Higher Heart Rate Than Normal

I went out Saturday for what I thought was going to be 25miles.

The temp outside was 85, so it was hot. I had 2 small glasses of water before I left, plus an ibuprofen for the exercise headaches I get. I had eaten a decent breakfast.

My heart rate was incredibly high for the riding I was doing. It was hovering at 165 on the flats. Normally it sits at about 142 on the flats. I was drinking water and powerade the whole time. I eventually had to find some shade and sit down for about 5 minutes. I drank some during that time, and when I got up, my heart rate was back to where it should have been. It stayed normal for the rest of the ride.

My husband thinks it was because I was dehydrated. I've heard that can impact your heart rate, but I don't know anyone else that rides to know if its true or not.

Anyone else have this problem?

Could have been the heat too - hotter than I'm used to temps make my hr go up too.
A few other causes
medications - I tried otc Claritin once for spring allergies and it raised my hr about 20bpm!
fatigue - when I'm tired my hr tends to go up easier - and a consistantly elevated resting rate can indicate overtraining.

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Originally Posted by Eden

fatigue - when I'm tired my hr tends to go up easier - and a consistantly elevated resting rate can indicate overtraining.

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Same here, or if I'm not recovered completely I find my hr is higher.

Same here- HR elevates more than usual if I'm tired. And if I'm obsessing about said HR. And especially if there is unusually high or stressful traffic around me.

Dehydration can certainly do it, as can the heat. Those two things often go together (you're more likely to be dehydrated if it's hot), especially if you're not used to the heat. My heart rate tends to be higher than usual when running or riding on a hot day as well, especially during the beginning of the summer (and it gets high enough anyway, so I don't particularly like the effects of a hot day!). Make sure you drink plenty of fluids; a good easy way to check your hydration status is to look at the color (and quantity) of your urine--it should be pale yellow. If it's brighter/darker yellow, you need to drink more.

Headaches on a regular basis during exercise is a sign of dehydration. Drink before you feel thirst, once you feel thirsty you're aready dehydrated.