Low resting heart rate but not "in shape"?

[SarahLucy145]

Hi guys. A little background information on me so you all can have an idea. I'm 22 year old,female, I am overweight. I'm 5'4 weighing 178. I've lost weight from 196. 

My resting heart rate is always pretty low when laying down or sitting around? Into the 50's and as low as 44 during sleep:/ kind of scares me because I've read that isn't good unless you're an athlete. 

Im not an athlete nor do I really work out. It will increase with activity and go to 100 or more if running around but slows down pretty fast once resting. 

I've asked my dr and cardiologist they said ekgs came back good just showed some pvcs but that it's Okay for it to be low because I'm young with no other major help problems such as Bp or diabetes. 

Anyways I'm writing all this in hope of opinions or if anyone else experiences this. Would put my mind at ease. 

Thnaks guys. 

[Dominique]

To a large extent, resting HR is an individual thing: some persons will have it naturally higher or lower. If it’s high and you’re in poor shape (e.g. sedentary and overweight), losing weight and increasing exercise will likely lower it. If it’s already low (as in your case), improving your fitness and lowering your weight may not have such a big impact on your resting HR.

Where you should see a difference, however, is in your max. HR and in your recovery from it. For instance, your HR when running at a certain pace may be 160. Overtime (if you keep exercising), running at the same pace should result in your HR being lower (e.g. 140). As you become fitter, your HR should also fall faster once you finish an intense workout.

[vineviz]

It may also be true that your low activity level (indicated by the paucity of times your heart rate is moving into the yellow "fat burn" range or orange "cardio" range) is causing Fitbits resting heart rate (RHR) algorithim to calculate an abnormally low number for you. You can see my graphs, below, as someone who doesn't run or 'work out' but makes a conscious attempt to get up from my desk and walk around the room or up-and-down the stairs periodically during the day.

Increasing your activity level would almost never cause an increase in your 'true' RHR but it might cause Fitbit to calculate a higher reported RHR because your heart is spending more time beating faster.  If this happens, don't let it concern you.

Congratulations on dropping weight!

[SunsetRunner]

Your post begs the question:  Why would you need the opinions of strangers whose backgrounds you do not know when a doctor and a Cardiologist (who specializes in the heart) have told you it is okay?

Did your doctor check your thyroid levels?  Low thyroid will cause low BP and heart rate

[emili · Accepted solution]

I dont think its so much opinion as maybe strength in numbers. If others are experiencing it its more comforting regardless of what the doctor says.

It is good @SarahLucy145 that you checked with your doctor and they are not concerned. I am 46 in decent shape since I started paying attention to my fitness over two years ago and my resting heart rate is 46-48. It doesn't get above the 60's unless I start really moving or I am sick and congested. When I full out run it gets to about 142 and then drops back down quick when I stop. I unfortunately don't know what it was before I started to work out because I didn't get my fitbit until I was already over a year in. Keep tracking and keep moving. Periodically update your doctor so he can keep telling you are A-Ok.

[Nnehme]

I'm the same age and same starting weight and I have a low resting heart rate just like yours. I was an athlete, took a year off and started again this year (now officially retired as of the end of this season) so idk if that's why. Like I'm overweight but still played sports. But it's nice to know I'm not the only one 😅

[JohnnyRow]

Low resting heart rate is good. Why go looking for trouble?

[Johnfishing]

Your resting BPM seems completely normal 👍 and nothing to be worried about.

[SebWotan]

@JohnnyRow Because it is not always good, there are medical conditions causing a low RHR that needs to be taken care of. The OP did the right thing by asking her doctor. 

[Johnfishing]

Yes it is always a good to get anything you are worried about checked by a professional. Especially if you have any symptoms along with a slow Hart rate. Also for your own peace of mind.

[Heather-S]

Mine is much like @vineviz.  I try to get up and walk quite frequently at work since I have a desk job (taking 3-6 minute breaks throughout the day to walk around the block and up and down stairs), in addition to going to the gym for an hour and a half 5 days a week and walking my dogs every evening.  I'm 5'5 and 112lbs and very fit/athletic, yet my RHR is around 63-65.   I try to be in motion through the day and I chalk that up to elevating what FitBit says is my RHR because I don't really "rest" unless I'm sleeping.

