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Should I be concerned about my HR?

folkinhippy
over 1 year ago

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
  • 0 over 1 year ago

    From what you have said here, you have no reason to back off "just in case." Your HR is low but not crazy low; it rises to meet demand; and it recovers quickly after the demand ends. Consult your doctor if you are unsure, and if they propose a cardiology workup and your health plan covers it, do it. You will get some interesting data if nothing else.

    Lots of trained athletes have resting HRs in the 40s or 50s. Problems to look out for (that you have not described here) include resting HR dropping even though your training is the same as ever; HR that will not rise to meet demand; HR that rises without demand, or that is erratic; unexplained decrease in your perception of your own aerobic capacity; fainting while you are just sitting around, or when you are doing light activity like walking around a store or cooking dinner.

    NB: I am not a doctor. I am, like XGBKB, a swimmer with a pacemaker. For anyone curious about electrical cardiac issues in athletes, I highly recommend The Haywire Heart, by Case, Mandrola, and Zinn. Just don't let the book or Dr. Google freak you out unnecessarily.

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  • 0 over 1 year ago

    From what you have said here, you have no reason to back off "just in case." Your HR is low but not crazy low; it rises to meet demand; and it recovers quickly after the demand ends. Consult your doctor if you are unsure, and if they propose a cardiology workup and your health plan covers it, do it. You will get some interesting data if nothing else.

    Lots of trained athletes have resting HRs in the 40s or 50s. Problems to look out for (that you have not described here) include resting HR dropping even though your training is the same as ever; HR that will not rise to meet demand; HR that rises without demand, or that is erratic; unexplained decrease in your perception of your own aerobic capacity; fainting while you are just sitting around, or when you are doing light activity like walking around a store or cooking dinner.

    NB: I am not a doctor. I am, like XGBKB, a swimmer with a pacemaker. For anyone curious about electrical cardiac issues in athletes, I highly recommend The Haywire Heart, by Case, Mandrola, and Zinn. Just don't let the book or Dr. Google freak you out unnecessarily.

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