Resting heart rate

I would agree with the above, sounds very low. Have it checked by a professional to be sure it's okay

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.

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.

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