How much does sugar effect heart rate?

I have to admit the only thing I had this morning at 9am was cheerios...then around 4pm I mixed up some peanut butter and marshmellow fluff.   I know - not the greatest diet, but I was planning a better dinner later.

Afterwords, I was doing chores and my heart just felt pretty fast. I took my heart rate and it was 95.

I have bradychardia, so last week I got my first PM. My PM is set for 50. No rate response.

I’m used to being in the 40’s so the 80s and 90s are freaking me out. I’ve tried laying down for 45 minutes but its still like 85.  I called the nurse and she said that it was in a normal range and I shouldn’t worry.

I just don’t understand why I’m so high, and how I can slow it down. Any thoughts?

My boyfriend says its just a "sugar high" but I am freaking out.  I just want to be back at 50.

9 Comments

Not sure

by Peg541 - 2012-04-24 07:04:10

First off Renee it takes a bit to get used to a real heart beat again. So go easy on yourself you'll get used to this.

Now eat something with a bit of protein and see how you feel.

But honestly I cannot imagine why it would be up in the 80's if it has never gone there before. So I'd call them back today and ask the nurse what she means by normal range.

If you were sitting around all the time in the 50's and now you are in the high 80's? This needs to be looked at. Does the nurse know your history?

No rate response? You sure? They change your medications?

Let us know how it goes.

Peg

Nurse

by ReneeV2.0 - 2012-04-24 08:04:09

The nurse verified that rate response was not set.

I don't think the nurse knows my history, but i tried to tell her everything i could. She said I was within normal range, and the only thing she should suggest is that if it bothers me too much I can go to the ER; but otherwise 80 was not too high.

I have a cardiologist appointment in two days, and I definitely will discuss it with her then.... I'm kinda stuck thinking "okay do I want to go to the ER and pay a million dollars for them to tell me I'm just having an anxiety attack" or do I just try to calm down and wait until my scheduled appointment.?.

I'm definitely over anxious and I know that's not helping. My brother in law (who is a nurse) said I may also be dehydrated, which can raise my rate.

update

by ReneeV2.0 - 2012-04-24 10:04:00

So I couldn't take it anymore and I went to my family doctor, who did an EKG. She said I my rhythm is fine...even if I'm not used to it being so high (it was 73 at the doctors)


Still makes no sense to me... I know my PM didn't "fix" bradychardia, but at least I have the piece of mind that i will probably be okay until i see the Cardiologist at ask her my questions.

Thanks for your help Peg!

80 bpm

by Pookie - 2012-04-24 11:04:21

Hi Peg:)

I don't think it's the sugar, I think it's what you said - "I'm definitely over anxious"... which is quite normal after having just received a pacemaker and suddenly most of us really start concentrating on our pulse. I did. Heck, I was taking my pulse ALL the time to the point it became a very nasty habit.

80 is not high as far as any of my heart doctors are concerned. I was told that IF it stays at say 100 bpm for a very long time, then and only then would they be a tad concerned.

Anxiety is a nasty little bug that can make our bodies feel a bunch of unusual things, so just try and relax and then discuss what has been happening to you when you get to see your doctor.

Oh - and don't forget to breathe:)

Take care,
Pookie

Related general question

by wantok - 2012-04-25 07:04:13

Does the heart after a pacemaker is implanted (without rate response) respond differently to activity?

And relatedly, maybe I don't understand what "pacing" means.

I thought pacing, without the rate response on, meant my pacemaker would kick in when my heart fell below or went above the heart rate parameters set (60-140 in my case) and otherwise my heart should/would function as it had pre-pacemaker. And with rate response on, my pacemaker would respond to changes in exertion at a set rate that was set to be more or less sensitive to exertion and recovery (acceleration and deceleration). Is this correct?

I, like ReneeV2, have had a low pulse all my life. When I needed it for sick sinus syndrome and absolute bradycardia, a pacemaker was implanted. I have been trying to "feel normal" and with or without the rate response it is problematic, but I was told by the pacemaker nurse to (more or less) "get over it". For instance, with rate response on, my rate was near 100 when doing household chores (which we all agreed was a bit high) and then when rate response is turned off, I can't get my heart rate up when exercising, and even though I regularly exercise, appear to be totally out of condition and can't keep up with anyone else on a hike.

