Declining Resting Heart Rate

[lukedga]

I've read lowering your resting heart rate can be a good indication of improved fitness. I just wondered how quickly people started noticing a dip in their own. I received a FitBit this past Christmas and my resting heart rate has decreased several points since then. Specifically, after this past week of really ramping up activity, it has dropped from 64 bpm to 59. I've seen it get as low as 49 when sitting still.

I was running long distances before a leg injury and am working my way back to that level of fitness. I wasn't keeping tabs on my heart rate back then, so I'm not sure how to draw any conclusions from my decline/improvement now. I realize a wrist-mounted fitness tracker isn't a failsafe way to keep tabs on heart rate, but a decline is a decline.

Any other similar experiences?

[Coolfaye17]

I’ve been watching my calorie intake and excercising as I can - weights mostly because of bad knees but my resting heart beat before starting to do this 3 weeks ago was 75 it’s now 63 on average and that obviously means my heart health has improved. A nice bonus to the weight lost and excerise! 

[Vrjustin82]

Could the decrease in calories in one's diet make the heart more lethargic? I have less energy close to bedtime. Of course, it doesn't help to be "under" my supposed calorie goal most days ( I make up for some of it on the weekend).

[Celly_16]

That's a good resting HR. I am a lifter and hockey player.... mine gets as low as 38 at night. 😮

[Coolfaye17]

Hey sorry I took so long to reply.
Thanks for your positive message, good luck with the hockey!

[DoctorBoss]

Hey Jasn.

I experienced the same thing this week and I'm wondering if it's normal. I've been working out for about a month and all of the sudden I'm seeing a steep drop. Wondering how things turned out for you. 

I've gone from 65..63..60..56..54 in the last 5 days. 

[SunsetRunner]

Well Done,

I am getting lower heart rate after a month of having my new fitbit Blaze, down from 66 to 58.

Like you i am using a plan to lose weight and have lost a stone so far.

Great to hear you have done so well and i hope to get there soon

Wishing you all the best.

[Coolfaye17]

Thanks 🙏
Good luck with your endeavours.

Sent from my iPad

[AFEGpilot1984]

Mine has dropped from 63-51 the past week.   Lowest heart rate at night is between 40-42.  Went to the dr and an EKG revealed normal results.  I have recently cut out alcohol so I am hoping that maybe has something to do with it.  Still worrisome of such a large drop so quick as I actually haven’t even run in two weeks.

[Leahjones33]

Hello. Do you mind sharing how your test results turned out? I am currently experiencing the same issues as you. 

[Leahjones33]

Regarding my previous message, I meant to respond to this thread. 

[AFEGpilot1984]

If you are asking me, I had multiple EKG's and everything came back normal.  I turned off the heart rate function on my Fitbit.

[Tora422]

I got my Fitbit for Christmas. My resting rate was 82. On January 1st, I started low carb, low fat diet. As of today January 17th my resting heart rate is now 71. 

[SunsetRunner]

I got my Fitbit this past Christmas and mine was initially a 61 then my first tracker malfunctioned so Fitbit sent me a new replacement last weekend since having it I started walking quite often (this whole past week/weekend as well as yesterday and today) and it went down to 60 bpm, then 59, now it’s at 57 and I’m a 30 year old male is that normal? Me and my wife both are starting a low carb diet as well. Hopefully it’ll stay the same.

[EdGrve]

A decrease in carbs coupled with an increase in exercise results in lower
levels of stored glycogen. I am absolutely convinced (admittedly, purely
from correlating my heart rate changes with diet etc over a couple of
years) that, other than fitness levels, stored glycogen levels is one of
key levers involved in heart-rate changes. A sustained deficit results in
a steady decrease over a matter of just weeks, and visa versa, and in my
experience even the occasional carb-loading etc, which in theory would
replenish stored glycogen levels, won't interrupt that trend, although it
may certainly (in my experience) result in an immediate brief spike in your
heart rate. My theory is that there is basically a "normal range" of
stored glycogen, within which, variation is not going to have too much
effect. Beyond that variation, it is going to impact on heart-rate. i.e.
sustained depletion over a period of time, your heart rate is going to
significantly decrease. Huge over-consumption of sugars/carbs, to the
point that your body is actually straining to store any more glycogen, and
your heart rate is going to spike upwards.

[medinanicolett]

I started using my fitbit and getting more serious in doing cardio late Feb and my resting heart rate was between 75-80. This week my resting heart rate went down to around ~65. It could be from improved fitness I presume

[cacvak]

1. quit all caffeine (even chocolate) April 21.
2. aquarobics 5 times per week
3. resting heart rate declined from 66 on April 21 to 53 May 21

[LauraBFit]

I've noticed the same thing - my resting heart rate (overweight, 64yo) is around 53 and trending downwards.  I am not an elite athlete!  My doc dismisses accuracy of the tracker (fitbit Charge 4), but I say, check it manually.  I've found it to be right on.  I can't check it when I'm in motion - so I can't speak to that.

[shipo]

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@LauraBFit wrote:

I've noticed the same thing - my resting heart rate (overweight, 64yo) is around 53 and trending downwards.  I am not an elite athlete!  My doc dismisses accuracy of the tracker (fitbit Charge 4), but I say, check it manually.  I've found it to be right on.  I can't check it when I'm in motion - so I can't speak to that.

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The hear rate tracking on your Fitbit, while maybe not 100% accurate, is certainly close enough to identify trends, and it sounds like your trends are heading in the right direction.  As for being an elite athlete, yeah, not many of us 64 year olds are.  😛

[Heybales]

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@LauraBFit wrote:

I've noticed the same thing - my resting heart rate (overweight, 64yo) is around 53 and trending downwards.  I am not an elite athlete!  My doc dismisses accuracy of the tracker (fitbit Charge 4), but I say, check it manually.  I've found it to be right on.  I can't check it when I'm in motion - so I can't speak to that.

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General MD's really seem to have a poor handle on what is required to start having restingHR lower, and the variability there anyway, and what requires an elite athlete.

Very sad.

Sometime stop your motion, check for 6-10 seconds, math it out and confirm what the Fitbit is seeing right then.

I'm assuming you've confirmed the restingHR already, but some trackers can lose it at hard workout levels.