Heart rate concern... any empathizers?

[TronnyJenkins]

Just curious if anyone has ever had a similar experience.
Yesterday I did a stinkin' hard VO2 max workout 10x 30s intervals at 600w.
Naturally, I was hating life by the last one, but I said it's only one more, even though looking back I should have listened to my body.

Heart rate decreased after the last interval, as usual over about a two minute period down to around 150, but the recovery was still 180w. Then, to my surprise, after that two minute decrease, it increased back up to 180bpm over a one minute period. Needless to say, I stopped pedaling. It went down to normal resting HR over a minute or so period. Basically I mean to say it didn't hang there as I've heard of happening when people have heart problems.

Only variables I can think of that may have affected it that were abnormal:
a little extra caffeine in the days before
a little less sleep in the three days before
maybe a little less water, but not positive on that
a tiny tiny taste of blood in the back of my throat after the last interval

I plan to get checked out by a cardiologist to make sure everything is OK before races get intense, but I wondered if anything similar has ever happened to anyone. Just as a precaution I checked my blood pressure and HR throughout the day. I also ended up doing a ride, really a bit harder than I meant to, but everything was OK, all systems go (normal).

Age 31, weight, 170, ht 6'. No specific heart issues in my past, raced hard all last season.

[Pastashop]

Seems like this may be relevant (lucky if not the issue you're experiencing, but if it is...)

https://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=198315&highlight=haywire+heart

there may have been another, even more extensive thread...

[pncguy]

Definitely read the Haywire Heart, and consider seeing a cardiologist, but be prepared to be told that they don't see anything. Often getting an arrhythmia to repeat in the doctor's office is difficult.

I had a similar experience after a big climbing ride, but my heart rate had been recovered for hours. Then I noticed it was racing as I was just standing and talking to my wife about what to have for dinner. The palpitated rate - 141 bpm - wasn't alarming, but the fact that it was stuck there bothered me. It turns out I was having atrial flutter. The pulse you feel in your neck or wrist comes from the ventricles beating. But in my case, the ventricular rate was stopped down by 2:1, and my atrial rate was actually 280! So you may have had a similar situation where your monitor may have been reading ventricular signals, but your atria may have been beating at double your measured rate.

Neither a-fib nor a-flutter are life threatening by themselves, but you should certainly get it checked out for peace of mind.

[Black Dog]

Just curious if anyone has ever had a similar experience.
Yesterday I did a stinkin' hard VO2 max workout 10x 30s intervals at 600w.
Naturally, I was hating life by the last one, but I said it's only one more, even though looking back I should have listened to my body.

Heart rate decreased after the last interval, as usual over about a two minute period down to around 150, but the recovery was still 180w. Then, to my surprise, after that two minute decrease, it increased back up to 180bpm over a one minute period. Needless to say, I stopped pedaling. It went down to normal resting HR over a minute or so period. Basically I mean to say it didn't hang there as I've heard of happening when people have heart problems.

Only variables I can think of that may have affected it that were abnormal:
a little extra caffeine in the days before
a little less sleep in the three days before
maybe a little less water, but not positive on that
a tiny tiny taste of blood in the back of my throat after the last interval

I plan to get checked out by a cardiologist to make sure everything is OK before races get intense, but I wondered if anything similar has ever happened to anyone. Just as a precaution I checked my blood pressure and HR throughout the day. I also ended up doing a ride, really a bit harder than I meant to, but everything was OK, all systems go (normal).

Age 31, weight, 170, ht 6'. No specific heart issues in my past, raced hard all last season.

As far as the bolded observation, that is somewhat common for really hard efforts. I certainly experience the blood taste during intervals or all out knockdown efforts as well as many other riders I know.

The heart rate issue can happen but you SHOULD get it sorted out to be sure that there is not something underlying it that you need to address.

[Peter P.]

I wouldn't worry about it UNLESS you have repeat incidents. This is where a training diary comes in handy.

A trip to a cardiologist wouldn't hurt but like pncguy said, be prepared for them to not see anything. That's likely because they'll probably take a static EKG vs. a stress test EKG and it would have to duplicate your workout. Most doctors won't want to do that; their brains are stuck on the standard escalating stress test on a treadmill which won't feel anything like your interval session.

