A rapid heartbeat also, called tachycardia, can be defined as excessively fast heart beat, that is faster than normal. The normal heart in adults beats between 60 to 80 times, (in some cases 50 to 100) per minute. In children, the heart beat rate can be, to some extent, faster than 100 times per minute but still it can be considered normal. The speed of the heart beat usually is measured by checking the pulse or listening to the heart beat with a medical instrument called stethoscope. The extensive rapid heartbeat problem can cause a life of a person to end.

In some cases a person with rapid heartbeat may have no symptoms at all. In other cases, the symptoms may include palpitations, excessive sweating, fatigue or weakness, shortness of breath, chest pain, light headedness or dizziness and fainting. However, when heart beat is increased due to physical activity like running, there is nothing to worry about it. In such condition, heart beats becomes normal automatically.

The causes of rapid heartbeat may be exercise with heavy weight lifting or other activity that requires physical exertion, fear, pain, anxiety, stress, anger, nervousness. The other serious causes involve dehydration, which may be too little intake of fluids, loss of blood, diarrhea, vomiting, or medications such as diuretics, sometimes called water pills, low blood pressure, fever, hyperthyroidism (level of thyroid hormone in the body that is too high), congestive heart failure (a condition in which the heart cannot pump blood effectively), arrhythmias (irregular heart beat), anemia (a low red blood cell count), heart attack, excessive caffeine intake, some herbal therapies such as ephedra, blood infections, nerve damage, low oxygen in the blood, cocaine abuse, alcohol withdrawal and some kind of medicines.

Treatment of the rapid heartbeat depends on the cause. Regular exercise is advised to many people for preventing this problem. If rapid heartbeat is associated with other diseases (among the causes mentioned above), for example in dehydrated, doctors suggests fluids. In fever, a person is given acetaminophen (i.e., Tylenol). When cause is infection, one may need antibiotics or surgery. Other than the medications, avoiding cocaine or alcohol prevents from rapid heartbeat. Taking plenty of fluids can also prevent from this decease at great extent.