Hitting peak heart rate after donating blood

[DanielleinDC]

Saturday I took part in a blood drive. I give myself a pass for not hitting my step goal because donating takes a lot out of me. Seriously, all I want to do once I'm done is eat something (if I didn't have lunch before my appointment) and then go home and sleep. And you're not supposed to do any exercise the rest of the day, so I don't.

The next day, more than 24 hours after my donation, my boyfriend and I walked to a nearby retail center because I needed a few things. About five minutes out, I checked my Fitbit and saw that I had hit my peak heart rate, around 147 bpm. I live in a city; I do a lot of walking. Unless I'm climbing a hill or walking a lot, my heart rate doesn't typically get that high.

I suspect the lower volume of blood means my heart had to work harder, but has anyone else experienced this?

[MarciM]

Thank you for donating blood @DanielleinDC I'm assuming your heart rate was increased because of fatigue, just like when you are ill, your body is working hard to repair itself and in your example to generate new blood cells. However, if you see this for a prolonged period of time, you should check in with your doctor.

[shipo]

@DanielleinDC, I made the mistake of donating blood a couple of years ago and then five hours later heading out for my daily 10-mile run; yeah, about that.  I had to turn around at 3-miles and I was lucky to make it back to my car.

I've done some research on this, and donating blood can take several weeks to get to a point of full recovery.

[DanielleinDC]

Well, they literally tell you not to exercise for the rest of the day, and I don't, but this was the next day, and I was just walking (although I do normally walk fairly quickly). So I was a tiny bit concerned that my heart rate was so high. Usually, I'm feeling better two to three days later. And every blood bank I've worked with has you wait eight weeks between donations. 

I try to eat very healthy the week before donating--oranges every day, kale a couple of times, falafel and hummus, lots of fruits and veggies, and that helps.

[MagsOnTheBeach]

Even though you waited a day, you don't really recover to 100 percent from donating until you are at 6 weeks.  It takes longer to create new red blood cells.  I suspect for women it can even be longer (I am often at too low a rate for iron and my donation is denied).

[emili]

How are you feeling now @DanielleinDC?

[DanielleinDC]

I'm feeling much better, thanks. I confess I didn't exercise much this week except for my walks and could have eaten healthier; I was noshing more than I normally do and probably drank too much Dr Pepper (which is my "cures what ails me" when I'm sick), but hopefully next week I'll be good to go for my fitness classes.

[Casner]

I donated yesterday morning, and when I climbed to our lab on the mezzanine at work I had to sit for a while as my heart rate hit peak. It surprised me, because I'm almost to 5 gallons and that's never happened before.

[NHughes]

I donated yesterday and today my heart rate has been crazy.  Resting has been in the 90s, hitting peak when I walk.  I imagine it's not unusual the day after. As long as you bounce back.  I did a few months ago when I donated, so I imagine it'll be fine.  Just wanted to let you know there are others out there who can relate.  

[Knightkat]

I am glad to find this thread. I waited 30 hours to work out. I was doing my normal fast walk on the treadmill, heart rate should have been 125 but quickly hit like 160 so i knew something was really wrong.. I got off the treadmill and went to my car. It took 5 min sitting still for my hr to get back to normal so i feel i was very close to having a stroke. I have not given blood since then as no one i know has had trouble. I assume i am way slower to recover than most.

[DanielleinDC]

Funny thing--this happened again today--I haven't been walking much today, but my HR is over 100, which is more than a bit unnerving. So I looked to see if there was such a topic and found my old thread.

[JRomulus]

I donated blood on Monday August 5th. Prior to that day my resting heart beat averaged between 70 and 73 for several weeks, and I was also able to drop a few pounds dieting. Today is now Friday August 9th, I played golf today and while I didn't hit Peak heart beat rate, I noticed that my resting heart beat since the blood donation has gone up averaging 76 to 77 per day. And that's what made me find this thread, because this week I've had four days well over my step goal and exercise goals. So in my mind it has to be the blood donation having an effect on my heart rate. I'll report back in a few weeks. Peace.

[WUVIE]

I donated blood on Tuesday, it is now Saturday, and I'm still having high heart rate.

[JRomulus]

So, from a low of 70 bpm on August 2nd,

blood donation on August 5th,

to a peak of 77 on August 8th,

back to a low of 72 on August 17th.

So almost 2 weeks to get back close to where I was.

Exercise does have an impact of course, and due to work and travel, mine exercise is sporadic.

I am working to get it back to 70, but at least in my case the blood donation's impact on hemoglobin levels appears to have had a temporary 10% impact (non-scientific of course, but interesting).

[Casner]

Hydrate more than usual, to get your blood volume back.

[Ducky01]

I just started giving blood a few months ago, and 2 days ago i donated for the second time. I have been running and hiking mountains this summer, so i'm beginning to be in better shape than I was before. Running today was interesting. I got exhausted a lot earlier than anticipated, and I checked my Fitbit after the run it showed no less than 194 bpm max for the run. That's almost 25 above my usual max of around 170, so giving blood does something for the max pulse in the short run, that's for sure. Im 50 years old.

[JRomulus]

I'm no doctor, but when you leave the blood donation site, they tell you to
drink plenty of liquids and that the plasma will replenish in 48 hours, but
replenishment of the red blood cells (that carry the oxygen) takes up to 2
weeks.. So fewer red blood cells, means a harder working heart to pump them
through as needed.

I'm 63, I see no point in rushing back to strenuous workouts, so I dial back
my routines for a couple weeks.

[LC-D]

I have donated blood many times over the last several years and have never noticed an increase in pulse -- until yesterday. My resting heart rate is usually in the mid to low 70s, and it's been in the 90s since I donated at around 5pm. I wonder if I never noticed any increase before because I did not have an easy way to monitor my heart rate. At any rate, it's a little alarming, but I'm assuming that I need to drink extra water today, eat iron-rich foods, avoid heavy exercise, and hopefully bounce back quickly. I'll check in with my doc if my pulse is still elevated in another 3-4 days.

[JRomulus]

I never noticed until I had a fitbit, 😉

I think it's a natural reaction to the temporary loss of a pint.. Until your body replenishes the volume in a few days, the heart beats faster to insure
the proper amount of oxygen reaches all parts of the circulatory system.

In much the same way heightened demand is made during and after physical
exercise.

But it was a shocker when I first noticed it. Also, for what it's worth, I've recently been experimenting with taking 1 - 3 capsules of Turmeric per
day and believe I've proven (to myself at least) that it does reduce resting heart rate by 2 - 3 bpm. (As does regular exercise, which has other benefits).
Conversely, I noticed the opposite effect, after 2 - 3 ounces of liquor. with higher bpm which lingers about a day or so before returning to normal.

[M20hn]

Donated yesterday and yes I’m experiencing everything people in this thread are talking about. Thank goodness I found this as I was slightly concerned but after reading everyone’s experiences I’m sure it will pass in a few days. Resting heart rate has increased and I’ve felt a few palpitations- only other time I get these is when I’ve been drinking alcohol! 🤭