Low Resting Heart Rate

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Replies

  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
    I actually just asked a cardiologist about this a couple days ago. My RHR is also low (54-57) and I do quite a bit of high-intensity cardio. But I have noticed many times while sitting still for periods of time (also surfing the web, LOL, or watching TV) that my HR drops to between 40-44. I asked him if it was something I needed to worry about and he said it is called the Vagal Tone and is a nervous system reflex that slows the pulse down (particularly after eating/drinking something cold or eating a large meal.) He said it is one of the reasons "people fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinners!" Hope this helps!

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  • pokeelyy
    pokeelyy Posts: 34 Member
    My rhr is real low, it's like 42 bpm. My normal heart rate like, during the day, is usually between 48 and 54 bpm.
  • LilRedRooster
    LilRedRooster Posts: 1,421 Member
    Resting heart rate can be influenced by a number of things: Blood pressure, oxygen concentration, blood sugar, etc. Usually, it's influenced most by oxygen concentration (i.e. how much oxygen your individual blood cells are carrying at any given time), and that's actually genetically influenced a lot of the time. Some people have excellent blood oxygen concentration, because their marrow just produces a lot of red blood cells and keeps the levels high. Living in areas of high altitude often contribute to lower resting heart rate, because your body adjusts to the lower oxygen in the atmosphere by producing more cells to keep levels right.

    Mine is usually around 60-70, which is pretty average.
  • mrandolph69
    mrandolph69 Posts: 197 Member
    You could have a condition called bradycardia.

    Take a look at the following page:

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/bradycardia/DS00947

    According to the Mayo Clinic:

    "Bradycardia is defined as a slower than normal heart rate. The heart usually beats between 60 and 100 times a minute in an adult at rest. If you have bradycardia (brad-e-KAHR-de-uh), your heart beats fewer than 60 times minute. Bradycardia can be a serious problem if the heart doesn't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body. For some people, however, bradycardia doesn't cause symptoms or complications."

    I am not sure if bradycardia is defined as having a RHR under 60 or if that is just a symptom of it. I noticed that I have a RHR of 50 (it has been as low as 40, it was 42 this afternoon at noon) and I am no elite athlete. I first noticed it about 6 months ago when I started regularly tracking my BP. I decided to ask my doctor about it. He ran an EKG and said that I have a normal sinus rhythm bradycardia and that I should not worry about it unless I experience dizziness or lightheadedness. I would not be overly worried about it but I would see my doctor about it if I were you because there can be underlying causes that are deadly and in those cases you could need a pacemaker. I think those situations are rare but I figure we should be overly cautious when it comes to the the heart.
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
    My RHR is about 45-50
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    We have the same stats (height, weight and age)... my RHR is very low. I take it upon waking (without an alarm clock - natural waking) usually a couple times a month.

    My average? 41-44.


    I've had an EKG and they said everything is "text book perfect". I've had blood work done and everything comes back "excellent" or "perfect". Their conclusion? I just have a low resting heart rate and considering I have low blood pressure (and always have - even when I was overweight)... they have concluded it is just "my normal".
  • mariamikulich
    mariamikulich Posts: 8
    I have always had a low resting heart rate (45-47) even before adopting running and cycling. My mother ran low also. So I do believe there is some genetics involved. I wear a HRM when I do workouts indoors at a health club and I can get it quite high (160-170) and it does not take long to get it down to a normal rate when I slow down, so my heart is in really good shape especially for my age (64). I was involved in a sleep study for over a year where a blood draw and ekg was given every month, so I know that there are no heart issues. Be thankful that you have a low resting heart rate. I am.
  • DRetel
    DRetel Posts: 136 Member
    I've always had a low RHR. Even right now, as I'm getting ready to go out for a run, I have my HRM on, and it's reading me at 49-50bpm. I get up to 170 during a run or cardio session.
    I also have pretty low blood pressure - 90/70. I'm no athlete, that's for sure. I just started working out last year after taking 14 years off from any exercise! I also get really dizzy if I stand up too quick.
    On top of all that, I've got super low iron levels. My ferritin is only 10, and it technically should be over 60. This causes fatigue and unfortunately hair loss. :ohwell:

