How do you slow your resting heart rate

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People with resting heart rates of over 100 beats per minute (bpm) have a 78 percent greater risk of developing heart disease. If your heart beats too quickly when resting, it could signal that you're in poor physical shape or that you're significantly stressed out. Additionally, if you experience a very high heart rate, it is imperative that you take steps to slow it down! Follow the methods for temporarily lowering a "high" or "very-high" heart rate. Then improve it permanently with physical conditioning.

Extreme caution: this could be tachycardia, which can be involved in a kind of heart attack needing immediate, emergency medical attention.

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   Practice slow deep breathing. Although it may seem difficult, lowering your breathing speed will help to lower your heart rate. Take a breath for 5-8 seconds, hold it for 3-5 seconds, and then exhale slowly for a count of 5-8 seconds. Focus on exhaling completely to reduce your heart rate.[1]

   • Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique. This is when you inhale to the count of 4, hold for the count of 7, and then exhale to the count of 8 while making a "whoosh" sound. Repeat the exercise 3 or more times.[2]

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   Perform vagal nerve stimulation. This stimulates the vagus nerve which is responsible for controlling your heart rate. To do this, try the valsalva maneuver, after taking a deep breath, strain the muscles in your abdomen the same way you would to give a bowel movement. Hold the pressure for five seconds, and then let go. You may have to do this multiple times to get the desired effect. Other ways to stimulate the vagus nerve include:[3]

   • Coughing
   • Gagging yourself with your finger
   • Holding your knees up to your chest

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   Do the carotid (ka-rah-ted) maneuver. The carotid artery runs down your throat next to the vagal nerve. Give the artery a gentle massage with your fingertips to help stimulate the neighboring nerve into slowing your heart rate down.[4]

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   Splash yourself with cold water. Pour ice water onto your face to stimulate the dive reflex, responsible for slowing down your metabolism. Keep adding ice water to your face until you notice a drop in your heart rate.[5]

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   Take a beta blocker medication. If you experience an incredibly high heart rate frequently over time, you can get a prescription for heart rate lowering medications from your doctor, such as a beta blocker. Set up a meeting with your doctor to determine the cause of your elevated heart rate. Your doctor can help you decide on the best treatment option and whether medication is the right plan for you.[6]

   • Beta blockers have several potential side effects, which may include dizziness, fatigue, and weakness. People who have asthma should not take beta blockers.

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   Check with your doctor to what extent it's okay to exercise vigorously. Intense exercise is not the first step, but work up to more vigorous exercise. Short bursts of energetic effort, such as running short dashes, interspaced with relaxing to not lose your breath, called interval training, improves your heart's efficiency by about 10 percent more than the usual aerobic exercise done at a steady pace.

   • Build up until you're performing at your maximum, safe heart rate for the last interval, then you can cool down. Change up your routine periodically -- pace, machine, incline plane, stairs, weights, dance, water, route, hills -- to make your heart pump blood more effectively with fewer beats.
   • For runners: If you run on a treadmill, use the interval setting. If you run outdoors or on an indoor track, then warm up for 5 minutes. Then run fast for 1 minute and jog slowly for 1 minute. Repeat the interval 6 or 8 times before cooling down for 5 minutes.
   • For swimmers: Swim ten 50-yard freestyles, resting for 15 seconds between each pair of swims. As you swim, swim aerobically, raising your heart rate but not raising it too much, not swimming too hard so that you become really out of breath.[7]
   • On the bike: Warm up for 90 seconds. Then, pedal at a moderate energy burst for 30 seconds. Slow back down to a cardio rate for 90 seconds before performing another energy burst for 30 seconds. Each 30-second energy burst should be more intense than the last.[8]

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   Get plenty of good sleep. Wear earplugs, if you need to reduce the noise levels in your room. Sleep disturbances from noise can increase your heart rate as much as 13 bpm.

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   Empty your bladder regularly. People who hold their urine until their bladder is really full will increase their heart rates by as much as 9 bpm. A really full bladder increases sympathetic nervous system activity, which constricts blood vessels and forces your heart to beat faster.

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   Take a fish oil capsule. Even better, take calamari oil [squid] which is much richer in DHA, a most important type of omega-3. Dr Oz recommends taking "daily fish oil or some other source of omega-3 with at least 600mg of DHA" A single daily fish oil capsule may reduce your heart rate by as much as 6 bpm within as little as 2 weeks. Researchers think that fish oil helps the heart to respond better to your vagus nerve, which regulates your heart rate.[9]

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   Change your diet. Eat heart-healthy foods which help your body to regulate its heart rate. Try eating more salmon, sardines or mackerel, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, nuts, and foods high in potassium like bananas and avocados.[10]

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   Give and get more hugs! Frequent hugs are linked to lower blood pressure and higher levels of oxytocin, which might help to reduce your heart rate. Give hugs to your loved ones often to reap the potential benefits to your health.[11]

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   Spend time in nature. Being outdoors in green spaces can help to lower your heart rate and blood pressure, and it provides a wide range of other health benefits as well, such as reducing stress, improving your mood, and boosting your immune system. Even if you can only get outside for 5 minutes, this may help to improve your health.[12]

   • Try taking a brisk walk in a park or go for a long hike over the weekend.

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1. 

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   Lie down and relax. Lie down on a comfortable surface such as your bed or your couch. If there is no comfortable surface to lie upon, then try sitting in a relaxed position.

