Increase in heart rate

[bluenavey00]

So if you were to read many anti drug websites one of the bad points of cannabis (as well as other drugs) is the increase in heart rate, the one I just read said between 20%-100% higher than normal.

Can anyone with more understanding explain if this is true, and if having a higher heart rate for long periods of time is bad.

Many people on here get high daily, and spend most their day high, thus having a higher than normal heart rate for most their waking life. Is this really really bad?

What makes a higher heart rate from cannabis worse than me having a sustained higher heart rate for 4 hours when I run a marathon? Is there a differnce between increased heart rate from exercise and being increased through other means? Or is it just anti drug bullshit

Thanks

 

[Joel W.]

I have been smoking all day for almost 30 years. I have been to the doc recently for checkups and I have been told my heart rate was consistently 70/110 @ 60bpm which is very good I'm told even after smoking 15 mins earlier. I am sure it races after choking out for a few minutes but it should come back down I think?

I have always heard the heart is a muscle and it can only beat so many times before it wears out so in that aspect an elevated heart beat could be bad, but I don't know.

Personally, I think getting your heart rate up with exercise (sessions) is very healthy as again it is a muscle and if you don't use it, you lose it.

 

[Vape Hound]

My understanding has been that it is only Sativa dominant marijuana strains that speed up the heart rate, while Indica dominant strains have the opposite effect, slowing the user down into a zoned out state that has long been known as couch-lock.

It is thus incorrect to presume that all weed users experience elevated heart rates, especially since it is also possible that some, but not all Sativa strains have such a speed-inducing effect on heart rate.

My layman's guess is that speeding up one's heart rate with good old fashioned exercise would be beneficial for most people, while using any sort of drug to elevate heart rate is unlikely to be beneficial to the health, and could place people with pre-existing heart conditions in danger of suffering a cardiac incident.

 

[max]

Sativa/Indica aside, I don't feel that this really applies to vapor, just smoke. I certainly remember the feeling with smoking, but I'm not going to do a smoke/vape test to remind me. I've been vaping exclusively for about 10 years, and I think I'd recognize a daily uptick in my heart rate, especially if I start out with a massive EVO hit. If my heart rate is elevated with vaping then it's not even noticeable to me.

 

[justcametomind]

Sativa is worse, smoking is worse vs vaping but increased heart rate is a common side effect of cannabis.
Edibles give it, too.
The effect is more noticeable if you are new to cannabis or have very low tolerance.
@max you don't notice it anymore because you are used to cannabis way more than OP.

 

[Chill Dude]

Sativa is worse, smoking is worse vs vaping but increased heart rate is a common side effect of cannabis.
Edibles give it, too.
The effect is more noticeable if you are new to cannabis or have very low tolerance.
@max you don't notice it anymore because you are used to cannabis way more than OP.

I agree that smoking causes a minor yet noticeable increase in heart rate. That's actually what I miss the most about smoking that quick onset headrush, blood flowing, increase in heart rate euphoria that is more intense in smoking vs. vapeing. In my experience, the increase in heart rate is minor and limited to the first 10 minutes or so. As a daily cannabis vaporist, I don't notice any increase in heart rate.

As you stated, the increase in heart rate is much more common in the occasional user. As a daily user, I only notice an increase in heart rate in the rare instance that I overmedicate with a strong sativa most likely in concentrate form. Even then, it's noticeable, but only lasts 5 or 10 minutes.

IMO, smoking and being a newbie or occasional user is where you would notice this mild elevated heart rate effect. Most likely due to the byproducts of combustion.. Personally, I wouldn't worry about any danger attributed to a transient increase in heart rate.

 

[lwien]

I'm 71 years old. My resting heart rate is typically 48 bpm and my blood pressure averages about 110 over 70. Im a runner so that helps to explain the low resting heart rate but when I run, I take my HR up to around 138 to 140 and average about 133 for about an hour. That average is is an increase of around 270%.

Heart rate increases of this magnitude when vaping is not really a concern for healthy individuals but if you have any underlying heart problems it could pose a risk, as could any kind of cardio workout at these levels.

Also, the quote that "the heart is a muscle and that it can only beat so many times before it wears out" is a myth and totally false. The heart, like ANY kind of muscle, actually gets stronger the more you work it out. What wears out a heart is not how many times it beats but rather the ravages of disease along with the physical changes in our cells as we age.

