IMAGE Business Club members on the small habits that have improved their productivity
IMAGE Business Club members on the small habits that have improved their productivity

Sarah Finnan

Tried & Tested: IMAGE staff shares their favourite hydration hero
Tried & Tested: IMAGE staff shares their favourite hydration hero

IMAGE

Weekend Guide: 9 of the best events happening across Ireland
Weekend Guide: 9 of the best events happening across Ireland

Sarah Gill

Co-founder of the Hygiene Hub Ciára Dalton: ‘I wanted to make a tangible difference’
Co-founder of the Hygiene Hub Ciára Dalton: ‘I wanted to make a tangible difference’

Sarah Finnan

Winter wreaths you can use year after year
Winter wreaths you can use year after year

Megan Burns

There’s a new hydration mist on the market, and it didn’t come to play
There’s a new hydration mist on the market, and it didn’t come to play

IMAGE

Long live Irish shopping: inside Irish boutiques
Long live Irish shopping: inside Irish boutiques

Sarah Finnan

Dr Caroline West’s guide to talking to your teenagers about consent
Dr Caroline West’s guide to talking to your teenagers about consent

Megan Burns

This Art Deco Donnybrook house has been adapted for multi-generational living
This Art Deco Donnybrook house has been adapted for multi-generational living

Megan Burns

Havana Boutique owner Nikki Creedon on subversive monochrome
Havana Boutique owner Nikki Creedon on subversive monochrome

Suzie Coen

Image / Self / Health & Wellness

Ask the Doctor: ‘My fitness tracker often tells me my heart rate is high, despite sitting at my desk or relaxing — should I be worried?’


By Sarah Gill
04th Jul 2023
Ask the Doctor: ‘My fitness tracker often tells me my heart rate is high, despite sitting at my desk or relaxing — should I be worried?’

All your burning health questions answered by the professionals.

“I’m a working mum with a busy job and three kids. I wear a fitness tracker to ensure I get my daily steps in. This often tells me my heart rate is high despite sitting at my desk or relaxing with my children, should I be worried?”


fitness tracker
Professor Robert Kelly

Answer from Professor Robert Kelly, consultant cardiologist and lifestyle medicine, Beacon Hospital.

Fitness trackers are by no means an exact science. While helpful for tracking steps and movement, medical expertise is needed when it comes to heart health. However, 10,000 people die from heart disease in Ireland each year, so if you are concerned, there are some simple questions to consider.

If your heart rate is reading higher, first ask yourself, how are you feeling? Are you feeling that your heart is racing? Does it feel irregular in rhythm, skipping, jumping? Is it making you short of breath, or are you feeling dizzy? Make a note of the fact that a healthy heart has a bpm of 70-90.

Next, you need to assess your lifestyle and hereditary factors. Are you feeling generally well? Do you smoke, and how much alcohol and coffee do you drink? What’s your diet and water intake like, are you overweight? Are you taking any medication, such as the contraceptive pill or HRT? Do you have an overactive thyroid, or is there a family history of things like atrial fibrillation or high blood pressure?

If you answer yes to some of these questions, it may be worth talking to your doctor, who can refer you to a cardiologist. You may need a heart tracing (ECG) monitor, blood pressure monitor, exercise stress test and ultrasound (echo), plus blood tests to check thyroid and blood count. All of these will help to rule out or identify any underlying issues.

If there are lifestyle issues, then there are simple practical guidelines that can help. As well as eating healthily and reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, exercise is very important. It sounds like you are getting your daily steps in which is great, but do not underestimate the heart health benefits of social exercise, such as walking with friends or team sports. Aim for 150 minutes per week.

Smoking and narcotics are an absolute no for heart health. Sleep and stress cannot be underestimated. It is a fact that sleeping for 6-8 hours each night reduces heart disease, while poor sleep increases heart rate. You mention you’re a mum, so no doubt have lots on your plate every day. Stress is a cause of heart problems and higher heart rates. Trying to do everything can lead to exhaustion and burnout.

A sudden lifestyle overhaul is not practical nor realistic. What small step can you do right now to help your heart and self-care? What is stopping you from making changes?

If you have any concerns about your heart health, reach out to your doctor or even share your stresses with your family/partner and start a conversation.

Have a question for the professionals you’d like answered? Get in touch with sarah.gill@image.ie with the subject headline ‘Ask The Doctor’.