American Heart Association News: Watch Your Heart Rate, But Don't Obsess About It

Keeping track of your heart rate is probably a good thing. Obsessing about it probably isn't.

That's one drawback of the increasing popularity of wearable devices that constantly monitor heart rates, said Dr. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute.

A 2013 study published in the journal Heart of nearly 3,000 men in Denmark showed the risk of death increased by 16% for every 10 beats per minute increase in resting heart rate. But Stevens said she is far more focused on high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and other risk factors for heart disease.

Dr. Stevens explains what to look for when checking your heart rate and why that is only a piece of the whole picture.

Read the full American Heart Association News article: Watch Your Heart Rate, But Don't Obsess About It

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