   • Make sure that the room is quiet and comfortable. If your view from your window is chaotic, then close your curtains or your blinds.
   • Relax your muscles. Stay in this position and allow your heart rate to slow at its own pace.
   • If you have been in 1 position for a while, switch! Try sitting or lying down if you have been standing. Your blood pressure changes when you change position and this may also affect your heart rate.[13]

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   Concentrate on pleasing mental imagery. Calm your mind and body by using guided visualization and imagining places that make you happy. For instance, you can think about a beautiful mural, a scene from nature, or a daydream that you would find relaxing.

   • Find a print or a photo of something that makes you feel relaxed. You can sit on your bed in a meditative posture and gaze at the picture to try to calm your mind and body.
   • Write in a journal about a place you love to visit or a place in which you feel very at peace. Then, close your journal and picture the place in your mind, allowing the calm to wash over you.

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   Learn to meditate. Place your internal focus on the beating of your heart. Try to use the power of your concentration to slow down your heart rate.

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   Breathe slowly. Try some of these techniques to use breathing to calm your heart rate:

   • Abdominal breathing: While you're sitting down, place your hand over your stomach just below your ribcage. Inhale through your nose, allowing your belly to move your hand out while your chest stays still. Then, exhale through pursed lips as though you were whistling, using your hand to push the air out of your belly. Repeat as often as needed.[14]
   • Alternate nostril breathing: Start inhaling through your left nostril, pushing your right nostril closed with your thumb, over a count of 4. Close both nostrils and hold your breath for 16 counts. Exhale out of the right nostril for 8 counts, and then inhale through the right nostril for 4 counts. Hold your breath for another 16 seconds, and exhale through your left nostril for 8 counts. Yoga practitioners believe this brings both sides of your brain into balance and calms your mind and body.

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   Get a massage. Getting a regular massage or reflexology treatment may lower your heart rate by as much as 8 bpm. Pay to have a professional massage, or have a loved one perform a massage on you.

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   Cut caffeine out of your daily routine. Caffeine raises your blood pressure and your heart rate. The increase is temporary, but it can be dramatic depending on how much caffeine you consume. You may want to avoid caffeine altogether if you struggle with high blood pressure.[15]

   • Try switching to decaffeinated coffee and tea if this is part of your morning ritual.

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Add New Question

• Question

  What is the best way for someone with severe COPD to lower heart rate?

  

  Dr. Deutsch is a board certified Cardiac Anesthesiologist in Boise, Idaho. He completed his residency at the Mayo Clinic and his fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. He is a member of the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and SOAP (Society of Obstetrical Anesthesia and Perinatology).

  

  Board Certified Cardiac Anesthesiologist

  Expert Answer

  If using strategies like deep breathing, meditating, and even just resting have not worked for you, then you should have a conversation with your doctor. He/she may refer you to pulmonary rehabilitation where you can condition your body in a supervised and controlled setting. Otherwise, he/she may prescribe a medication that does not interfere with your lung disease.

• Question

  What is a good heart rate for an elderly female?

  

  Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

  

  Master's Degree, Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville

  Expert Answer

  While heart rate varies among individuals and with age, 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest is considered normal for anyone over the age of 18. Depending on your health, medications, and physical conditioning your heart rate may vary.

• Question

  How can I decrease my heart rate if I was on blood pressure medication and have stopped taking it?

  

  Luba Lee, FNP-BC is a board certified Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) and educator in Tennessee with over a decade of clinical experience. Luba has certifications in Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Emergency Medicine, Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), Team Building, and Critical Care Nursing. She received her Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of Tennessee in 2006.

  

  Master's Degree, Nursing, University of Tennessee Knoxville

  Expert Answer

  First, discuss your concerns with your medical provider before you decide on any course of action it is important to consult a professional who knows your medical history, conditions and is familiar with your current state of health. Physical activity, stress reduction, yoga, meditation, breathing techniques and avoiding caffeinated beverages can all help you with keeping your heart strong and your heart rate within a normal range.

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• Talk to your doctor about heart rate variability biofeedback.[16] During a biofeedback session, you're hooked up to electrical sensors that allow you to observe your heart rate. Then, you can work on slowing your heart rate down with your mind to increase your lung capacity, lower your blood pressure and decrease stress.

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• Make sure you breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth.

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• Other factors that may increase the risk of tachycardia include:

  • Older age. Aging-related wear on the heart may lead to developing tachycardia.
  • Family. If you have a family history of heart rhythm disorders, you may have greater risks of tachycardia.

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• Risk of tachycardia. Any condition straining or damaging the heart can increase your risk. Medical treatment may decrease the risk of tachycardia from the following factors:[17]

  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Smoking
  • Heavy alcohol use
  • Heavy caffeine use
  • Use of recreational drugs
  • Psychological stress or anxiety

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• If your resting heart rate is rapid, you may not notice it unless you're experiencing dizziness, shortness of breath, fainting or a sensation of fluttering or "flopping" or pain in your chest, you may be experiencing tachycardia.

  Extreme caution: If the experience lasts more than a few minutes, you need to call 9-1-1 or head to the emergency room.

  Otherwise, if it is of a shorter duration, schedule a doctor's appointment as soon as possible.[18]

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Article SummaryX

To quickly slow your heart rate down when it’s very high, take a deep breath for 5-8 seconds, hold it for 3-5 seconds, and exhale for 5-8 seconds. Repeat the deep breaths until you feel your heart rate slowing. You can also place your index and pointer finger on the side of your neck and rub in small circular motions to massage your carotid artery and stimulate your vagus nerve. Some people also find that lightly splashing their face with cold water can slow their heart rate. If your heart rate won’t slow down, seek medical attention immediately. To learn more from our Medical Review Board co-author, such as how to improve your overall heart rate through diet and exercise, keep reading!

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  "Woke up with a heart as of 114. Did recommended steps and ate a banana. It lowered ate to 96."

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