If you continue to have symptoms, ask for a Holter monitor. You can wear this device while you're working out and if the symptoms occur, you push a button on the device and it will record your heart's function at the time and send it wirelessly to be stored and analyzed. The cardiologist can then look at the waveform and determine if anything is wrong.

I don't claim to be an expert on this, but I did have a pacemaker implanted last year as a result of symptoms experienced while cycling, and I've been through all sorts of tests.

[bjf]

+1 on the Holter monitor. And now there's one that's a patch you wear for two weeks -- it captures everything. Try for that.

[Jeff N.]

Prolonged (several days) A-fib/flutter can lead to clot formation, which in turn can lead to stroke.

[SoCalSteve]

Just curious if anyone has ever had a similar experience.
Yesterday I did a stinkin' hard VO2 max workout 10x 30s intervals at 600w.
Naturally, I was hating life by the last one, but I said it's only one more, even though looking back I should have listened to my body.

Heart rate decreased after the last interval, as usual over about a two minute period down to around 150, but the recovery was still 180w. Then, to my surprise, after that two minute decrease, it increased back up to 180bpm over a one minute period. Needless to say, I stopped pedaling. It went down to normal resting HR over a minute or so period. Basically I mean to say it didn't hang there as I've heard of happening when people have heart problems.

Only variables I can think of that may have affected it that were abnormal:
a little extra caffeine in the days before
a little less sleep in the three days before
maybe a little less water, but not positive on that
a tiny tiny taste of blood in the back of my throat after the last interval

I plan to get checked out by a cardiologist to make sure everything is OK before races get intense, but I wondered if anything similar has ever happened to anyone. Just as a precaution I checked my blood pressure and HR throughout the day. I also ended up doing a ride, really a bit harder than I meant to, but everything was OK, all systems go (normal).

Age 31, weight, 170, ht 6'. No specific heart issues in my past, raced hard all last season.

When it went back down, was it all at once , like a jolt, or gradually? If it went back down and you felt a jolt ( like it convertedto a normal heart rate ) then that could be SVT. But probably not.

See a cardiologist. Get peace of mind. Good luck!

[TronnyJenkins]

Thanks guys, this is more helpful than I thought it would be. Especially the part about the Holter monitor.

I should have noted that my heart rate monitor for cycling is the strap style, however, the blood pressure checker I used today was the wrist style.
Not sure if that is worth noting.

Here is the data from the second half of the ride. You can see the last interval, my continued riding in the 'recovery' section, my stopping pedaling out of concern, then some easy pedaling to help cool down.

[nmrt]

Did you feel your hr go to 180 from 150? Or was it your instrument that was telling you that is was 180 and you were not feeling it?
Sorry for the dumb question but I wanted to eliminate instrument error. I mention this because sometimes my hrm moves a bit, becomes incorrectly positioned, and I can see my hr increase just like that even though I at the same exertion level.

Thanks guys, this is more helpful than I thought it would be. Especially the part about the Holter monitor.

I should have noted that my heart rate monitor for cycling is the strap style, however, the blood pressure checker I used today was the wrist style.
Not sure if that is worth noting.

Here is the data from the second half of the ride. You can see the last interval, my continued riding in the 'recovery' section, my stopping pedaling out of concern, then some easy pedaling to help cool down.

[Peter P.]

Did you feel your hr go to 180 from 150? Or was it your instrument that was telling you that is was 180 and you were not feeling it?....

Good point. I assumed it was perceived feeling rather than watching the HRM. There are many factors which can cause readings to jump like the OP's, and of course those would not be of concern. It's what you FELT, IN CONJUNCTION with what the HRM was reading, which are better indicators.

[TronnyJenkins]

Man, I'm not sure. Interesting point though. I know for sure I panicked, so when I checked my pulse it's possible that I made myself believe it was 180 instead of say 150. I'll feel really foolish if the strap was what caused it.
I did have what felt like a runners 'stitch' as well, so naturally at the time that didn't ease my conscience.

