Higher heart rate when it's hot?
How temperatures affect heartbeat – athletes should know a rule
Created: 08/09/2022, 06:40
By: Juliane Gutmann
The sun is shining: In summer, training is more fun for most people than in winter.
But high temperatures can put immense strain on our body and increase the pulse rate.
The sun worshipers among us can't get enough of summer.
Finally, no longer put on an annoying jacket until the dolls sit outside and fill up the stamp cards in the ice cream parlor: a dream for many that should ideally never come to an end.
But the hot months also have their downsides.
For example, the risk of getting heat stroke increases enormously.
And circulatory problems also increase when the thermometer rises above 30 degrees Celsius.
In order to compensate for the heat, our body has all sorts of regulatory mechanisms up its sleeve.
Sweat glands secrete fluid to cool the body down.
Heat also causes blood vessels to dilate.
As a result, more blood gets into the skin, which means that the body's own heat is released into the environment.
Dilated blood vessels also cause blood pressure to drop.
And that can lead to potentially dangerous circulatory problems.
Therefore, people with cardiovascular diseases and the elderly in particular should check their blood pressure regularly and discuss any abnormalities with their doctor.
Where blood pressure can drop in the heat, many report an increased heart rate in summer.
Read below what that can mean.
Is your heart rate higher during exercise during the summer months?
You are not alone in this.
© B. Leitner/Imago
The optimal pulse: This value should not be cracked
What does "pulse" actually mean?
The German Heart Foundation defines it as follows: “The pulse is the pulse waves that can be measured per minute in the arteries – mostly on the wrist.
They are caused by the movement of blood, which is pushed against the walls of the arteries with every heartbeat.
As a rule, the pulse corresponds to the heart rate, i.e. the heartbeat per minute".
The optimal resting heart rate for a healthy adult is 60 to 70 beats per minute, according to Dr.
Barbara Richartz, resident cardiologist in Munich, explains in the Apotheken Umschau interview.
“The resting heart rate is something very individual.
But as long as it's below 90 beats per minute, that's fine," the heart expert continued.
If the heart beats more than 100 times per minute in an adult, doctors speak of tachycardia,
In general, according to Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, the lower the pulse, the better, as long as it does not drop below 50.
Even a resting heart rate of more than 70 beats per minute is associated with a 60 percent higher risk of premature death.
Causes of high heart rate
An increased heart rate can have various causes.
These include:
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Heat stroke can be accompanied by severe thirst, dizziness, confusion, headaches and a rapid pulse, as the Wels-Grieskirchen Clinic informs.
Fever can also increase the heart rate.
Rising body temperature causes the blood vessels to dilate.
The heart has to beat faster to keep blood pressure from dropping.
"An increase in temperature by one degree Celsius increases the resting heart rate by 10 to 15 beats," quotes the Apotheken Umschau Dr.
Barbara Richartz, cardiologist in Munich.
As the Apotheken Umschau further informs, stress can release hormones in the body that accelerate the pulse rate.
Physical exertion usually causes blood pressure and heart rate to rise.
In healthy adults, however, the values fall back to a normal level after training.
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Rapid heart rate during exercise: Heat increases risk
Exercising in the heat can be problematic.
Namely when the pulse is driven too high.
Background: In addition to the good blood circulation in the skin, the heart and other muscles also receive a lot of blood during sport.
The heart rate increases as a result, so a higher pulse in the heat is normal, according to the special topic "Running in Summer" on the runnersworld website.
It is important during training in the heat that the training is stopped immediately at the slightest sign of headache, dizziness or circulatory problems.
Also important: Use your pulse as a guide.
This should not exceed your individual stress heart rate, including training heart rate.
You don't know your optimal heart rate?
On the pages of the practice for cardiology and prevention by Thomas Gamm and Dr.
Franziska Bruhn in Berlin-Zehlendorn called the rule of thumb for calculating the training heart rate, which can serve as a guide: 180 minus age.
