only the heartbeat, but the whole organism begins to slow down automatically. You should continue to wash your face with cool water until it becomes noticeable that the pulse has decreased quite a lot.
Herbal teas
In addition to pills that slow the heartbeat, herbal teas have been shown to be highly effective in the fight against tachycardia. Now in pharmacies it’s quite simple to buy a good ready-made collection, which is designed specifically to solve the existing problem.
If you do not want to purchase a finished product, then you can compose it yourself at home. To do this, you need to mix a tablespoon of the following ingredients: motherwort, chopped fruits of hawthorn and rose hips, as well as a teaspoon of high-quality green tea. Pour them into a thermos, then pour half a liter of boiling water. Infuse the broth for 30 minutes, then strain. Tea should be taken at least 2 times a day for 3 weeks.
Medicines
As a rule, pills that calm the heartbeat are taken by patients who know their diagnosis - tachycardia, and therefore are obliged to promptly stop the attack that appeared. For this, the following preparations should be in the medicine cabinet:
1. Sedatives allow you to suppress your heart rate in about 20 minutes after use. After taking it, it is best to open the windows and lie on the bed to avoid the possibility of loss of consciousness.
2. Heart preparations - Corvalol, Valocordin and Valoserdin. All these drugs should be diluted in accordance with the instructions - 20-40 drops of the drug with 6 tablespoons of water. The resulting mixture must be drunk in one gulp. Phenobarbital and other plant-based substances help lower the pulse.
In addition to these drugs, in a difficult situation, tranquilizers, antipsychotics and ion channel blockers should be available. Also, depending on the diagnosis, the doctor may prescribe other means to quickly suppress tachycardia.
Prevention of tachycardia to reduce heart rate
If you use preventive measures, then gradually you can completely forget about the increased pulse. To do this, follow these instructions:
1. Go in for sports. Before starting classes, it is best to consult with your doctor about the best types of training. It is best to dwell on interval exercises.
2. Full sleep - any sleep disturbances often provoke an increase in heart rate by at least 10 beats per minute.
3. Take fish oil. Even one capsule per day for at least a couple of weeks can lower your heart rate.
4. Change your diet. Start gradually introducing foods that are good for your heart into your daily diet. These include sardines, salmon, green vegetables, whole grains, bananas, avocados, and a variety of nuts.
5. Learn to meditate or relax. At the same time, be sure to take your own pulse as an internal focus.