[Epicus07]

Likely nothing to worry about. A sudden change in heart rate CAN be related to an abnormal cardiac rhythm but even if it was, most of them are relatively benign. It's unlikely that you are at serious risk for a heart attack (plumbing issue, not related to heart rate/conduction) and the fact that your heart rate returned to resting levels quickly is both reassuring and quite impressive!

If you notice an irregular pulse or frequent episodes of increased heart rate especially at rest or develop symptoms such as dizziness, fatigue, palpitations, chest pressure or shortness of breath, it would be worth a visit with your MD to ask about a Holter monitor or event monitor.

Holter monitors are a little tricky because they are 24-48 hours and you have to experience an episode during that time in order to diagnose it (would be useful to do some hard intervals with it on). Event monitors are usually 2-4 weeks but more expensive and likely wouldn't be covered by insurance without more compelling evidence of an electrical problem.

[Peter P.]

Holter monitors are a little tricky ... Event monitors are usually 2-4 weeks but more expensive and likely wouldn't be covered by insurance without more compelling evidence of an electrical problem.

I wore a Holter monitor several times for 1 month at a time. It was always covered by insurance.

These things are cool; one of mine was a Samsung smart phone with 4 detachable leads. No; you can't make phone calls with it! But, when you feel symptoms, you wake the device up, select your symptom from a list of choices, push a button, and wait a minute for it to gather your stats and send them out via cellphone. Works even while riding, which was when I was symptomatic.

[ptourkin]

I wore a Holter monitor several times for 1 month at a time. It was always covered by insurance.

These things are cool; one of mine was a Samsung smart phone with 4 detachable leads. No; you can't make phone calls with it! But, when you feel symptoms, you wake the device up, select your symptom from a list of choices, push a button, and wait a minute for it to gather your stats and send them out via cellphone. Works even while riding, which was when I was symptomatic.

We discussed this in a recent thread, but some of us carry this which does something similar. You record a 30 second track on your phone and email it to your cardiologist. When I wore a Holter, I was told I couldn't do hard exertion due to sweat.

https://store.alivecor.com/

[TronnyJenkins]

We discussed this in a recent thread, but some of us carry this which does something similar. You record a 30 second track on your phone and email it to your cardiologist. When I wore a Holter, I was told I couldn't do hard exertion due to sweat.

https://store.alivecor.com/

Haha! I totally wondered that because I have no lack of sweat.

Appreciate all you guys chiming in on this, and thanks ptourkin for the link.

[OtayBW]

Event monitors are usually 2-4 weeks but more expensive and likely wouldn't be covered by insurance without more compelling evidence of an electrical problem.

I wore a Holter monitor several times for 1 month at a time. It was always covered by insurance.
I wore a holter monitor for 24 hrs to try to diagnose some problems that I had when going anaerobic. Coverage denied by BC/BS. I appealed, and again denied. SOBs....

[jabbahop]

I have SVT (Supraventricular tachycardia)

My episodes typically (but not always) happen after a hard effort but usually just after I let off the gas for a rest interval. My heart rate will jump from perhaps 130-140 to 210-220 (my max HR is around 170), I will feel a bit of pressure in chest and then a fluttery heart feeling. According to my cardiologist I am fortunate because some people can have other symptoms such as lightheadedness/faint. My episodes typically last 1-10 minutes and resolve themselves. Like you I found this via garmin/heart rate strap. At first I thought it was a faulty strap but eventually looked back @ my data for a few years and noticed it had been happening repeatedly.

I went through the holter monitor procedure and now have an embedded heart monitor that sends data to the doc when I get back home via a base station that I have in my bedroom.

If my symptoms or the frequency increases, I could have an ablation procedure but currently we are just monitoring it.

According to my docs, there are a lot of different abnormal heart rhythms - some quite dangerous, others (like mine) less so. I agree with other posters that the smart thing is to get it looked at - especially if you have a repeat episode.