 

[Joel W.]

I was not making that statement as fact @lwien but something I heard a lot. Followed by " I don't know" to show I don't really buy it.

 

[lwien]

I was not making that statement as fact @lwien but something I heard a lot. Followed by " I don't know" to show I don't really buy it.

I know that you weren't making a statement of fact. I just felt that what you stated needed to be clarified anyway simply because it's a myth that has been floating around out there for ages and a lot of people believe it to be true.

 

[psychonaut]

I can hear my heart beat more lol

 

[Joel W.]

This agrees with you.
http://www.ushealthworks.com/blog/index.php/2011/09/just-how-many-heartbeats-do-we-get/

As someone who abused stimulants for over 10 years, I wonder how much damage I have done to my heart and valves.

 

[max]

Sativa is worse, smoking is worse vs vaping but increased heart rate is a common side effect of cannabis.
Edibles give it, too.
The effect is more noticeable if you are new to cannabis or have very low tolerance.
@max you don't notice it anymore because you are used to cannabis way more than OP.

My heart rate goes up more from standing up or doing 20 other common everyday activities.

Heart rate increases of this magnitude when vaping is not really a concern for healthy individuals but if you have any underlying heart problems it could pose a risk, as could any kind of cardio workout at these levels.

I agree. If cannabis raising your heart rate is an issue, then you more serious issues than vaping to worry about.

 

[CarolKing]

Sativa is worse, smoking is worse vs vaping but increased heart rate is a common side effect of cannabis.
Edibles give it, too.
The effect is more noticeable if you are new to cannabis or have very low tolerance.
@max you don't notice it anymore because you are used to cannabis way more than OP.

I'm sorry but that's a crock smoking is not better than vaporizing. Please don't spread unhealthy rumors like that. My body improved health wise when I quit combusting. My blood pressure is usually very low the top number is always 110 or under.

You do as you wish but this forum is called fuckcombustion. You are in the minority. I feel very strongly about this. I'm not sure why you would say that in a vaporizing forum?

You are entitled to your opinion.

 

[MinnBobber]

I have a blood pressure cuff/heartbeat cuff.
I'll try to test this sometime, do a before and after comparison.

Can others with this also try and report back please? thanks

 

[h3rbalist]

Increased heart rate and palpitations were an issue for me when I smoked joints.
The palpitations could lead me to have an anxiety attack.

These are problems that I no longer have since I switched to vaping.

I do believe that daily cardio exercise does help the body regulate a sudden change in heart rate.

 

[lwien]

As someone who abused stimulants for over 10 years, I wonder how much damage I have done to my heart and valves.

I too abused stimulants as well as just about every other recreational drug that was around in the 70's and is one of the primary reasons why I continue to work out and run and watch what I eat. Gotta do my best to reverse any damage that I caused back then. By all rights, I really shouldn't be alive right now considering all the crap that I put in my body back then. Used to also smoke 3 packs of cigs a day.

I'm sorry but that's a crock smoking is not better than vaporizing. Please don't spread unhealthy rumors like that. My body improved health wise when I quit combusting. My blood pressure is usually very low the top number is always 110 or under.

You do as you wish but this forum is called fuckcombustion. You are in the minority. I feel very strongly about this. I'm not sure why you would say that in a vaporizing forum?

You are entitled to your opinion.

Sorry CK, but I didn't read anything in his post to suggest that smoking is better than vaping. What did I miss?

 

[HomeFree]

It's normal for my heart rate to increase by 10-20 bpm for about ten minutes after consuming cannabis in the form of vapor. Most of the time it is not noticeable. Sometimes it is enjoyable and exciting. It's not really much different from being active or getting excited about something.

The increased heart rate is not lasting, it's got a very short duration and is not dangerous unless you have some sort of heart condition.

Personally depending on how much exercise I get, my heart rate is 58-63 bpm. After vaping cannabis it might go to 75 or so for about 10 minutes.

However when I vape I am usually moving around as well, and not completely at rest like when taking a base heart rate.

It's OK. But the more intently you focus on it the worse it will get due to anxiety about it.

 

[lwien]

It's normal for my heart rate to increase by 10-20 bpm for about ten minutes after consuming cannabis in the form of vapor. Most of the time it is not noticeable. Sometimes it is enjoyable and exciting. It's not really much different from being active or getting excited about something.

