The average human being's heart beat averages anywhere between 60 and 100 heartbeats. If you're a pro athlete, then yours would be somewhere around 40.However, if your heartbeat is lower than the ones mentioned above, be careful. A slow heart beat can be a symptom of an unhealthy heart, which can be a precursor to serious medical conditions like Arrhythmias.
But if you're worried about your slow heartbeat, don't be. The thing is, our heart is one of the many organs that reside within our body, and much like all of them, it can be manipulated to function a little differently to suit our needs.
So how does one manipulate our heart like that? Simple – by focusing on foods to increase heart rate. You can easily slow down the bad side effects of a hectic lifestyle and poor dietary choices by simply adding a few foods and beverages in your diet!
1. Ephedra Herbal
You must have never heard of this name before and that's not surprising. It's actually a pretty common herb used in Chinese medicine, and it's been known to increase your heart rate as well as your blood pressure. In order to get the best results possible, I'd suggest you purchase fresh or dried ephedra stems, as opposed to its powdered version which would very easily be diluted by cheap powdered ingredients that might do you harm. In order to ingest it, simply boil a cup of water and add 1 tsp. of ephedra stems to it. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes, add stevia to sweeten the mixture, and then drink it. You can easily drink 1-2 cups daily for maximum benefits.
Avoid purchasing ephedra supplements as they have known to cause a lot of side effects.
2. Caffeine!
If you love coffee, then this is your lucky day! When it comes to foods that increase heart rate, there really is no better option than a warm cuppa coffee. Apart from the bitter flavor of coffee getting rid of drowsiness and fatigue, it's a natural stimulant that targets your central nervous system, helping in increasing not only your heart rate, but your blood pressure as well. You can easily gulp down 2-3 cups of coffee every day. However, stay away from high consumption of caffeine if you have high blood pressure or an irregular heartbeat, as it increases both! The maximum amount of caffeine to be taken in a day is 400 milligrams or about 4 cups of coffee.
3. Hot Peppers
Chili peppers are known to have Capsaicin oil in them, which have proven several times in independent studies that they are effective in improving not only your blood circulation, but your heart rate as well. In fact, according to a study done by the University of Maryland Medical Center, cayenne peppers might even help with arrhythmia (irregular heart rhythm). Often times, people suffering from arrhythmia face no other problem except decreased blood flow and heart rate, which is why consuming chili peppers is a very good option, especially if you're someone who enjoys spicy food.
4. A Higher Sugar Consumption
You already know that consuming a lot of sugar can spike your blood sugar levels, don't you? This in turn has shown to meddle with the functioning of your blood vessels, which causes not only your blood pressure to rise, but your heart rate as well. So if you're looking for foods that can increase heart rate, opt for items like candies, desserts, white rice, white bread or pasta. But be careful. Consuming too much sugar results in interference with your blood vessel function, causing your blood pressure and heart rate to rise to unhealthy levels. The recommended daily dosage of sugar is 6 tsps. (25 g) for women and 9 tsps. (38 g) for men.
5. Hawthorn
The herb is known to be used in its entirety in traditional European medicine to heal several ailments. Modern science recognized the potential in it, and in researches and controlled studies, Hawthorn has shown to significantly increase heart rate variability (HRV) in test subjects. Not only this, but Hawthorn also strengthens the heart muscle and increases blood flow throughout the body. It also protects the body from angina, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure and heart attacks.
You should consume hawthorn exactly like you would consume ephedra.
6. Green Tea
The caffeine in green tea is what does the trick. However, since the amount of caffeine in green tea is relatively low, you might have to drink up to 3-4 cups every day in order to increase your heart rate. Which is not asking for a lot, come on. Green tea has so many good qualities and benefits you from head to toe, that drinking it is only gonna help you in the long run.
7. Theobromine
Theobromine is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, and it calms down your mind while simultaneously energizing your nervous system. It is a commonly known heart stimulant, as well as a diuretic and a vasodilator that helps dilate your blood vessels, leading to reduced blood pressure. Apart from this, it makes your breathing easier, relaxes muscles in the digestive tract, helps with gastrointestinal issues and is shown to be helpful in treating asthma. Products that contain a high quantity of theobromine include chocolates and basically any cocoa based food items like cakes, cookies and pastries. People with elevated heart rates are suggested to keep their chocolate consumption to a minimum.
Now that you know about foods that increase heart rate, it's time to equip yourself with knowledge that goes beyond your diet. Some of these methods provide immediate relief while others provide long term benefits. Either way, incorporating them in your life will bring about a vast improvement: