Slow resting heart ...
 

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[Closed] Slow resting heart rate. What's too low? Docs?

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Way off topic I know, but I also know there's a few medical types on here hence the question.
Dear daughter, just 17, zero medical problems other than an eye sight issue which causes an inability to find her wardrobe or the washing basket.
Messing around with heart rate monitor on a phone earlier and it says 46bpm, checked another phone then a fit bit watch and all similar, so I actually counted them as in pulse style with a watch came out at 48bpm.
Worth a quick appointment at the gp or nothing to worry about, I'll be honest I'd feel a bit of a tit going in to the surgery and saying her heart is slow, but it just seems quite low to me.
Thoughts?


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:01 pm
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Sounds ok to me ....

PS, I'm not a doctor.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:05 pm
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Mine used to be low 40s when I was younger. I’m not dead!

Super low blood pressure was a bit of an issue I once got up and ran through to the front room. I got half way, passed out and smacked into a wall


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:09 pm
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Wouldn’t worry about it. My official NHS heart rate is 40BPM measured after a nurse saw 38, panicked and sent me for an EGC. Turns out my HR is relatively low (bradycardia if you want to get really fancy)

You’ve also just opened the door for a bit of a STW low heart rate pissing contest....


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:12 pm
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Mines always been low. Now in my late 40's it's about 48 or 49.

I never realised low could be a problem until recently, although it does explain why I've always been quite good at fainting :/


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:14 pm
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Sound, that'll do then, 2 cases in 3 replies in the 40 bpms and deemed ok.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:15 pm
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36 and a collapse in Tesco checkout aisle had me in an ambo and ECG , and I am not fit or fast
Low BP = lots of spinning rooms if I get up too quick. Used to faint alot as a kid too.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:16 pm
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Is she a really fit athlete? If so its perfectly normal. Is she sustaining her BP? ie does she faint if she stands up to quickly?

If she is not a trained athlete I would get it checked but I wouldn't worry too much.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:20 pm
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Wasn't Migel Indurain's resting heart rate something silly like 29?

... Might have been due to the cocktail of drugs he was taking. 😉


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:21 pm
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3 whisky’s in, a bag of maltesers and crashed on the sofa... 38bpm.

I’m either going to die, or fall asleep.

I’ll let you know in the morning 🤷‍♂️🥴


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:23 pm
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I had low 40'ies wen trained is not that exceptional in fit people. Haven't measured for years so no clue on current values.

Two mates had low 20's, one used to make up values not to freak the coaches out on training camp. Both ended up getting à 48h continous monitoring but all clear.

40 ies is not that uncommon, lower 30's or 20 ies is worth checking thoroughly IMO.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:23 pm
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For the record, mine’s 40 but I just pass out like these weirdos ^

😉


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:24 pm
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She's a netballer and gym regular who pushes herself properly when there. No fainting.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:25 pm
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My resting HR is 48, was as low as 43 last summer. I'm not especially fit, just born with a slow HR. Plenty of STWers will be super fit with resting HRs in the low 40s.

Slow HR is not a problem unless there are other symptoms. (Fainting feeling weak etc.) As someone else said it's known as Bradycardia.

Deffo no action required, your daughter's Heart is clearly pumping plenty of oxygen to her brain.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:26 pm
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40's is fine.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:30 pm
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Bradycardia and low BP for me too. Problem comes when they put an ECG on you. Mine came up that I was having myocardial infractions. The paramedic kept asking if I had tightness in the chest. Seems ECGs are set up for a typical mid range HR and blood pressure. If you are an outlier it does not compute.
All that was wrong with me was a bit of medical shock after an accident and I was lightheaded (always knew my brain could use more blood flow).


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:42 pm
 Drac
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17 keeps fit no symptoms I'd not worry about it.

Seems ECGs are set up for a typical mid range HR and blood pressure. If you are an outlier it does not compute.

Nope. The age can be set reading them wrong gives bad results.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:47 pm
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According to my Garmin I'm currently around 43bpm. I'm 39 and not super fit, just reasonablely fit.

It's always been low as far as I know, no fainting.

I've seen it as low as 38bpm through night.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:52 pm
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My dad's 94 and has a HR of about 42; always been very low.
He slipped and thought he'd bust his hip last year, got admitted. They wired him up to an ECG overnight because his HR was "too slow" in A&E. Thing kept alarming and waking up the entire bay; he had to do a little dance in his bed every time to get the rate up a bit and shut the thing up 🙂


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 9:57 pm
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reckon zero is maybe not so good but anything above is fine


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 10:03 pm
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46-49 here for me.


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 10:14 pm
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Sitting here reading this, mine is 49. It will go lower if I don't move.

I'm still alive, so it must be ok. 🙂


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 10:16 pm
 DT78
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45 on sofa, sometimes drops below 40 then I feel shit. Jump up and down a bit and drink coffee raises it a bit. Average low 40s according to my fenix which I wear 24 7. Had an ecg gp said a bit low but fine


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 10:22 pm
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I’m 53 and can get below 50 sitting doing nothing. Mates was measured at 32 while in hospital for unrelated issue - apparently had everyone running around until he told them that was a bit high!


 
Posted : 01/04/2019 10:27 pm
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STW low heart rate pissing contest

Lots of running over the years means mine is often below 40 but typically 40-41 at rest. Very low max though of 176. I am 54.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:13 am
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Mine's pretty low - 42-43 sat still. Proper "resting" it gets below 40.

My uncle had issues with dizzyness, now has a pacemaker that kicks in when his drops below 60. He is 75 though.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:22 am
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mines currently about 48bpm, and I'm an overweight 45 year old, and not dead yet.

So I reckon she's fine.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:26 am
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"Beep Beep Be Boop"

The sound an NHS HR monitor has made every time i'm in hospital as they can't change the 40bpm alert.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:39 am
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Scaled - They can( usually) - but rarely know how

years ago a nurse I worked with was a very fit cyclist with a resting heart rate in the 30s. He actually wore a medic alert bracelet that stated this as he ( and I thought most people with a heart rate than low) when on an ecg it looks like they are in heart block and need to have a pacemaker fitted and he didn't want to wake up after an accident with a pacemaker if he had been knocked out. He was a nurse on the cardiac ward so knew a fair amount about it.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:57 am
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39 here. Mine goes up to about 55-60 when de-conditioned.

A lot of school of thought now is the NHS 60-100 is way out for healthy individuals, Imagine having a RHR of 100, that would be more of a concern to me than mid-high 40's!

I would say if you are in the 40's you should get checked out if you don't train/ride/run much though as low HR's like that are either a sign you've got lots of extra stroke volume from heart development and more red blood cells so your heart can deliver more oxygen when riding/running- meaning it doesn't need to pump that fast when at rest, or a sign something could be wrong.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:06 am
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My resting HR was 41 when I was racing the NPS 10 years ago, used to be nearer 30 when I was in my 20s. Now about 58 which is a big jump in only 10 years (48 now), still gets classed as low using the 'standard' tables for HR.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:13 am
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Most people I know that are fit have HRs in the 40s. Any heart issues in the family? Having been talking to the GP about my heart recently he said the UK is way way behind europe in heart screening for the young, but that for many countries, in the first instance its just a questionaire: if you havent blacked out exercising and dont have a family history of heart issues you are deemed OK. IANAD obviously.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:26 am
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I’m alive, so good morning to you all.

Hope your daughters ok 👍


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:28 am
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All sounds perfectly normal, my other half is like that, always had low bpm. I used to live with a mate of mine who was quite seriously into his running. He'd sit on the sofa before a run to try and get his pulse as low as he could before starting (I don't know why) but he was able to get it down to about 30bpm sometimes.

Curiously another mate I used to go to spin classes with had a pulse that went up very high when he was pushing himself. They used to make you wear a HRM and your pulse could be seen up on a big screen, I've forgotten what the name for that sort of training was but very effective. Anyway his pulse would get up to 220-230 and the instructor would keep telling him to ease off! Perfectly fit and healthy guy though.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:30 am
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I think she should be fine, but for the sake of an appointment at the GP it might be worth it? I have a low resting rate of 40 (I'm 43) and this caused a problem whilst getting a medical done for my health insurance. The results were flagged and had a back and forth with the underwriters regarding this. Eventually I had to get the nurse who performed the tests (who happened to be a runner) to feed back and state that this was fine. It seems the tables adjusted to modern living move the HR up and we fall foul of this.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 9:35 am
 poly
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I think she should be fine, but for the sake of an appointment at the GP it might be worth it?

People should always go to the GP if they are genuinely concerned about a condition. But a young person who does a lot of exercise with a relatively low heart rate is not surprising; with no other symptoms I'm not sure what you'd expect the GP to do. 1. Tell you there is nothing to worry about; 2. Tell you there is probably nothing to worry about but refer you to a specialist and take up more resources for a non-problem.

If she exercises hard she may want to consider getting a Cardiac Risk in the Young assessment: https://www.c-r-y.org.uk/screening/ anyway - at least there anyone advising will be used to seeing "fit" "healthy" "athletes" rather than focussed on middle aged couch potatoes.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 11:26 am
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Mine is low to high 50s depending on how rested I am. Usually higher now because I am riding much more regularly than I used to - I need a few days of rest for it to drop all the way.

