This has been bothering me for a while.
My resting heart rate is very fast. I’ve been relaxing in bed for about an hour now, and I’m reading about 90 beats per minutes.
That doesn’t seem normal, does it?
I’m 52 and well within my suggested BMI. I think my blood pressure is also chronically high. I’m a non-smoker, but I do like my booze.
Am I gonna die of a heart attack soon?
Has it always been that high?
There is a case of a world class distance runner who had a resting heart rate of 72 but his max HR was well above the norm also.
I think it gets higher with alcohol intake, but I’m not sure. I’ve had about 6 beers since 4:00 this afternoon. Not a tonne of booze.
I’m under a lot of stress lately though, and dying wouldn’t be good.
A quick Googling shows that alcohol is a factor in a high heart rate. Do you know what your normal RHR is?
I’m inclined to contact your doctor about this. Actually not me, you do it. 
Probably a good idea Pat. I attempted to see my doctor in January 3 times, and she cancelled on me on all three occasions. As a 50ish male I need to get in to see her.
I can’t take any time off work now for an appointment: perhaps September or October.
How long has it been this high? It could be a reaction to certain foods, that’s happened to me.
Do you know what your normal resting heart rate usually is?
Also, if you think your BP is high, see a doc soon. Not to alarm you, but hypertension has been called the silent killer. Former 49ers QB Joe Montana, about 10-15 years ago or so, made some public service announcements because his BP was high and he needed to take meds. He wanted guys to be aware, and he’s in great shape.
I wouldn’t delay in seeing a doc, ‘instead of perhaps next month or two’.
Good luck!
The Mayo Clinic says a resting heart rate of 60-100 is normal. (Heart rate: What's normal? - Mayo Clinic)
It just doesn’t sound like a big deal to me. Am I missing something?
You “think” your blood pressure is chronically high. You think or you know? Have you had it tested recently?
I have high blood pressure and have been on tablets for a while now. I gave up the smokes a few months back to try to bring it down before I ended up having a stroke. My BP now averages around 140/90 with medication and resting heart rate about 70.
If you can’t get to a Dr, get your BP tested. You must be able to go to a pharmacy or somewhere and use a machine. If you’re BP is high and you can’t get in to your doc, get to another one. Buy a home test machine if you can and monitor your BP at home.
I don’t know about your heart rate but please get your blood pressure checked, too. A forty year old friend of mine died in her sleep from untreated high blood pressure.
I’ll check out my BP in the next few days.
My doctor is amazingly hard to see. Good to know that “normal” heart rate can be in the 60-100 range.
Thanks Fuzzy.
Is this a whoosh? Why are doctors in North America seemingly so hard to get to see? I’ve seen other posters on this board say they have to wait 3-4 weeks for an appointment. Why? I can just about always get a next day appointment and most of the time same day if I call his office early in the morning.
Addressing the OP, I usually have a 72 bpm resting rate now that my blood pressure is controlled but it used to be around 80 when I smoked and had chronically high BP.
“Normal” heart rate depends on a bunch of factors. Some people naturally run high or low, whether or not you have blood pressure or circulation problems is a factor, a bunch of other stuff…
Basically, it’s not something that can be answered over the internet. You need to see a real doctor in real life.
What do you mean “your” doctor? If you have any physiological problems with your meat housing, you better go see a person educated on the medical sciences ASAP no matter who they are. They are all educated by the same system and waiting in line to see a particular individual when you have a clear abnormality is stupid.
That sure seems like a lot to me.
I had a resting pulse rate of 90 bpm for years and years. I smoked heavily during that time but finally quit and then it dropped to 80 bpm and stayed there for three decades more. My doctor at the time explained that generally speaking the better shape you’re in the lower your heart rate will be, and that professional athletes often have heart rates in the mid-40s. Still I did nothing in the way of exercise and my heart rate stayed at 80 bpm.
Then a year and a half ago I began riding a bicycle regularly and now my heart rate is down to 64 bpm, so my suggestion is that you begin a program of cardio. I chose bicycling because it’s an enjoyable way to exercise that isn’t repetitive and boring, but any type of cardio will bring your heart rate down and make you healthier.
They are hard to see if you are either booking a routine physical or tell the receptionist “it’s no rush”. If you call for an urgent need, you can get same/next day.
Each time my doctor check my pulse, it’s above 80 (and my blood pressure is low), so I was surprised the OP was worried.
Great suggestion! The original poster is obviously under a lot of stress if he can’t take off work long enough to see a Doctor until September. Bicycling every day for at least 45 minutes will relieve the stress load and likely will bring down the heart rate considerably. Still, the best advice is to see a Doctor immediately and get a professional opinion.
I don’t think 90bpm is that high, but I’ll echo what everyone else here is saying and tell you to see your doc and get your blood pressure tested when you can.
My resting heart rate is around 40-50BPM (usually 42 or 43ish) and I am not really an athlete or anything. Sleeping I’m sure it drops even lower. My boyfriend’s is around 80. Ours are both fine, which goes to show that there can be a big variance in what is considered normal, on both the high and low ends.
But I do think seeing a doctor and getting a clean bill of health (or making whatever necessary lifestyle adjustments/medications the doc recommends) will help you out with the anxiety.
This.
If you currently don’t exercise, why not start with a 15 minute walk every day, before work, after lunch or after dinner? Cycling is also great but you need a bike and safe paths/roads.