    Seems I'm just all around low!
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
    IMO its genetic. My father has had 4 heart attacks and has a low hr and low bp. Im a runner and mine was 37 when I had surgery last summer. I'd not worry.
  • MelissaGraham7
    MelissaGraham7 Posts: 406 Member
    My heart rate also runs 45-48 consistently at rest. Sometimes the docs have trouble getting my pulse. I'm not an athlete; never was. Just lucky, I think. But I've had docs over the years do some diagnostics, ECG, stress echo, etc. and there has never been anything wrong and I never have symptoms. I'm 57 years old and it's been this way for at least 20 years. :smile:
  • misslissa555
    misslissa555 Posts: 135 Member
    Oh gosh! Mine is seriously 85-90 when I'm resting. Maybe it's the medicines I take.
  • pucenavel
    pucenavel Posts: 972 Member
    My normal in the morning is low 40's - sometimes even gets into the 30's.
  • cat3nv
    cat3nv Posts: 389 Member
    My resting HR is usually in the low 50's. My blood pressure is usually low 98/45. When I try to donate blood sometimes they make me walk around the building. I was told, "the bottom number needs to be over 50".
  • dsak
    dsak Posts: 367 Member
    I posted a similar topic on low resting heart rate a while back, and I am actually glad to see others out there with a similar situation as mine. I'm sometimes paranoid that something bad will happen because of my low RHR, but... since I've been checked out by a cardiologist, and.... seeing others on here who are just fine with a low RHR, I feel so much better. I thought I was a freak!!! Haha.....
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    last i checked it was a 46, when i was a swimmer it was lower still. I can push it up to 190. I used to be able to push it to about 198 without losing speech, but I haven't had the occassion to get it that high recently.
  • staceyseeger
    staceyseeger Posts: 778 Member
    I am very active...my resting rate is 50-55.
  • fakeplastictree
    fakeplastictree Posts: 836 Member
    Mine is generally 50-55. and my BP is low too. I get light headed sometimes and feel faint. but the doc says its good. I am able to maintain activity like running for an extended period of time with my HR at 180-190 bpm without being exhausted too, idk if that is influenced by the low HR or what.
  • olderpsychstudent
    olderpsychstudent Posts: 1
    Hi All.

    I am new to this site, but after I went to the doctor today to discover that my resting heart rate is 45, I figured I would do some research.

    I am a 47 year old Black man who is 30 + year heavy smoker. I run 5 milles, 5 miles on the elliptical, 300 sit-ups, 50 inverted chin-ups, 50 leg-extended chin-ups, and 90 minutes weight resistance training every other day, in short... I have turned into a gym-rate. In fact, while composing this message, I have thought about going to the gym more than once. While pushing it on the treadmill, I can get up to180 bpm without rapid breathing. I am wondering if I have bradycardia or is this just part of getting in shape.
  • Tanya949
    Tanya949 Posts: 604 Member
    Mine used to be around 90, figuring I'm obese. Now, I'm about the same weight I was with that RHR, but now it's 55. I am definitely fitter, but no athlete. I find this really surprising as I thought 55 was really low. Seeing how many healthy people here are well below the norm, I won't worry too much unless I notice some other symptoms.
  • mjudd1990
    mjudd1990 Posts: 219 Member
    Normal heart rate is 60-100 bpm and is initiated by a bundle of nerves at the top of the heart called the sinoatrial(SA) node. This is the natural pacemaker of the heart but if it gets damaged or your vagal nerve tone increases (say from getting into shape for a marathon) then other sites will take over this pacemaking duty. The atrioventricular (AV) node fires at 40-60bpm and if that fails then the ventricular muscle itself will take over and fire at 20-40bpm.

    If you have a RHR below 60 and have never had a heart attack it's more than likely just due to increased vagal tone (parasympathetic input) to your heart and not anything to be concerned about
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