The increased heart rate is not lasting, it's got a very short duration and is not dangerous unless you have some sort of heart condition.

That's exactly my experience as well. Rises about 10 to 20 bpm and lasts about 10 minutes.

 

[CarolKing]

I too abused stimulants as well as just about every other recreational drug that was around in the 70's and is one of the primary reasons why I continue to work out and run and watch what I eat. Gotta do my best to reverse any damage that I caused back then. By all rights, I really shouldn't be alive right now considering all the crap that I put in my body back then.



Sorry CK, but I didn't read anything in his post to suggest that smoking is better than vaping. What did I miss?

I'm really sorry, I read it wrong. My opologies @justcametomind, thanks for bringing it to my attention @lwien.

 

[MileHighLife]

As a youngen who's never abused stimulants, eats healthy, has run and worked out since high school but deals with pretty severe anxiety, some strains make my heart rate go crazy and cause panic whereas others chill me out. For the most part sativas speed it up and indicas calm me down but there are certain sativa strains that I like for day time use and certain indica strains that cause me panic. It's not common with the typical stoner ... probably because people who experience increased heart rate don't find the cannabis high enjoyable. I don't see this as a reason to not use cannabis, though. Just a reason to grow strains with the effects that I desire.

Closed minded, anti drug propagandists dig deep to try and nit pick reasons why the general public should be scared of this glorious herb and the sheep eat it up. Tons of people with questionable health use cannabis all day every day and when was the last time we heard of someone having a heart attack or any other health complications caused by the use of cannabis?

What people should be worried about is all the energy drinks, soda, and processed and fast foods they pump through their bodies

 

[justcametomind]

I'm sorry but that's a crock smoking is not better than vaporizing. Please don't spread unhealthy rumors like that. My body improved health wise when I quit combusting. My blood pressure is usually very low the top number is always 110 or under.

You do as you wish but this forum is called fuckcombustion. You are in the minority. I feel very strongly about this. I'm not sure why you would say that in a vaporizing forum?

You are entitled to your opinion.

I never intended to say that smoking is better than vaping.
A)
In my experience when smoking I notice the side effect in question is more noticeable than when vaping.
B)
And that when you build a tolerance to cannabis (you smoke/vape/eat weed often) the heart rate increase is diminished and less noticeable.

A) is my opinion but B) is "science". you can read almost everywhere than increased heart rate is associated with cannabis use and especially being a novice/having low tolerance to cannabis

 

[lwien]

I never intended to say that smoking is better than vaping.
A)
In my experience when smoking I notice the side effect in question is more noticeable than when vaping.
B)
And that when you build a tolerance to cannabis (you smoke/vape/eat weed often) the heart rate increase is diminished and less noticeable.

A) is my opinion but B) is "science". you can read almost everywhere than increased heart rate is associated with cannabis use and especially being a novice/having low tolerance to cannabis

I don't know man. I've been smoking/vaping cannabis longer than many here have been alive and every once in awhile I can get a strain of sativa that's really racy and yet not all sativas are equally as racy, regardless of how potent it is. It's like the raciness and the highness are sometimes two separate issues.

 

[BossBrew]

High THC strains cause my heart rate to increase for 10-30 minutes after vaporizing. My usual resting heart rate is around 60-65BPM but after vaporizing it can hover around 85-100BPM for a little while. This effect was not as pronounced when I vaporized daily but because I am currently an infrequent user with a low tolerance, it happens pretty much every time after vaporizing strains high in THC. This effect is reduced greatly with a strain that contains higher CBD values (which I mostly use nowadays for pain).

From experimentation over the years I have come to the conclusion that increased heart rate after vaporizing/smoking is an issue of low THC tolerance.

 

[vakednotfried]

I only notice an increase heart rate when I get super eager with a big bong hit through my extreme q. But that is partially due pulling for a decent amount of time. But don't dis credit that heart rate will increase as there is plenty of people who have said so. Would be the same if your holding your breathe for ex amount of time but I am no scientist.
Just a simple lad trying to get VAKED

 

[justcametomind]

On the other hand a nice side effect in summer is the cooling of hands and feet. In winter it can be annoying but in summer it cools my whole body a bit and it's a godsend.
I get it whatever the strain is and when it's hot it's one of the reasons to vape for me.
It cools me down better than any air conditioning.