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Low resting heart rate (too low?)

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 So just wanting opinions. Back ground :

22yr female. 

SW:196 CW:164 took about a year because I'd slack sometimes. I've lost 10 pounds since march(2017).

No known major health problem except being overweight since I'm only 5'4.

Anyways I've always had a Lower heart rate but it's dropped and sort of scares me. I've had ekgs , xray and blood work all normal except pvcs. I've talked to my dr's and a cardiologist and they all say it's okay since I'm young. 

I'm not an athlete only recently started working out. Had my thyroid checked and came back within normal ranges according to the lab standards. I do sometimes get dizzy but nothing crazy& I check my HR then and it's actually around 80 or so. I do plan on seeing another cardiologist within two weeks to check again. My dr told me she only referred me is for my peace of mind. Does anyone have this and it be normal? Just kind of freaking out:/ 

a lower heart rate also runs in my family if that matters. 

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42 REPLIES 42

You have been checked and your doctor and cardiologist say it is ok, and you will get checked again in two weeks. Try to have trust in the people who worked and studied hard to be able to help you and wait for those two weeks.

Karolien | The Netherlands

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Healthy low RHR is great.  I am trying to get 30s RHR.

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How about your blood pressure? I would be more concerned about that, especially if you are overweight. Otherwise I agree with @Esya: fully qualified professionals who actually got to see you and your test results are much more likely to make a better diagnosis than community members who don’t know you, no matter how well-intentioned they are. 

Dominique | Finland

Ionic, Aria, Flyer, TrendWeight | Windows 7, OS X 10.13.5 | Motorola Moto G6 (Android 9), iPad Air (iOS 12.4.4)

Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.

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There are several possible causes:

 

1. Fitbit is wrong. I noticed my resting heart rate dropped in the past six weeks and I haven't done anything to make that happen.

 

2. You are in "Stage 3 over training." This is only likely if you noticed an increase in resting heart rate for some time before the decrease, and you were overexercising.

 

3. You are restricting your calories too much. This may show up in a blood test as a slightly low albumin level. It can also show up in the urine as an increased ketone level. I wouldn't get special lab work to check these.

 

4. You are sleeping in a warmer than usual (for you) room.

 

5. Your body is fighting off some minor illness.  mind fart

 

6, Your diet sucks. The key number to check is total cholesterol. It should be below 150. Most doctors say 200, but they are wrong. 200 is average, not healthy. I don't want to get in a diet discussion here. If you insist, I'll give you some stuff to read.

 

Doctors are useless. They will treat symptoms with medication and say "go in peace." They don't address causes. The side effects of most medications are worse than the diseases they are supposed to treat. They are also bound by the "protocol" of whatever group they are working for. If they step outside, they risk getting fired or sued. If their medications don't kill you, the bills will. They have computer programs to maximize their income. 

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I understand and my BP is usually always good. More on the lower side if anything but I had it checked this past week and it was normal. 

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Ah maybe I should increase my calorie intake then:/ I only eat 1200 a day because I'm trying to lose weight. 

I had my cholesterol checked back in march and it was in good limits except my HDL was low. So I'm trying to eat better, workout and take omega 3 pills. That's all my dr said to do in order to fix that. 

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@SarahLucy145 wrote:

Ah maybe I should increase my calorie intake then:/ I only eat 1200 a day because I'm trying to lose weight. 

I had my cholesterol checked back in march and it was in good limits except my HDL was low. So I'm trying to eat better, workout and take omega 3 pills. That's all my dr said to do in order to fix that. 


I missed the PVCs in your first post. The culprit of the low heart rate and maybe the PVCs is probably your restricted diet. At your height and weight, you should be eating a minimum of about 1,816 calories a day. As long as you stay above 1,816 calories a day and have no more than a 1,000 calories/day deficit, you should be fine. Keep in mind, the Fitbits with a HRM will estimate the calories burned by 10-15%. The clip-ons will underestimate the calories burned by 10-15%.

 

The dizziness is likely caused by what used to be called hypoglycemia or low blood sugar caused by not eating enough. Nowadays, doctors would probably suggest you get tested for being pre-diabetic because they can charge more and prescribe more expensive medicines. 

 

Cures for dietary deficiencies do not come in pills!

You can't buy an omega-3 vitamin pill. The only thing on the market for any vitamin deficiency is a derivative of that vitamin that makes lab work turn out good. The reason for this is vitamins can't be patented, but derivatives can. In order for vitamins to be effective, they have to come with the associated vitamins, minerals, etc. in the food. Otherwise, vitamin pills can be harmful.

 

Most doctors are not nutritionists

All they can give is what is suggested by their group's protocol. The group decides its protocol based on the current fads for vitamins. As long as they recommend what everyone else recommends, they won't get sued. Doctors almost have to recommend some pill or their patients seek a second opinion.

 

(Can you tell I don't like doctors? I'm 63 years old, healthy, and haven't been to a doctor since 1993. That was for my retirement physical from the Air Force. I haven't had a cold or any other illness since 1995.)

 

This is the part where I usually get resistance from others. I recommend watching these 14 videos by Dr. McDougall. I chose his videos because he explains a whole food plant based diet in the shortest time. Decide for yourself what to eat after watching the videos. Listen carefully to the part where he says it's fine to eat animal products occasionally. The reason he doesn't recommend it is animal products are addictive for many people.

