hacgirl,

Thanks for your question.  The normal pulse rate for an adult is 60 - 100, which means you are a little high.  I'm happy to hear that you avoid coffee, alcohol, and drugs, which both can affect the heart.  Be sure to avoid other caffeine containing foods such as tea and chocolate.

In a young female such as you, two things come to mind that need further evaluation.  One is the possibility of an overactive thyroid, which causes higher pulse rates.  The other is anemia, especially in young females that might have heavy menstrual flow.  Other issues to be considered are your weight and physical fitness.  Heavy people tend to have higher pulse rates and the less "in shape" a person is, the higher their pulse is with any exertion.

Now that you've reached the magic number of 21 years old, I suggest you make an appointment with your primary care physician for a complete checkup.  Certainly discuss these symptoms with him/her and ask him to run lab work that includes Cholesterol, LDL, HDL, Triglycerides, Chemistry panel, urinalysis, blood count, and thyroid studies.  Getting an electrocardiogram would be another suggestion.

After your doctor's evaluation, he/she will be in a better position to tell you what might be going on, if anything.

Best wishes.

Martin Cane, M.D.