I have a mate whose RHR is low 40s, of similar overall bike performance (although totally different style), but his HR cannot go above about 150 whereas I can sustain 180+ for a half an hour. I've read that it's something to do with relative sizes of atria and ventricles, which is congenital.

My wife is not sporty at all and her RHR is in the low 50s.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 12:05 pm
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My resting HR can easily drop to low 40s, mentioned it when I was at the doctors a few years ago and they basically said if you've no other health problems you're probably fine. For reference my "sustainable exercise" HR is ~160 and I max out at ~185 for bursts.

Obviously any concern, just go to the GP and ask.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 12:10 pm
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People should always go to the GP if they are genuinely concerned about a condition. But a young person who does a lot of exercise with a relatively low heart rate is not surprising; with no other symptoms I’m not sure what you’d expect the GP to do. 1. Tell you there is nothing to worry about; 2. Tell you there is probably nothing to worry about but refer you to a specialist and take up more resources for a non-problem.

This.

If she's worried a telephone appt might be better. Turning up in person is wasting her time and his.

There is no way a HR of 48 alone is going to get you to see a specialist. Mine was 43 *and* I was complaining of palpitations and I still only saw a specialist after I'd recorded the palpitations.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 12:30 pm
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Freaks me out sometimes listening to my heart rate at home, wondering if it's actually going to beat again. Wanders around 40-50ish, but then I'm 46 (heart rate gets slower with age) and been regularly riding for last 10 and a bit years. Early days of riding it would be around 70-80 for a good 12 hours or more after riding!

Also, resting rate riding is a bit different to sat at home after relaxing resting rate. If it's in 40s when you've stopped for a bit during riding, then that's surprisingly low! Or would be to me.

Other thing is I only get 40-50ish if I stay off booze for a day and possibly coffee. Either of those will maintain it around 55-60. Not that I'm suggesting booze and coffee is a fix for a low heart rate 😀

There is no way a HR of 48 alone is going to get you to see a specialist. Mine was 43 *and* I was complaining of palpitations and I still only saw a specialist after I’d recorded the palpitations.

Didn't get a specialist but got an emergency ECG after palpitations and freaking out thinking I was having a heart attack lead to A&E trip. Nothing came up. Ended up concluding excessive coffee might be something to do with it. I wasn't getting a very rapid rate though, just massive pounding heart and palpitation feeling that wouldn't stop for 48 hours until I was given some beta blockers.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 5:01 pm
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My heart rate was slowest just before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Slower doesn't always equal better.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 5:53 pm
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Mine is 40-45 but I've seen it as low at 38. I'm late 30's, fairly fit.

My mother who is in her 60's has a resting HR in the high 40's, I believe a lot of it is also genetics.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 6:53 pm
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Low is ok as above, mine is 48 which less than my age.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 6:57 pm
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I am not a doctor but from your post I don't think you'll be happy as a parent until you're sure.

Either drop into your GP, or even better, book onto a CRY (Cardiac Risk in the Young) session.

https://www.c-r-y.org.uk

They're specifically screening for latent heart problems in athletes that a GP or hospital might not look for, and in my experience were faultlessly professional.

Drop me a PM if you want more information - as I went through more advanced screening with them - but I think it's worth it.

Their view is that all teenagers / young adults should be checked.


 
Posted : 02/04/2019 8:20 pm
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My resting HR is 30-31. Do I win a prize? 😀


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 5:50 am
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Slightly unrelated thanks for the CRY link @Flaperon. I have booked onto a screening on the 1st May (just about young still at 35!). I don't have any issues but my paternal grandfather died at the age of 45 of a heart attack so it is worthwhile getting screened.

As per wwilly waving contest, high 40's to low 50's RHR. Don't think I win anything!


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 7:02 am
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What if you're over 35? There are still heart risks from being an endurance athlete in middle age no?


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 7:28 am
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Got me worried now. Can’t get mine below 70bpm. Used to be much lower but I’ve just had a cup of tea.


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 8:00 am
 Keva
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mine has always been low. just measured it for 20seconds and it was 17, so 51bpm and I've just had a coffee. I'm 50 this year, never had any problems. Used to be in the mid 30s ten yrs ago.


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 10:11 am
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What if you’re over 35? There are still heart risks from being an endurance athlete in middle age no?

Is the thinking that it will have killed you by now if you have anything they're looking for?!?


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 10:17 am
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Bluntly speaking, yes.


 
Posted : 03/04/2019 10:24 am

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