Is your heartbeat racing during walking? Know what it means for your heart health

 Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/health-wellness

Dr. T S Kler warns that rapid heartbeats, chest pain, nausea, and shortness of breath while walking may indicate heart issues.

Many may not know this but if your heartbeats race or you experience some discomfort while walking, it could be a fairly good indication of the status of your heart health.

What one has to watch out for is if the rapid heartbeats linger long enough, happen frequently and are accompanied by chest pain, nausea, shortness of breath, sweating and anxiety.

What are signs to watch out for during walking?

If you get chest pain, particularly behind the sternum, left or right side of the chest, left arm or right arm, jaw, a nagging discomfort between the scapula (shoulder blade) and the back, fluttering heartbeat or a tightness while walking – all of which vanish when you stop moving – then you possibly have a blockage in your coronary artery.

If you’re able to do brisk walking, which is classified as a moderate-intensity physical activity, without chest pain, palpitations or tightness or difficulty breathing, this means that your heart is normally supplying your body with the oxygenated blood it needs.

What to make of palpitations?

Sometimes you may develop palpitation, have a rapid heartbeat and an increased heart rate while doing even mild activities like walking. That could mean either of two things. First, it could be that you have been leading a sedentary life and your body has not yet acclimatised itself to exercise. So your heart has to work more to produce the same result. But sometimes palpitations can happen in an active person too when there is narrowing of the aortic valve. You could have rapid fluttering heartbeats, difficulty walking short distances and maybe unable to do activities you once did. This could mean that some damage has already happened.

What about breathlessness during walking and talking?

This is a dual activity and hence more energy is required. Talking interferes with your respiratory processes when you are walking simultaneously. This doesn’t always indicate heart disease.

What is palpitation at rest?

The normal resting heart rate for adults is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Lower is even better because it indicates your heart muscle is in good condition and doesn’t have to work as hard to pump blood. Usually, athletes with a disciplined physical activity routine have a low resting heart rate. But if the resting heart rate is higher, you would feel exhausted before completing regular activities. This could be a sign of heart disease such as heart failure or leaking heart valves.

What should you do when the above signs show up?

I would advise consulting a cardiologist immediately and not wait for the symptoms to go away or dismiss them as nothing. Also, do the tests as advised. These could include an electrocardiogram, Holter monitoring, echocardiogram or a CT scan. Once the heart problem is identified, then the cardiologist will suggest the best intervention. After that the patient can get back to exercising according to customised protocols for cardiac rehabilitation.