Slowtwitch Post: Is my heartbeat dangerously slow? I have trained and raced for many years including a finish in Kona. I recently began checking my heart rate and am concerned. I know athletes generally run low but I am about 46 some times, particularly when I wake up. Do I need to see the doctor? hemisphere
NOT A Doctor. But 40’s would not be unusual for someone doing long distance tris and marathons. When I’m in my best shape I’ve seen high 30’s first thing in the morning and have known people with resting rates below 30. But ask your Dr if you have any questions. I have a friend with a low HR who only does short distance runs 3-5 miles and he was passing out when he would stand up for instance. He ended up needing a pacemaker to get his heart rate to increase as needed for changes in activity. He was fine for running, just had problems when going from rest to activity. He’s fine now and running again.
Hemi-no, most likely you do not need to see the doctor. Save the copay and send a loved one some flowers. Resting heart rates can be quite variable and yes you are right, the athletic heart tends to beat more slowly than that of an untrained individual. I did a nice blog on this very subject a few months back that’s pretty easy reading. (Five Time Tour de France Winner Miguel Indurain had a heart rate of 28!)
Also has a neat picture taken on the Kona pier of all places and a shark warning! (But we swam anyway and never saw one…not that we weren’t looking.) www.johnpostmdsblog.blogspot.com
So, unless you’ve had some chest pain, shortness of breath, change in your over all good health,etc., or any of the well-known symptoms of heart disease credit your low heart rate to swim-bike-run.
I was getting an EKG for work and the nurse asks me if I workout a lot. I said yes and was wondering why she was asking and it turned out my heart rate during the EKG averaged around 44 bpm. She said that the only other time she saw a heart rate that low was when she working as a nurse for a Marine unit. I am personally proud that my resting heart rate can be half of the average American’s. But I am no Doctor and if you are feeling ill when you know your HR is low then I would see someone. If its only the low HR then I would start bragging about it.
I have about the same resting heart rate as you, every time I give blood they have to ask if I work out, they have to ask if its under 50 I beleive. I also have a pretty low max heart rate. I usually dont hit 180 unless I’m sprinting hard at the end of a crit or something. I’ve been in the 120’s in the middle of a crit race before( I was trying to save energy).
Yeah, your hearbeat is like the special olympics.
sorry.
I’m 20 and in the morning during most of the year I have a resting HR around 40…
I have 27 sometimes during the day if lay down and relax… not talking about my health, just want to say that you probably have nothing to worry yet, but if you looking for troubles then yes go to doctor, they’ll make you a client
You’re fine - my coach routinely ran a 42 when waking. What’s your heartrate when you are just sitting up, watching tv for example? Mid 60’s low 70’s?
As an addendum, athletes (especially endurance athletes) should see a cardiologist once a year to check things out - concerns like enlarged aortas and other things need to be ruled out when you are dealing with ultra high endurance athletes. We’ve all heard of marathoners unfortunately encountering complications, as well as highly trained athletes suffering aortic ruptures because of high loads of stress on the heart. These are things to take seriously, and if you are ever worried - it never hurts to have the peace of mind that going to a doctor can provide you.
It’s important to find docs that have a large group of patients that are athletes though - a cardiologist that works mostly with the elderly will not always be up to speed on the concerns of athletes.
My resting HR is 40-44 depending on fatigue, and has been like that since I started checking it in high school. Nothing to be concerned about. With a low resting heart rate it is also not unusual to have slightly elevated systolic blood pressure and a lower diastolic (mine is 127/70). Some doctors I’ve been to saw this a boarderline high blood pressure, but I went to a good sports physician and he said this was typical (fewer beats/min means a bit more pressure on each squeeze).
I have the same thing as you. I was thinking of seeing a cardiologist regarding it. Have you ever talked to anyone about it?
I am not a doctor or associated with the medical community. I learned of this “slow heart rate condition” while in the hospital for treatment on another ailment. What you are describing is “bradycardia”. While the doctors were running other tests, they said I had a very “slow heart rate”. They asked if I did any cardio activity or sports. When I told them I swam, biked and ran, the doctor responded…ohhhh you’re a triathlete. According to Wikipedia: “Trained athletes or young healthy individuals may also have a slow resting heart rate. Resting bradycardia is often considered normal if the individual has no other symptoms such as fatigue, weakness, dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting, chest discomfort, palpitations or shortness of breath associated with it.” If you are having any of the aforementioned symptoms, then yeah… call your doctor, otherwise, wait until your next appointment and mention it to him/her.
Just my 2 cents!