 

The good news is anything you likely have is likely arrestable or reversible. Even those degenerative problems you don't know you have yet. (We all have some.)

 

 

 

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Oh my yes eat more! 1200 is the bare minimum calories for women. You should figure out your BMR, Basal Metabolic Rate. You can find calculators online  This number is unique to you based on height and weight. It is the minimum number that your body burns by being in a resting state and being alive. Of course when you workout you burn more, so by only eating 1200 you many not be providing nutritional energy into your body; you could be sending your body into starvation mode and in the long run work against you.Calories aren't the enemy. If you focus on the actual nutritional value and the cleanness of your food sources it will be better for you.

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@SarahLucy145

I think that is good advice your doctor gave.

Karolien | The Netherlands

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I agree that you might not be eating enough. Figuring the amount of calories you need in a day, (BMR + usual activity) and decreasing by 500-750 only would be better than finding an arbitrary number online.

If you eat too little, you will actually inhibit your weight loss by forcing starvation mode.  That might be the reason for your low heart rate. You also said several family members have this too - so it might be hereditary.

 

 

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I guess I am missing something critical here. Resting heart rate that is in the upper 40s for a young person with no known issues who has been given a clean bill of health is a problem? I am 46 I weigh 135 pounds I work out everyday and my resting HR is 46-48. When I have a cold or drink it goes up to 52 and actually annoys me. If you are not experiencing heart palpitations, your doctor is not concerned and you are improving your overall health- rejoice that your ticker is working as it should be and keep going!

Elena | Pennsylvania

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I have bradycardia which is a slow resting heart rate. I was hospitalized for chest pressure weakness and dizziness I believe my heart rate was about 38. I was diagnosed with cardiac sarcoidosis which is a rare autoimmune disease. I think your age and your rate being in the 50s is either your health has improved with your weight loss as many athletes can have even lower heart rates but with that being said I caution everyone that symptoms that cause any strange dizziness or chest pain, pressure or feeling of something just off should be investigated. I wish you the best and glad you have this to monitor your heart that is another reason I decided to try this program and I just started this evening!

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I agree with you, i am trying to get my RHR 30s.  It is going to be very challenging for me.  I had RHR 30 when i was young with very intensive exercises.  

Now, i got more muscle and little more body fat (15 kg more).  I am very curious to find out how far i can drop RHR.   Can not wait to see what age has done to my RHR over the years :).  I do have a good hope.  I got RHR down to 41 in short time with intensive work out.

 

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Good luck, stay healthy!

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I also have a low resting heart rate- usually between 49 and 53 - and it always has been, and I'm in my 50's. My doctor says it's normal for me, and all tests are fine. She did say that it's important to stay hydrated (I tend to fall off the water wagon) as it can cause dizziness.

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I’m with you...I have terrible PVCS and my heart rate is very low....30s at night when I sleep! I’ve had every test and the docs say I’m fine! Doesn’t seem fine to me....

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I get 30s at night sleeping also.  It is normal for me.  

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Makes me feel better....I’m very out of shape so a low heart rate doesn’t seem normal...

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@Pebbles5541  Get it checked out if concerned.. I'm genetically built with a low RHR, 52, and 15% above the Excellent in the Cardio Fitness score for a 78 yr person.... Don't get giddy etc... but a big BUT... watch your hydration levels.. and I have never been affected before...  BUT....

 

We have experienced hotter than normal weather in Melbourne and being retired from the construction industry we were always conscious of the colour of our urine for  our level of hydration.. This day I was tired, my urine was a very weak straw colour, my BP was 111/64, I'm normally pre-hypertenisve, under the old standard of 140/90.and my doctor is happy with that.... and my head was pulsing... and I don't get thirsty.. drink plenty of green tea etc.. I never get headaches...

 

Drank 3+ cups of warm water over the hour in the insistence of my wife... and the symptoms went within 2 hours.... Google search and I found the brain is 85% fluid etc...and the warning about BP...getting low,,,

 

I was confident there were no other issues because my Doctor send me to a cardiologist last year for a full checkup..  As I have posted elsewhere, the response by the specialists was, "Why have you been sent here because everything is normal".. My response was, "the GP thought he heard something"....

 

I had stress test a few years earlier which coincided with Fitbit's Cardio Fitness score.. Thta's why it pays to get tested later in life..  The stress testing specialists found I was getting extra oxygen and they ran my test on the treadmill longer to check that...  So all genetic....But it pays to have your baselines....

 

Where I mentioned , "under 140/90", that was my BP 40 years ago.. So no change there

 

So to confirm Fitbit's Cardio Fitness score I did the Rockport walking tests to confirm that score..

 

There are a few on the Internet so here are some links...

Rockport 1

Rockport 2

and

Rockport 3

 

Smiley HappyThis is what some retired engineers do, keeps our brain active as well...Smiley Tongue

Colin:Victoria, Australia
Ionic (OS 4.2.1, 27.72.1.15), Android App 3.45.1, Premium, Phone Sony Xperia XA2, Android 9.0
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