Thank you for your question and it’s certainly interesting from a physiological perspective.
The “normal” heart rate ranges from 60-100bpm in the average person, it in those who are physically active and very fit it can go as low as 40-50bpm. An elevated heart rate can be due to many different reasons and broadly speaking we can classify it into those within the heart or outside of the heart.
Causes within the heart can be due to an issue with the normal electrical conduction, leading to an elevation in the rate. In older folk a common cause might be atrial fibrillation (AF), whereas in a younger patient you might consider something like Wolf-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome. It’s beyond this reply to go into any great depth, but perhaps you could read around these two. Needless to say there are other reasons and conditions that can either cause these problems or occur simultaneously with them.
Beyond the heart, there could be an issue with the vagus nerve (which normally slows down the heart) or there could be overstimulation of the heart either from the adrenal glands or an external source.
Also, as you haven’t mentioned how high your heart rate is or when you are getting it, if it’s when you are doing any activity, it might be that it’s due to a lack of fitness.
As you can see there are many different reasons for an elevated heart rate, it more importantly we need to know whether your a compromised as a result ie do you experience dizziness, lightheadedness etc.
If you are concerned, I would suggested seeing a GP in the first instance followed by a cardiologist. If it’s related to exercise, it might be worth consulting a sports physician and they can look at you from more wholistic perspective.
I hope this helps.
Bw
Dr Dinesh
