Arrhythmia: How to Distinguish Between Benign and Dangerous Symptoms

Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart's electrical system malfunctions, causing an abnormal heartbeat. This disrupts blood flow to vital organs, resulting in various symptoms. So how does it differ from a normal heartbeat? 🤔

 

❤️ Characteristics of a normal heartbeat

regularity : It beats evenly at almost regular intervals.

number : When you're at rest, your heart rate is about 60 to 100 beats per minute. (It's normal for your heart rate to drop to 40 to 50 beats per minute while you're sleeping, or to rise above 150 beats per minute during exercise.)

Reactivity : Your heart rate is flexibly adjusted according to external situations, such as exercising or being surprised.

 

🚨 Conditions that may suggest arrhythmia

1. If your pulse is irregular (thump...thump thump...thump)

2. If your heart beats more than 100 times per minute even when you are resting

3. If your heart rate is too slow, around 50 beats per minute, even immediately after exercise.

4. If the heartbeat reacts inappropriately regardless of external circumstances (surprise, excitement, etc.)

 

🩺 How to check your pulse yourself

The easiest place to check your pulse is the radial artery in your wrist.

 

1. Find the wrinkled area on your wrist where your thumb meets your palm.

2. Put two or three fingers together and gently press vertically on the area.

3. If you don't feel it well, close your eyes and move the position 5mm at a time to find the point where you can feel the pulse best.

4. Once you find your heartbeat, look at your watch and see how many times it beats per minute and if the rhythm is regular.