Low heart rate while sleeping? Aniexty attacks?

[Elizabeth1284]

Hi everyone!  I’m new here. 

So I’m 33, my weight ranges between 118-123, I’m a mom of 5, and a waitress at two jobs. Apparently all of my walking at work is considered exercise and I just don’t think of it that way. Rather than going for long walks or jogs, I run around like crazy for other people. 

Anyways, I’ve noticed that my heart rate drops to like around 46 when I’m sleeping and last night, it dropped to 44. Now I will be very up front, I have health anxiety (aka hypochondria). I’m seeing a therapist for it, and just trying to manage it unmedicated. 

I had had a really doozy of a panic attack a couple days ago. I’m assuming my acid reflux started acting up after drinking a non caffeine carbonated beverage (Sprite) and eating a couple baked potatoes and a couple about a cup of cottage cheese. I thought it was a heart attack. My anxiety attack lasted a good two hours and then I was on edge all day assuming it was my heart. I actually just had an ekg done a few weeks ago and it was normal, and I opted to try a holter monitor for 24 hours starting next Monday. I’m very paranoid about my heart and cancer. 

So after all of that I began freaking out about my heart beat. I’m constantly checking my Versa. I know it’s not 100% reliable, but I get obsessive about it. During my anxiety attack I think the highest bpm I got to was around 134-140. That was when it was in the full blown attack. 

So, after that backstory, I was just wondering if anyone else deals with anxiety and if so, does it show things like that on your Fitbit?  And do other people, who aren’t professional athletes, have a heartbeat that low while sleeping?

[meresydotes]

@Elizabeth1284 I'm not a professional athlete, but I am active. My HR looks to have been in the 40s all night last night. It went down to 42 at least once. What does Versa say your resting HR is? Mine is generally in the low 50s. I know this isn't going to help you not worry, because that's not what anxiety is about. But I would say that what you're seeing is normal, even exceptionally healthy.

I'm a small person. Short, actually a little overweight. My total cholesterol is high, my LDL (bad) cholesterol is a little high. But my HDL (good) cholesterol is REALLY high. And I'm no spring chicken, either. And my doctor reported to me earlier this year that I have a .04% chance of dying of a heart attack in the next 10 years. He sounded a little jealous.

[Elizabeth1284]

My Fitbit says my rating HR is anywhere from 60-63 it just varies. I got my cholesterol checked last year and it was good. My bad is in the normal range, my good is high. I need a re draw this year. I’m such a worrier. 

[meresydotes]

@Elizabeth1284 Don't kick yourself for being a worrier. Seriously, I have bad allergies - to the point where I would take 2 24 hour antihistamines a day and still couldn't force air through my nose. I literally have a pulse oximeter and I would wake up in the middle of the night and have to check my blood oxygen level to make sure it's OK.