Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsSinus Rhythm vs. Heart RateNormal Sinus RhythmAbnormal Sinus RhythmBradycardiaTachycardiaTreatment
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Sinus Rhythm vs. Heart Rate
Normal Sinus Rhythm
Abnormal Sinus Rhythm
Bradycardia
Tachycardia
Treatment
However, the sinus rhythm can sometimes become irregular, referred to assinus arrhythmia, and cause the heart to beat too slowly or too rapidly.
This article explains how the sinus rhythm regulates heartbeats. It also discusses how different arrhythmias occur, including their various causes and symptoms.
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Sinus rhythm is the pattern of your heartbeat. Heart rate is the number of times the heart beats per minute. A normal sinus rhythm is associated with a heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
What Is a Normal Sinus Rhythm?
These impulses are what appear as up-and-down patterns of anelectrocardiogram (ECG). With a normal sinus rhythm (NSR), the pattern will be uniform with high and low impulses falling within “normal” parameters.
The pattern of electrical impulses reflects the way that the chambers normally beat to allow blood in and out of the heart. There are two sets of heart chambers:
The sinus node consists of a group of cells called pacemaker cells that are clustered in the right atrium of the heart. These cells produce electrical impulses that cause heart chambers to contract and relax in order so that blood can move through the heart as follows:
When Is a Sinus Rhythm Abnormal?
An abnormal rhythm is one in which the rate of firing is irregular and either too slow, too quick, or erratic.
When heart rate becomes too slow it is known as bradycardia and when it’s too fast it is known as tachycardia.
Is Sinus Arrhythmia Serious?Sinus arrhythmia can sometimes be so brief that the overall rhythm isn’t greatly affected. But some, like those that produce shortness of breath or dizziness, may point to serious conditions.
Is Sinus Arrhythmia Serious?
Sinus arrhythmia can sometimes be so brief that the overall rhythm isn’t greatly affected. But some, like those that produce shortness of breath or dizziness, may point to serious conditions.
What Is Bradycardia?
There are a number of circumstances in which it is normal for the sinus rhythm to be at the low end of the range of beats per minute. A slow heart rate is referred to asbradycardia.
Causes
Sinus bradycardia can occur normally during sleep, when most people experience a dip in heart rate to below 60 beats per minute. Trained athletes can have resting heart rates in the 40s even while awake.
Bradycardia may also be related to health problems that directly or indirectly affect the normal sinus rhythm. These include:
Other medicationscan also influence the heart rate, such as beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, and digoxin.
Symptoms
A slow heart rhythm without symptoms is usually no cause for concern. However, when the heartbeat becomes too slow to pump enough blood throughout the body, treatment may be needed. This may include the use of apacemaker.
If your heart rate is too slow while awake, you may have a disorder called sinus node disease orsick sinus syndrome. Symptoms include:
How Symptomatic Bradycardia Is Treated
What Is Tachycardia?
Sinus rhythm that is abnormally fast is referred to as sinustachycardia. It can be normal for the heart rate to speed up during exercise to ensure there is extra blood to fuel the activity.
Sinus tachycardia also can occur in people for any number of health reasons, including:
Some people have tachycardia for no apparent cause, referred to asinappropriate sinus tachycardia (IST). A similar condition calledpostural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS)occurs when a person stands upright, causing tachycardia without a drop in blood pressure.
Tachycardia may not cause recognizable symptoms in some people. When it does, symptoms may include:
Can Anxiety Cause Sinus Arrhythmia?Yes, anxiety is one possible cause. Some people who experience anxiety-related sinus arrhythmias may benefit from meditation, yoga breathing, and similar practices.
Can Anxiety Cause Sinus Arrhythmia?
Yes, anxiety is one possible cause. Some people who experience anxiety-related sinus arrhythmias may benefit from meditation, yoga breathing, and similar practices.
When a Rapid Heartbeat Is an Emergency
How to Treat Abnormal Sinus Rhythm
Treatments will depend on your individual response to medications, your health history, and any underlying causes of the abnormal rhythm.
Common treatments for an abnormal rhythm include one or more medications, surgery to implant devices that control the heartbeat, and other procedures to treat problems with electrical signals.
There may also be treatments to address any underlying issues or conditions that are contributing to the irregular rhythm, such as electrolyte levels, high blood pressure, heart disease, sleep apnea, or thyroid disease.
What Medications Help Treat Heart Arrhythmias?
