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Is Resting Heart Rate Of 120 Bpm Dangerous?
Question: Is resting heart rate of 120 bpm dangerous? I am detoxing from alcohol.
Hello and thanks for posting the query
First of all I appreciate your decision for omitting alcohol. Resting heart rate 120 bpm is little high and we have to investigate for the cause. In most of the patients this is due to stress or anxiety due to alcohol detoxing. As you are recording it manually or by nursing staff at a particular time and not continuous, you have to be sure that this rate is constant. Get your 24 hrs Holter study done and rule out whether this is related to your heart or stress. The medications like beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers are effective in treating these types of symptoms.
Hypothyroidism can also be a cause for tachycardia and you have it, check your present value of thyroid function test and get treated.
Although these type of episodes are not life-threatening and resolve by it own unless you have a valvular disease but treated is needed for that. Avoid stress as much as you can and keep yourself relaxed either by exercise, yoga or meditation. Check whether it has some effect on your heart rate or not. If it works than, surely it is not related to your heart. Else you have to consult your cardiologist and get some investigations like Echocardiography and holter study done.
Hope I have answered your query. Write back if you have other related queries.
Best Wishes
Dr. Kulbir Singh
First of all I appreciate your decision for omitting alcohol. Resting heart rate 120 bpm is little high and we have to investigate for the cause. In most of the patients this is due to stress or anxiety due to alcohol detoxing. As you are recording it manually or by nursing staff at a particular time and not continuous, you have to be sure that this rate is constant. Get your 24 hrs Holter study done and rule out whether this is related to your heart or stress. The medications like beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers are effective in treating these types of symptoms.
Hypothyroidism can also be a cause for tachycardia and you have it, check your present value of thyroid function test and get treated.
Although these type of episodes are not life-threatening and resolve by it own unless you have a valvular disease but treated is needed for that. Avoid stress as much as you can and keep yourself relaxed either by exercise, yoga or meditation. Check whether it has some effect on your heart rate or not. If it works than, surely it is not related to your heart. Else you have to consult your cardiologist and get some investigations like Echocardiography and holter study done.
Hope I have answered your query. Write back if you have other related queries.
Best Wishes
Dr. Kulbir Singh
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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