Low Resting Pulse--Could it mean heart trouble?

M

mregan

Member
Hi everyone,
Today I went to my oby/gyn for a check-up, and she was very concerned about my pulse of 45. She suggested I go see my family doctor to get it checked out as soon as possible and told me some horror stories of what it could mean and how it might lead to a pacemaker. My blood pressure is pretty good: 110/70. She asked me if I was an athlete or a runner, as that might explain a super low pulse. I wouldn't call myself a hard core exerciser by any stretch. I do one-hour of Cathe's intense workouts three times a week. Does anyone know if that is enough cardio exercise to drive the pulse down that low? I would love to hear how often everyone exercises and what your resting pulse is. By the way, I'm 41 and have been aerobically fit most of my adult life with one lapse in my thirties. I certainly never felt like anything was wrong with my heart, but the doctor seemed worried, and now I'm getting worried. I had an EKG done in my check-up at 40, and my family doctor said things looked fine then. Thanking you in advance for your comments.

Manmohini
 
My RHR is between 44 and 46 bpm, and I'll be 45 next month. Your bp looks good. If your total cardiac output is good (your doctor would need to determine your stroke volume per beat to get cardiac output) then I'd say you're fine.

IMHO, your ob/gyn is just unnerved that you don't fit the profile of the typical 41-year-old female who has gone to seed, so of course she has to find (or invent) something to worry about.

I work out intensely (land and water workouts) 4X per week and power-walk 1-2 times per week.

A-Jock
 
Do get it checked out by your doc, but don't let your ob/gyn get you all worked up about it. My resting pulse rate is about 43-45. A couple months ago my doctor gave me an ekg and is not concerned about it. Before getting serious about exercise my resting pulse was about 55, so over the past few years it's gone down about 10 bpm. I am a cardio junkie too!

The only thing I hate about the low heart rate is that compared to others I don't put up very high calorie burns on my heart rate monitor.

BTW I work out 1-1.5 hours 6x a week and I'm 47.
 
DH and I have the same problem when we go to give blood, if they make us sit and wait too long before they take out pulse it's usually in the 'very low' category and we have to answer a couple of extra questions and they have to attach a special code to our donor sheet, lol! My resting HR is usually around 39-40. I'm 25 and work out with Cathe or running for 1/1/5 hours 6 times a week. DH runs and bikes 4 days a week and is the same age.
I would say just get it checked out and KNOW you're fine (better than fine actually) and then celebrate how healthy your are!
Mattea
 
As a general rule, the lower your RHR the stronger your heart, because it doesn't have to beat so many times to get the same amount of circulatory blood in and out. Elite endurance athletes have incredibly low RHRs; legendary Tour de France cyclist Miguel Indurain has an RHR in the low THIRTIES.

Dat's some stats!

I agree with Mattea - get it checked out so that you can astound (and generate some envy) among your medical team and so that you can feel smug about how cardiovascularly fit you are. Never pass up a chance to document your smugness.

A-Jock
 
I need to figure out my RHR but never remember to take it before I get out of bed. I believe mine is low. My BP was 100/60 and I asked the nurse, am I alive and she said that is a great BP, right in the range it should be. I said it sounds so low though, and she said it wasn't.

All my other stats are in the good to great level so my doc is very happy with my stats.

but if your worried, go to your doc and ask them questions but your stats sound normal to me.

Rhonda
 
I have really low BP coming in at 90/60 at times and my doctor always says that is good. My resting pulse ...I'm not sure how low it really is cuz whenever I set my HRM, I get nervous and it goes up. When relaxed, I have clocked it at 55, but usually it's a bit higher than that. I tend to be a very hyper person. I never heard that a low resting heart rate was bad and I've worked in hospitals and for doctors for over 20 years. I wonder why they think it is bad?

ETA: I'm 47
 
I don't think 45 is 'too low,' unless there is something else going on.

Remember that doctors see the "average American," and "average"/"normal" numbers (like cholesterol, heart rate) may be inflated. For example, some doctors would say a cholesterol level of 120 is 'too low,' but healthy people in other countries have even lower cholesterol levels.
 
> My BP was
>100/60 and I asked the nurse, am I alive and she said that is
>a great BP, right in the range it should be. I said it sounds
>so low though, and she said it wasn't.

It may sound low because, until recently, 120/80 was considered ideal. Now, the "ideal" recommendation has changed to something like 'below' 110/70 (not sure about the exact rate).

When I went to the Dr. and had to sit in the waiting room for almost an hour (with not a sufficient apology, IMO, for the delay), the nurse took my bp (and didn't tell me what it was until I asked---I HATe that! It should be info that is given TO ME!), it was 90-something over 60-something. So my bp can get very low when I'm sitting around a lot (maybe why watching too much TV, or sitting at the computer too long makes me sleepy?)
 
Wow, you all are in such great shape! I have no idea what my resting heart rate is, or my bp. All I know is that they always say that it's good. I do know that i tend to get nervous for some reason when they put the cuff on my arm and get ready to take my bp, I'm sure that might hike it up a few notches. I try to calm myself down and sit there and keep telling myself breath deep, relax. But it doesn't work that well. Wierd how that goes. Anyway, I hope that I'm in as good of shape in 10-15 years as all of you lovely girls are! I shouldn't say hope, I should say I plan to be in as good of shape. Your all inspire the heck out of me!

Kathy
 
> I tend to get
>nervous for some reason when they put the cuff on my arm and
>get ready to take my bp, I'm sure that might hike it up a few
>notches.

There's actually a term for blood pressure going up in the doctor's office: it's called "white coat syndrome," and it happens to many people.
 
I wouldn't worry about it. I've had this happen to me periodically through my life. I had an anatomy teacher ask me if I was alive because it was so low as well as one doctor. I've had numerous nurses redo the blood pressure test because they said "that can't be right"...doctors too. I've been working out since I was a teenager and am 32 today but not an "athlete". Don't let them scare you.
 
Hi! I'm a cardiac nurse and don't think you should be too worried. I've seen even really old people with heart rates that low, resting, and as long as their blood pressure was fine and they felt fine (asymptomatic) the cardiologists didn't get concerned. When people sleep and/or are sedated the heart rate tends to go lower, also. If there are no signs and symptoms of a problem, don't worry.

If your Dr. thinks you should see a cardiologist, fine and dandy. But without any other symptoms I think it is jumping the gun. Other symptoms would be, weakness, dizziness, shortness of breath,passing out, confusion, etc. In the CCU we watch people with heart rates in the 40s on our monitors and it bothers us, but as long as they are asymptomatic no one even mentions a pace maker.

There are medications that can cause a lower heart rate. Also people who do a lot of cardio usually have lower heart rates.

It's always better to be "safe than sorry", so follow the Drs. suggestions, but don't be unduly concerned.

Good luck,
Lynn
 
Don't underestimate the power of 3 aerobic Cathe workouts a week! I think it says your in great shape! Remember the average american does not exercise at all! So 90 percent of the time the resting pulse people read is very high. Mine is even lower than yours, and I had one person get alarmed and ask my doc and he said it was no problem and would serve me as I get older.
Heather
 
Mine is low too and my doc said it is because I workout so much. I do 1 hour of cardio 7 days a week. Your might just be enough to drives yours down, but I'd have it checked out just to be safe ;)
 
When I had my first echocardiogram before getting Herceptin, a chemo drug (it can damage the heart), the tech told me sometimes people who exercise a lot can get an "athlete's heart" where the muscles of the heart can get thick enough to cause the heart to pump ineffieciently. Is this true?

No athlete's heart for me, BTW, just your uneventful garden variety murmur. :)
 
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