[SoCalSteve]

I have SVT (Supraventricular tachycardia)

My episodes typically (but not always) happen after a hard effort but usually just after I let off the gas for a rest interval. My heart rate will jump from perhaps 130-140 to 210-220 (my max HR is around 170), I will feel a bit of pressure in chest and then a fluttery heart feeling. According to my cardiologist I am fortunate because some people can have other symptoms such as lightheadedness/faint. My episodes typically last 1-10 minutes and resolve themselves. Like you I found this via garmin/heart rate strap. At first I thought it was a faulty strap but eventually looked back @ my data for a few years and noticed it had been happening repeatedly.

I went through the holter monitor procedure and now have an embedded heart monitor that sends data to the doc when I get back home via a base station that I have in my bedroom.

If my symptoms or the frequency increases, I could have an ablation procedure but currently we are just monitoring it.

According to my docs, there are a lot of different abnormal heart rhythms - some quite dangerous, others (like mine) less so. I agree with other posters that the smart thing is to get it looked at - especially if you have a repeat episode.

If and when it gets to that point ( hopefully never ) jump at the chance to have this procedure, it will be life changing for you. Was for me. Again, hope you are able to keep it under control without it.

[TronnyJenkins]

I have SVT (Supraventricular tachycardia)

My episodes typically (but not always) happen after a hard effort but usually just after I let off the gas for a rest interval. My heart rate will jump from perhaps 130-140 to 210-220 (my max HR is around 170), I will feel a bit of pressure in chest and then a fluttery heart feeling. According to my cardiologist I am fortunate because some people can have other symptoms such as lightheadedness/faint. My episodes typically last 1-10 minutes and resolve themselves. Like you I found this via garmin/heart rate strap. At first I thought it was a faulty strap but eventually looked back @ my data for a few years and noticed it had been happening repeatedly.

I went through the holter monitor procedure and now have an embedded heart monitor that sends data to the doc when I get back home via a base station that I have in my bedroom.

If my symptoms or the frequency increases, I could have an ablation procedure but currently we are just monitoring it.

According to my docs, there are a lot of different abnormal heart rhythms - some quite dangerous, others (like mine) less so. I agree with other posters that the smart thing is to get it looked at - especially if you have a repeat episode.

Thanks for sharing. That sounds the closest to my experience, though luckily my episode was still 10bpm below my max. If I saw 210-220 I would have had my wife take me to the ER, LOL.

[jabbahop]

Thanks for sharing. That sounds the closest to my experience, though luckily my episode was still 10bpm below my max. If I saw 210-220 I would have had my wife take me to the ER, LOL.

Good luck to you.

Actually ironically the SVT is actually the less worrisome heart issue they found. During a CT scan for lymphoma (yes I have had an interesting few years with medical professionals) they found I had an aortic aneurysm. That one eliminated my racing hobby pretty quickly!

[TronnyJenkins]

One thing I've noticed, and it could even be the root of my issue: caffeine sensitivity. I didn't realize how much was in Starbucks beans! I read up on symptoms: things like heart racing/palpitations, anxiety and panic attacks, can't focus or concentrate... just FYI if anyone else finds this thread.

[C40_guy]

Have you changed or added medications?

Some ADHD meds, for instance, can mess with resting/exertion heart rate.

[earlfoss]

I wouldn't stress out too much about it unless you see it happen again. It sounds like you were putting yourself much deeper in the hole than usual, and when that happens there are many variables affecting the situation more than they normally would. People here love to over react to an almost comical level.

In my experience, caffeine, current training load, recent sleep quality, and level of tiredness on the day are the biggest players.

If going to the dr now, or freakout mode WebMD Goggling would help ease your mind then sure, why not.

[benb]

Definitely don't discount the stuff about Caffeine and supplements.

Cytomax with "Herbal Lift" made my BP go crazy in my 20s... really scary. Turned out to be nothing but the useless "Herbal Lift" package. It had a ton of caffeine and other weird stuff in it. Nothing showed up on the EKG when I went to the doctor. They gave me the choice of immediately go on meds or stop working out and reduce caffeine/supplements for a week or something. A couple days later (recovery?) and none of the supplements and all of a sudden my BP went back to normal. We are talking something like 110/69 normal at the time and then going to 140/100 from the supplements.