Heart rate is a common concern, and there are people who consult about heart rate, “heart rate is too fast”, “the total number of heartbeats in a person’s life is a fixed number, whoever beats first goes first”, and “people die naturally because the total number of heartbeats is a fixed number, and whoever beats first goes first”. There are also people who have heard that “the total number of heartbeats is a fixed number, and whoever beats first goes first”, “people die of natural aging because the total number of heartbeats is a fixed number, and they die after reaching this fixed number”, “the heart gets bigger as it beats”, “the risk of myocardial infarction increases when the heart rate is fast”, and so on. “etc. There are also people who consult the “slow heart rate”. So heart rate is really a problem that you can’t get rid of. The heart beats in rhythm every second, and the heart beats in the sinus node, which is located in the right atrium of the human body, and every time the sinus node is excited, it produces a heartbeat. The heart rate is governed by two autonomic nerves: sympathetic nerve and vagus nerve. Sympathetic nerve excitation leads to a faster heart rate, and conversely, vagus nerve excitation leads to a slower heart rate, both in a dynamic balance. There are many misconceptions about heart rate, mainly in the following five areas. (1) Myth 1 of heart rate: I am tachycardic if my heart rate is fast as indicated by the electrocardiogram at the hospital. In fact, the so-called heart rate, in the eyes of our cardiologists, mainly refers to the resting heart rate. What is resting heart rate? The resting heart rate is the heart rate measured in the morning after waking up in the right temperature environment, lying in bed, without stimulation such as activity and stress. The popular wrist-type heart rate monitor (see below) can measure resting heart rate. Many people mistake the heart rate obtained from an EKG at the hospital for the resting heart rate, and feel that their heart rate is too fast, so they become anxious and nervous, which then leads to a vicious cycle. In fact, the human heart rate can be greater than 100 beats per minute under tension, fear, stress and various diseases such as fever, hyperthyroidism, respiratory insufficiency, etc. After correcting these external factors, the heart rate can be reduced to the normal range. (2) Myth 2 of heart rate: The heart rate of a normal person is 60-100 beats per minute. My heart rate is normal as long as it is in this range. This is also not true, the ideal heart rate should be 50-70 beats/min. If the heart rate is too fast for a long time, the chances of getting cardiovascular disease in the future are also more than those with a slow resting heart rate, and the mortality rate is also high. Patients with coronary artery disease and heart failure, the control of heart rate is more strict, requiring the best resting heart rate should be at 55-60 beats per minute, studies have shown that the resting heart rate of these patients exceeds 75 beats per minute, the mortality rate increases significantly. (3) Myth 3 of heart rate: My heart rate is less than 60 beats, my heart is not normal, which means my heart is weak. Some athletes can have a heart rate as low as 60 beats per minute or even 40 beats per minute, which is actually normal. I remember seeing a 16-year-old child in the clinic before, complaining of a slow heart rate of just over 40 beats, and after careful history taking, the child did not have any special discomfort, much less black syncope. At that time, I asked the child to go for an ECG first and told him, “After the ECG, you climb the stairs in our hospital for a few round trips and then come back.” The child’s EKG indicated a heart rate of only 47 beats per minute, sinus, but I simultaneously and immediately auscultated the heart rate for a full minute with a heart rate of 100 beats. I then told the child and parents that the slow heart rate is fine, as long as it can get up fast after exercise, it means that the sinus node is functioning normally and the heart reserve function is normal, instead it is a sign of a strong heart. So there’s no need to worry about it, and there’s no need for a pacemaker. So a slow heart rate, as long as there is no syncope or precursor to syncope, dizziness and lightheadedness, shortness of breath or chest pain, etc. A slow heart rate, on the contrary, means that your heart is strong enough and you don’t need to ensure the output per minute of your heart by speeding up your heart rate. However, once the above symptoms appear, you must go to a regular hospital cardiology department for consultation. (4) Heart Rate Myth #4: Irregular heart rhythm means heart disease When the heart beats irregularly, people usually have palpitations, such as the feeling of a missed heartbeat or a feeling of an accelerated heartbeat, which could be an arrhythmia such as premature beats, atrial fibrillation, or just tachycardia. In most cases, these feelings of palpitations are non-fatal, so don’t be anxious in the first place. Look for the following causes: alcohol, coffee, strenuous exercise, stress, dehydration, effects of medications, fever, abnormal thyroid function, smoking, poor diet. So irregular heart rhythm does not mean heart disease. (5) Myth 5 of heart rate: If my heart rate is normal, it means my blood pressure must be normal. There are times when your heart rate and blood pressure can rise at the same time, such as when you exercise, get angry and get sad. But heart rate and blood pressure are not always the same, your heart rate is normal does not mean that your blood pressure must be normal, blood pressure can also rise or fall. So even if your heart rate is normal, you should monitor your blood pressure regularly. It’s true that a slower heart rate is better! Studies have shown that the life expectancy of animals, especially mammals, is related to heart rate. Rats with a heart rate close to 200 beats per minute live an average of only about one year, while whales with a heart rate of only 20-30 beats live for at least several decades. Some people say that the heart rate of turtles is slow, so turtles live longer. There is a legend that the number of heartbeats is fixed for a human lifetime, about 1 billion, so people with a slow heart rate live longer, which is inaccurate. Heart rate does have a certain inverse relationship with life expectancy, the faster the heart rate, the shorter the life expectancy, and this rule applies in the mammalian world. However, the fact that heart rate is important does not mean that heart rate is the only factor that determines life expectancy, which is related to genetic inheritance, environment, psychology, various diseases and accidents. Moreover, human heart rate is not static and can be improved by improving lifestyle to achieve an optimal heart rate. Within a certain range, it can be said that “the slower the heart rate, the healthier the heart”. So how can we keep our heart healthy? (2) Good lifestyle habits: no harsh tea, no caffeinated beverages, no smoking, no hard liquor, no late nights, and proper weight; (3) Mediterranean diet: more foods with high unsaturated fatty acid and dietary fiber content, less foods with high saturated fatty acid content. (4) Long-term regular exercise: such as jogging, brisk walking, etc. Yoga and tai chi are especially recommended. I followed my master to play taijiquan for 10 years, playing taiji for a long time, unconsciously have a “taiji spirit”, such as the world, calm, less frustration and irritability, it is easy to achieve “mental balance”. At the same time, playing Tai Chi also helps to inhibit sympathetic excitation and increase vagal excitation, thus slowing down the heart rate and keeping the heart healthy. After correcting the above factors, if the heart rate is still fast, it is recommended to go to the hospital and take heart rate slowing medication if necessary.