Ask the doctor: Does heart rate affect blood pressure?
/128Heart rate and blood pressure are intimately related. Nerves and hormones constantly monitor and balance the heart rate and blood pressure. It is true that an isolated increase in blood pressure can drop the heart rate a little. But the reflexes that control blood pressure and heart rate are not simple. Sometimes, both heart rate and blood pressure can fall simultaneously, as happens with a typical fainting episode. Often, both heart rate and blood pressure rise together, such as when you exercise, get angry, or have an overactive thyroid.
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