Resting heart rate

lross84
lross84 Posts: 11 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi, my resting heart rate according to my Fitbit has gone from late 60's to around 45 now since New Year. I have been keeping up with exercise in this time. I compared it to my friends and hers is still around the 70's. I know Fitbit is not 100% reliable but I know it must be around that rate. When I was younger a nurse said I have an athletes heart rate but at the time I was doing loads of walking everyday so didn't think much of it. My dad has also had a pacemaker fitted and my brother has had tests on his heart. Just wanted your thoughts really. Thanks

Replies

  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    If heart problems run in your family you need to speak to a doctor not strangers on the Internet
  • lross84
    lross84 Posts: 11 Member
    Why bother replying if your going to be an idiot about it.
  • thecircuitwizard
    thecircuitwizard Posts: 4 Member
    I would agree with the above, sounds very low. Have it checked by a professional to be sure it's okay :)
  • ROBOTFOOD
    ROBOTFOOD Posts: 5,527 Member
    edited May 2016
    Could just be getting fitter. But ya, doc visit wouldn't hurt.

    I'm a distance runner and have always had a pretty low HR. 34 bpm. Have been seen by docs. All good. Also got 34 bpm on their machines. Same as my chest strap.

  • hekla90
    hekla90 Posts: 595 Member
    edited May 2016
    Have you tried taking it by hand? Or just off your equipment? With your family history it certainly wouldn't hurt to double check with a doctor. I work in ICU so our perception of what's acceptable for our patients is probably more lenient than most-but it's not uncommon to see heart rates in 40s-50s. Unless people are symptomatic we don't usually get *too* excited unless it's a sudden change for that patient. Also consider if you are taking any medications like beta blockers? Those can lower your heart rate and certainly need to be brought up to who prescribed them.
  • Christa_Smith
    Christa_Smith Posts: 24 Member
    I've improved my RHR since I started using my fitbit surge in December; from 70 down to 54. I think it's because I've increased my cardio with more running & rowing & I'm down 43 lbs. I'm actually still considered obese for my height for another 10 lbs so I imagine it will only improve as I continue to lose more weight.
  • Danimri84
    Danimri84 Posts: 262 Member
    I have a low RHR. At 260lbs, 7 months pregnant, in an ambulance on the way to the hospital because I was in pre-term labor, my HR was 58. Since I've been getting fitter, my RHR is 48. So it is possible that it is not a problem, but since you have a family history of cardiac issues, a visit to the doctor would be advisable.
  • Spliner1969
    Spliner1969 Posts: 3,233 Member
    I use a HR chest strap which I consider to be pretty accurate (I don't consider the ones on the wrist accurate at all), and mine runs around 45-48bpm resting HR. It used to be 80ish before I started to work out a little over a year ago. I do cardio 6 days a week and push myself into the anaerobic range (152-158 bpm) during at least 20 of the 30 minutes of cardio during those days. It may be a low resting HR, but it's probably due to a very strong heart muscle rather than some other problem. There are athletes with resting heart rates in the mid-high 30's (Lance Armstrong reports 32bpm as his resting heart rate). The biggest side effect is getting dizzy if you stand up to quickly.

    So yea, if HR problems run in your family maybe get it checked if you feel something is wrong, but honestly it just sounds like your heart is very fit. My opinion only, and I'm no expert or doctor.

    For me, there are some known heart issues in my family. WPW runs in my family. The way it works is the heart can get out of sync because of additional electrical pathways that shouldn't be there. So your heart can speed up and stay that way even if you aren't exercising or will speed up and get stuck in a loop (kinda like a short circuit). So I watch mine closely and make sure that after I exert myself that my heart goes back down to a normal rate in the right amount of time (within a minute or so of lower activity). I don't have a problem but my youngest daughter had to have an RF ablation done on her heart when she was in her early teen years. One day she drank an energy drink and her heart rate raced up to 170+ and stayed there. She almost had a heart attack. Luckily one of the doctors in the ER spotted WPW and we had it fixed after attempting medication for a few months. She's been fine ever since. I also have an older sister that has issues with similar extra pathways in her heart. So it definitely runs in my family so I make sure to wear a HR monitor at all times when I exercise and watch what's going on. I'm fine but if you feel uneasy about it there's no reason not to get checked out by a doctor. My guess is that you're fine, and the resting HR is a byproduct of being very fit.

  • BrownieKitty12345
    BrownieKitty12345 Posts: 149 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    lross84 wrote: »
    Why bother replying if your going to be an idiot about it.

    I'm sorry, you're calling me an idiot for suggesting you see a doctor...? :huh: :noway:

    MFP, I've seen it all now....

    I know right. She shouldn't ask a question if there is an obvious answer and she doesn't want to hear it!
  • shank35l
    shank35l Posts: 102 Member
    lross84 wrote: »
    Hi, my resting heart rate according to my Fitbit has gone from late 60's to around 45 now since New Year. I have been keeping up with exercise in this time. I compared it to my friends and hers is still around the 70's. I know Fitbit is not 100% reliable but I know it must be around that rate. When I was younger a nurse said I have an athletes heart rate but at the time I was doing loads of walking everyday so didn't think much of it. My dad has also had a pacemaker fitted and my brother has had tests on his heart. Just wanted your thoughts really. Thanks

    That's bradycardia, and given your Hx it shouldn't be ignored or otherwise brushed aside. See your GP and get a ref. to a Cardiologist ASAP. Plenty of super fit people end up dead in our department (cardiology) because of sudden cardiac death, usually due to an undiagnosed condition.

    BMP
    Troponen T
    Lipid panel
    EKG
    Holter monitor

    Stress test
    Echocardiogram


    The reason you are maybe not getting the answers you want here from some of us medical types is because it's near impossible to tell you if something is "normal" without the above tests I mentioned.

    Of curse, I may know nothing here. Just a PA
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Just another person letting you know that:

    family history of heart issues
    + questionable changes in your HR
    get thee to a cardiologist for a thorough checkup

    Won't you feel better knowing whether your heart's in good shape instead of wondering if it's a problem or not?

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