Should I be concerned about my HR?

Hey all.

48yo M here.  This year i have dropped 53lbs and built to 15k+ yds/wk.  Last week while donating at red cross the nurse taking my vitals looked at me while taking my pulse and said "46."  I said "no way." and checked my watch and...  sure enough.  Since then I've been looking and resting hr is generally 48-52 (58 as I'm typing).  I know that a slower heartbeat is, generally speaking, a good thing and a result of activity but being in the 40's so often is a little disconcerting.  Before I started my no booze swim regimen in January my standing hr was like 68.-72, so the drop is significant.

My hr for swims seems to be okay.  my distance/stroke sets get me to 130-135 and sprint sets will get it to 145, and I'm under 80 after like 100-120 seconds of rest.  And I have no other symptoms of concern.  My diet is balanced and junk/treats are minimal.  BP is a seady 120/80.

But heart disease in my family is rampant and, like I said, 46 is a scary number to me.

I called the doc and made an appt for next week to be sure.  In the meantime, should I be backing off just in case?

Thanks for any advice.

Parents
  • Based on person experience it would be a good idea to check in with a doctor to be sure.   I got to that same range and week over week my avg HR kept getting lower.  I started getting dizzy easily and even fainted a couple of time. 

    it turned out I have an electrical problem with my heart which we fixed with a pacemaker. I’m back to swimming and did the escape from Alcatraz swim here in San Francisco a few months later.  

Reply
  • Based on person experience it would be a good idea to check in with a doctor to be sure.   I got to that same range and week over week my avg HR kept getting lower.  I started getting dizzy easily and even fainted a couple of time. 

    it turned out I have an electrical problem with my heart which we fixed with a pacemaker. I’m back to swimming and did the escape from Alcatraz swim here in San Francisco a few months later.  

Children
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