Should I be worried about my heart rate

akaDumbo
akaDumbo Posts: 187
edited September 21 in Fitness and Exercise
As many of you are aware I have numerous health problems which make physical activity difficult for me but I am trying to increase my activity albeit very slowly and I am doing small amounts of exercise everyday. I bought an HRM which so far seems to be giving me pretty accurate readings for my calories used (going by by weight loss).

I always sleep badly (part of my condition) but for some time now I have noticed that when I awake in the early hours my heart seems to be racing (rapid but not thumping like when exercising), I am not in discomfort or feeling clammy or breathing heavy. Infact I wasn't even sure if it was my heart as I have trouble with neuropathy and thought it might be pulsating nerves.

Last night I wore my HRM when I went to bed (as part of my how many calories do I burn experiments). When I awoke at about 3am it was reading "check heart rate" and had stopped. When I checked the readings I found it had only just stopped so whatever was happening must have woken me. The majority of the time was in burn mode with an average of 80 but 6 seconds of it was in the fitness range (that was when it stopped) and my Max HR was 208. Bearing in mind that I am a 52 year old morbidly obese woman who is extremely unfit and I can't get my heart rate much above 150 when working flat out should I be worried that it is reaching 208 when I am asleep? The fact that most heart attacks happen at around that time has me worried but I take my blood pressure meds at night so it might be that my blood pressure dropping is increasing my heart rate.

I am open to any suggestions/opinions

Replies

  • MaryTheIceCube
    MaryTheIceCube Posts: 1,099 Member
    I'm really not sure on this one -- probably best to check with your doctor if you haven't already. It doesn't sound like it's overly worrisome since you don't have any other symptoms when you wake, but I'm in no way a doctor so this is why it makes it difficult for me to say anything other than please check with your doctor if it worries you. I just wanted to reply though to let you know that I'm thinkin' of you and hoping everything is OK! Take care. :)
  • foxxybrown
    foxxybrown Posts: 838 Member
    Redo the test but don't wear it all night. My monitor will turn off at times especially when it doesn't have any extra activity.
  • vineas
    vineas Posts: 84
    The 208 could just be a glitch. My HRM glitched like that occasionally while working out when I first got it and wasn't cleaning the band enough. That could be all it is, but maybe it's real - no way to know for sure.

    Bottom line though - if you're worried about it, talk to your doctor.
  • akaDumbo
    akaDumbo Posts: 187
    Redo the test but don't wear it all night. My monitor will turn off at times especially when it doesn't have any extra activity.

    As this happens when I am asleep the only time I can switch it on is before I go to sleep. I will redo the test but as I have woken with a racing heart every night for some time now I expect the results to be very similar if not the same. It is not the switching off that worries me it is the 208 max HR which should be impossible for me.
    The 208 could just be a glitch. My HRM glitched like that occasionally while working out when I first got it and wasn't cleaning the band enough.

    Thanks Vineas that makes me feel much better
  • tracy1069
    tracy1069 Posts: 16
    My cardiologist recently told me that my heart rate is slightly higher than most people because my blood-pressure meds have a diuretic component to it (HCTZ is what's in mine), which tends to raise pulse rate. Perhaps your meds have a diuretic in it as well? You should definitely talk to a doctor / cardiologist though after repeating the test. Hope this tidbit of info helps.
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