Summary
A normal heartbeat is referred to as normal sinus rhythm. An abnormally slow heartbeat is called bradycardia, while an abnormally fast heartbeat is called tachycardia.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.About arrhythmia.Mortola JP, Marghescu D, Siegrist-Johnstone R.Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the immediate post-exercise period: correlation with breathing-specific heart rate.Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Jul;118(7):1397-1406. doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3871-6Davidovic G, Iric-cupic V, Milanov S, et al.When heart goes “BOOM” to fast. Heart rate greater than 80 as mortality predictor in acute myocardial infarction.Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;3(3):120-8.American Heart Association.Bradycardia: slow heart rate.Choudhury M, Boyett MR, Morris GM.Biology of the sinus node and its disease.Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2015;4(1):28-34. doi:10.15420/aer.2015.4.1.28Bibas L, Levi M, Essebag V.Diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):e466-73. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160079Wettersten N, Fan D, Hsia HH.Not simply sinus tachycardia.The American Journal of Medicine. 2015;128(9):e13-e14. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.04.024Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia.Heart Rhythm. 2016;13(4):e136-e221. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.019Lee JN, Whang MC, Kang BG.Process design for optimized respiration identification based on heart Rate variability for efficient respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 13;19(4):2087. doi:10.3390/ijerph19042087.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Arrhythmias treatment.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.American Heart Association.About arrhythmia.Mortola JP, Marghescu D, Siegrist-Johnstone R.Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the immediate post-exercise period: correlation with breathing-specific heart rate.Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Jul;118(7):1397-1406. doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3871-6Davidovic G, Iric-cupic V, Milanov S, et al.When heart goes “BOOM” to fast. Heart rate greater than 80 as mortality predictor in acute myocardial infarction.Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;3(3):120-8.American Heart Association.Bradycardia: slow heart rate.Choudhury M, Boyett MR, Morris GM.Biology of the sinus node and its disease.Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2015;4(1):28-34. doi:10.15420/aer.2015.4.1.28Bibas L, Levi M, Essebag V.Diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):e466-73. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160079Wettersten N, Fan D, Hsia HH.Not simply sinus tachycardia.The American Journal of Medicine. 2015;128(9):e13-e14. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.04.024Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia.Heart Rhythm. 2016;13(4):e136-e221. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.019Lee JN, Whang MC, Kang BG.Process design for optimized respiration identification based on heart Rate variability for efficient respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 13;19(4):2087. doi:10.3390/ijerph19042087.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Arrhythmias treatment.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
American Heart Association.About arrhythmia.Mortola JP, Marghescu D, Siegrist-Johnstone R.Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the immediate post-exercise period: correlation with breathing-specific heart rate.Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Jul;118(7):1397-1406. doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3871-6Davidovic G, Iric-cupic V, Milanov S, et al.When heart goes “BOOM” to fast. Heart rate greater than 80 as mortality predictor in acute myocardial infarction.Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;3(3):120-8.American Heart Association.Bradycardia: slow heart rate.Choudhury M, Boyett MR, Morris GM.Biology of the sinus node and its disease.Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2015;4(1):28-34. doi:10.15420/aer.2015.4.1.28Bibas L, Levi M, Essebag V.Diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):e466-73. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160079Wettersten N, Fan D, Hsia HH.Not simply sinus tachycardia.The American Journal of Medicine. 2015;128(9):e13-e14. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.04.024Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia.Heart Rhythm. 2016;13(4):e136-e221. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.019Lee JN, Whang MC, Kang BG.Process design for optimized respiration identification based on heart Rate variability for efficient respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 13;19(4):2087. doi:10.3390/ijerph19042087.National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Arrhythmias treatment.
American Heart Association.About arrhythmia.
Mortola JP, Marghescu D, Siegrist-Johnstone R.Respiratory sinus arrhythmia in the immediate post-exercise period: correlation with breathing-specific heart rate.Eur J Appl Physiol. 2018 Jul;118(7):1397-1406. doi:10.1007/s00421-018-3871-6
Davidovic G, Iric-cupic V, Milanov S, et al.When heart goes “BOOM” to fast. Heart rate greater than 80 as mortality predictor in acute myocardial infarction.Am J Cardiovasc Dis. 2013;3(3):120-8.
American Heart Association.Bradycardia: slow heart rate.
Choudhury M, Boyett MR, Morris GM.Biology of the sinus node and its disease.Arrhythm Electrophysiol Rev. 2015;4(1):28-34. doi:10.15420/aer.2015.4.1.28
Bibas L, Levi M, Essebag V.Diagnosis and management of supraventricular tachycardias.CMAJ. 2016;188(17-18):e466-73. doi:10.1503/cmaj.160079
Wettersten N, Fan D, Hsia HH.Not simply sinus tachycardia.The American Journal of Medicine. 2015;128(9):e13-e14. doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2015.04.024
Page RL, Joglar JA, Caldwell MA, et al.2015 ACC/AHA/HRS guideline for the management of adult patients with supraventricular tachycardia.Heart Rhythm. 2016;13(4):e136-e221. doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2015.09.019
Lee JN, Whang MC, Kang BG.Process design for optimized respiration identification based on heart Rate variability for efficient respiratory sinus arrhythmia biofeedback.Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Feb 13;19(4):2087. doi:10.3390/ijerph19042087.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.Arrhythmias treatment.
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