Does high blood pressure lead to a fast heartbeat?

High blood pressure generally causes the heart to beat faster.

When blood pressure increases, the patient's heart needs to withstand more pressure in order to send blood to the body. In response to this pressure, the body converts and releases catecholamines, including adrenaline and norepinephrine, which speed up the heart beat, causing the heart to contract more vigorously in order to send blood to the body. Therefore, high blood pressure is usually accompanied by faster heartbeat. In addition, when blood pressure increases, the body activates other regulatory mechanisms to control blood pressure, such as blood pressure receptors in the carotid body that sense the increase in blood pressure and send signals to the brain, which sends instructions to regulate blood pressure. These regulatory mechanisms also cause the heart to beat faster.