[GershonSurge]

@Heather-S,

Fitbit generally says my resting heart rate is about five beats higher than my actual resting heart rate. I start a workout when I go to bed and count the steady state low rate as my resting heart rate.

[little_owl]

Guess I'm late to the game, but if this is still happening I think you should push the Dr's for a 24-hour take-home EKG test.

Sometimes due to the stressors of a Dr's/hospital visit and being relatively "active" immediately before a one-off test (climbed the stairs to get there, walked a mile and a half through twisting hospital corridors, nervousness about an EKG and what it might mean), an EKG will then show a heart beating within a normal range – because it was at that point in time normal – but take it home to when you're comfortable and relaxed (watching Netflix maybe) and it's different.

Your heart may be pumping completely normal, just too slowly. (As in not a heart defect or murmur)

Bradycardia (low heart rate) can have serious side effects, and should be taken seriously. 

It can have different causes, including medication side effects, imbalanced hormones, and other non-heart related things which wouldn't show on an EKG.

I agree that there's a comfort in numbers, as one user said, but there's also validation and confirmation when total strangers think the same thing you're wondering.

And oh yeah, congrats on the weight loss 🙂

[SunsetRunner]

My HR was always low even when I was obese and not "in shape". Usually, different devices were showing number around 60bpm. Some people just have low HR ( and RHR ) and there is nothing wrong with it. It's always good to check that but it's not like we have an epidemy of "low RHR" now. It's only because wristband trackers became so popular that it revealed that what we so far considered "normal" ( 60-120BPM ) not necessarily is the only "normal". My doctor said there was no week a person came and asked about low RHR after buying a fitness tracker and he cursed all the trackers 😄 Maybe the "normal range" will be redefined one day 😉

[SarahLucy145]

Hi thanks for the reply 🙂 just an update I went and had a full work up bavk in June 2017. Ekg, echo, stress test, 24 hour holt, spirometer test, 6 min walk test, blood work and X-ray. All came back normal. They said they couldn’t find anything as to why I have a low rate and palps:/ I still unfortunately have them. 

[macavada2]

I like to think that a low resting heart beat also shows oneself that they are great at not dwelling on daily stress.

Are you a happy go lucky, easy going person?

[startingover100]

I also have a low heart rate. I did a lot of cardio exercises and when I bought my Fitbit it registered my rhr at 32-36. this concerned me so I talked to my cardiologist and they sent me home with an overnight monitor. the results from that showed a couple episodes where my heart rate dropped below 30. he stated that they generally won't do anything unless there are several episodes with 2 sec pauses between beats at which point I would have been a candidate for a pacemaker. 

I ended up taking a break from working out and now my resting heart rate is around 46 which is fine but I ended up gaining 30Lbs so no that I'm starting to get back into the exercise routine hopefully the weight comes off again. I'll have to see what my rhr does as the weight comes off. 

[Jsmith1992]

Hello,

Thanks for this as mine is also says 49 resting and it goes down and up i am also overweight but losing it and also started walking around the forest and hiking etc.

Thank you for the information it has put my mind at rest

[atgonci44-]

i’m 72 and my resting HR god from 60 to 40 resting or sitting my Dr told me my HR was too low took 3 EKGs and heart is normal still can’t figure out why had a stress test passed with flying colors and still the Drs confused! if anyone there has the same problem, i don’t do  exercise  so go figure no  diabetes over weight or heart problems 

[atgonci44-]

I’m 72 not over weight don’t have Diabetes 5’8 146 lbs resting or sitting it’s drops down to 50s and 40s my doctor said o have low HR and told me to have an EKG had three of them all came out normal at the ER doctor asked if i was Athletic i said no i worked my **ahem** off years ago them they had me take a stress test passed had a good time running up the ramp i still wonder why my rate is so low does anybody ha e the same problem