Thanks in advance.

Wantok

Let's talk reality

by donr - 2012-04-25 12:04:56

Renee: You've had your PM for all of 5 days, now, after a long seige of Brady. Like someone said - you do not know what a real heart beat is like. How True.

Anxiety will rip you apart, starting w/ giving you an increased HR. It can get really uncomfortable. AND - most important, it feeds on itself. The more anxious you get, the higher your HR becomes an so on... till you can get a HR at the max your body can tolerate & you can pass out. Not fun.

I am going to ask you to relax for a bit, get control of your breathing, use your imagination & look about 30 days into the future. You will have a PM check & they will tell you all sorts of wondrous things about how well your heart is behaving w/its new buddy, your PM.
I want you to visualize a graphic picture you have not yet seen - it's called your HR Histogram. Now a Histogram is a bar chart w/ vertical bars - in this case giving you a picture of your HR distribution over the past 30 days. Each bar is a percentage for the beats in a certain range - 10 BPM if my memory serves me correctly. (F'rinstance, mine starts at 70 & ends whereever my heart went at its fastest in the past period.) The lowest HR should be the low number the PM is set on - 50 for you. DO NOT be surprised when you see that you DON't spend much time at 50 BPM. That is really the resting rate, & you only get to that rate while asleep or sitting on the couch sprouting vines & becoming a potato! There better not even be a Sitcom that makes you laugh. If you don't have RR on, your heart does a fair amount of control over your rate. Now what really surprised me the first tme I looked at my histogram was the VERY HIGH % of the time I spent at 100-110 BPM. MOF, my histogram is BIMODAL, meaning that I have two bars that are higher than all the rest & that second bar is at 100-110 BPM. My lowest high bar is 80-90, I think. Then there are the bars out beyond 110 BPM, like up to 130 or 140 BPM. They come from when I get startled by something or am working hard. (I'm 75, so don't run much anymore, w/ a bad lower back & some messy arthritis.) needless to say, those bars are quite short - but they are there!

You will see this - if not, ASK to see it. You will be amazed at how your HR varies.

That is REALITY. Please relax for a while so you get the chance to see it. The point I am trying to get through to you is that HR's in the 90's - 110's ARE NORMAL! Trust all of us on that. You just have not seen them in a long time.

BTW: Don't mess up a more evenly spaced program of meals. Cheerios, followed by peanut butter w/ a planned better meal does not help the body's energy needs. Right now while trying to adapt to a new HR is enough stress for it. Eat regularly & more frequently for a while.

Don

Yup.. I'm crazy :)

by ReneeV2.0 - 2012-04-27 04:04:44

Just wanted to update... the cardiologist verified yesterday that I am absolutely fine... just a bit of stress letting loose in strange ways most likely. Thank you so much to every one with feedback. Don, as always, you are a genious. :)

Wantok - You may not see a response on here. I noticed that you do not get emails when people comment on your comment... only if they comment on your post... so others may not have read your email.

I'm new to this group, so the only thing I can say is that you are correct about most pacemakers only kicking on when your heart rate falls below a certain rate. So when my heart rate was at 80, i was not "pacing" so to speak. That was my own heart getting excited.

As far as kicking on if it goes ABOVE the set rate (like 140) is not correct. It cant slow your heart down..it will simply not pace any faster then the above number. Your heart could go to 160 and theres noting your pacer would do, except store the information.

With rate response, yes it raises your rate as you become more active.


I'm sorry to hear that things have been problematic. I have rate response off... but I hear it can be a pain in the ass sometimes if you need it. Like activating during car rides. No thanks... Im going to hold off on that as long as I can. lol

A lot of people have mentioned needing adjustments made. Not sure what adjustments would be best for you - but you will get more responses if you repost as a seperate question in the forum :)

Best of luck!

Repost

by wantok - 2012-04-30 08:04:20

Thanks, Renee, for the suggestion. I reposted. Several folks have just said I need a new EP/pacemaker technician to work with me, and fortuitously I am moving in two months so I will have to do that anyway.

Wantok

Good to hear

by ReneeV2.0 - 2012-04-30 12:04:18

Well I'm glad you're moving. Don't settle - find an EP you REALLY like and hopefully they can find more comfortable settings for you :)

Good Luck!

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