From the Guidelines
You should consult a healthcare provider promptly about your elevated heart rate, weight gain, and sleep apnea, as your resting pulse of 85 bpm with spikes to 150 bpm could indicate several conditions including post-COVID syndrome, deconditioning from sedentary lifestyle, or complications from sleep apnea. Your symptoms, in the context of a sedentary lifestyle, weight gain of 45 pounds, sleep apnea, and a history of COVID-19 infection, necessitate a comprehensive evaluation. The recent study by 1 highlights the importance of considering various causes of tachycardia, including post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection, and recommends initial outpatient testing such as a 10-minute active stand test to assess for dynamic changes in blood pressure and heart rate.
Key Considerations
- Your weight gain and sedentary lifestyle are likely contributing factors, as excess weight puts strain on your cardiovascular system, while improved fitness can help regulate heart rate and improve overall health.
- Untreated sleep apnea can worsen cardiovascular issues, so ensuring proper use of your CPAP machine if prescribed is crucial.
- Limiting caffeine and alcohol, which can trigger heart palpitations, and staying hydrated are also important lifestyle adjustments.
Recommended Steps
- Schedule appointments with your primary care physician and possibly a cardiologist for evaluation.
- They may recommend tests like an EKG, echocardiogram, or Holter monitor to assess your heart function.
- Gradually increase physical activity starting with daily 10-minute walks and slowly building up to 30 minutes most days.
- Focus on weight loss through a balanced diet emphasizing vegetables, lean proteins, and reduced processed foods.
Additional Guidance
The study by 1 suggests that for those with tachycardia, exercise/orthostatic intolerance, and/or deconditioning, interventions normally used for POTS should be considered, including recumbent or semi-recumbent exercise initially, with transition to upright exercise over time as orthostatic intolerance resolves. Furthermore, the guidance by 1 and 1 emphasizes the importance of individualized evaluation and management, considering factors such as the presence of cardiopulmonary symptoms, the duration of time since symptom resolution, and the athlete’s current clinical status.
From the Research
Potential Causes of Tachycardia
- Sleep apnea: The user's history of sleep apnea may be contributing to their tachycardia, as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is characterized by recurrent complete and partial upper airway obstructive events, resulting in intermittent hypoxemia, autonomic fluctuation, and sleep fragmentation 2.
- Sedentary lifestyle: A sedentary lifestyle may also be a contributing factor, as low cardiorespiratory fitness has been associated with an increased risk of sleep apnea and tachycardia 3.
- Weight gain: The user's weight gain of 45 pounds may also be a factor, as obesity is a common comorbidity with sleep apnea and can contribute to tachycardia 4.
- History of COVID-19 infection: While there is no direct evidence linking COVID-19 infection to tachycardia in the provided studies, it is possible that the infection may have contributed to the user's condition.
Relationship Between Sleep Apnea and Tachycardia
- Sleep apnea has been shown to be associated with increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality, including tachycardia 2, 5.
- Treatment of sleep apnea, such as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy or lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise, may help alleviate tachycardia symptoms 2, 5, 6.
- Exercise training has been shown to improve heart rate variability and reduce systolic arterial pressure in patients with moderate to severe OSA, which may help reduce the risk of tachycardia 5.
Lifestyle Modifications
- Dietary changes, such as a low-carbohydrate or Mediterranean diet, may help improve OSA severity and reduce the risk of tachycardia 6.
- Exercise, particularly aerobic training, may have an independent protective effect on vascular health and help reduce the risk of tachycardia 3, 5, 6.
- Weight loss, through a combination of diet and exercise, may also help alleviate tachycardia symptoms and improve overall cardiovascular health 4, 6.