Why would my resting heart rate be lower when my fitness level has gone down?

[mikayla8972]

(Don't think this is the right forum category, but it was closest I could find). So basically, I made a mistake in joining my Uni gym in the city, and due to less exercise and eating too much, and having put on weight (fat around waist) and my fitness level has declined (based on the same exercises being much harder). However, I just got back to using my Fitbit, and it seems my resting heart rate is lower now then when I stopped using it (~low 50, maybe 50-54 now, compared to high 50s, 57-59 when I was fitter). Could this be a medical problem, or is it just due to natural variations and my decline in fitness was not as significant as I first thought? Thanks. 

[Esya]

There are more influences on your resting heart rate than just fitness. I find that quality of sleep has a bigger impact than my fitness level. There might be less stress or anxiety in your life at the moment. Changes in temperature of the bedroom can change your resting heart rate too. I would not worry if it came down from high 50's to 50-54, that sounds like a natural variation. If it keeps dropping you might want to get it checked.

Disclaimer: I cannot give any medical advice. I am not a doctor and I did not see you in real life and only went by the contents of your post.

[SunsetRunner]

It can be a medical problem however if you don't feel any symptoms like lack of strength, maybe fainting etc. then probably it's not a problem. I have the same thing. My resting heart rate is way below 60 ( sometimes reaches 49, but usually 52-56 ). Best what you can do is going to see a doctor. I did that too and got referred to do ECG test. Results seem to be ok but still, I will see the doctor to confirm that. He referred me in order to exclude a possibility of bradycardia. Nevertheless, he mentioned that if this is the heart rate I observe all the time, I see no symptoms I mentioned above and when I exercise my HR goes up, which is a normal behavior ( otherwise I would feel it if it doesn't 😉 ) then probably it's nothing but a normal for me. It's common for athletes to have low resting HR, but I'm far from being an athlete so best I could do was speaking with the doctor. I recommend that you do the same.

[emili]

if you are heavier and the same level of activity is harder than it was before, you have declined in your fitness level. However, 9 points in heartrate is not anything to get upset about. at least in my completely unmedical opinion. Every thing you do has an impact on your heart rate. if you were leaner before you may have been more inclined to go out and have drinks. your HR will be higher. Or the weather was different when you used your fitbit last. or you were prone to allergies and colds before which has a huge impact on hr. if you are concerned and not feeling well, I say run don't walk to see your dr. if you feel ok and your hr spikes during activity and comes back down and spikes, etc. then it is more than likely normal.