Is a resting heart rate of 31 a problem ?

[Bestseller]

I wear a HRM to monitor my fitness and recovery. My resting heart rate is typically 50-55bpm, increasing to 60ish the day after a hard training session.

Today it's been less than 40 all day and now 31. Which is off the scale, apparently the fittest athletes are around 40!

Does it matter, or is it only an issue if it drops to 0?

Fwiw I've felt dreadful all day, not ill exactly but like all I want in the world is to lay down.

Hope the op has done the sensible thing!

This thread is so bizarre!

Bit worried about the OP. Hope you're ok.

Hope you’re ok OP!

Ffs!

Like pp my dad felt a bit unwell one evening
Took.himself to bed very unusual. As a nurse i took his pulse etc heart rate 31..phoned nhs and they sent an ambulance. 24hrs later he had a pacemaker.

Dont dick about get on the phone.

31 is not normal for average person.

@redsummershoes are you an elite athlete? If not, please see your GP. My Mum was the same. Her heart was becoming dangerously enlarged. She needed a pacemaker. She'd be dead by now if she hadn't made a passing comment about her "naturally healthy" heart rate to her GP. She felt fine too.

Hope you've been checked out, op, and you're ok.

Good morning Bestseller-

I hope you and your heart are well this morning.

Is it a chest strap HRM or a wrist one? The latter are pretty unreliable, and your pulse check showed you at 41 - still low, but not as urgent. Have you done any more manual checks?

sylvanian I have yearly check ups and all is well so far :)

op I hope you have been seen and all is well

Of course it’s too low and requires medical attention

If you’re sure your monitor isn’t faulty, you need to get it checked out ASAP. Going on a couple of runs a week isn’t going to give you a resting heart rate lower than a lot of the pros, there’s something underlying.

I'm a student nurse and the last time I had a patient with a resting pulse of 34 he was blue lighted to another hospital for a pace maker to be fitted...

I kept a close eye on him and he was asked not to stand up just to read his paper and relax and as soon as he was off the ward we visibly relaxed.

There is an article in the news about Dr's saying that fitbits and the like are going to put pressure on A&E as people have a whole host of health information available to them. However if you have manually checked your heart rate for a full minute and it's 31....you need to be going to be seen.

Did you get it checked @Bestseller ?

You need to get it checked.

It's abnormal but you need an ECG to see in what way it is abnormal eg AF, heart block (type 1 2 or 3) AF with heart block, or just slow.

Marathon runners do get low resting heart rates but the still end up with pacemakers.

How are you, now OP?

I have a resting heart rates of between 45-55 bpm. I had a 24 hours ECG check as I went to my GP with the concern that it was a bit low considering I'm not an athlete and also have quite low blood pressure. The ECG didn't reveal any issues, but OP you are saying you don't feel well, I felt fine but still got checked out - please get this checked out asap.

Please tell me the OPs heart is still beating?

I've been checking back all day. Hope you're ok, @Bestseller, please do pop back to let us know.

Oh god this thread has terrified me! My RHR is about 42 and did drop below 40 earlier in the year when I was skinnier! Im not super fit (do 5k in 40mins twice a week) And in my 40s . Do I need to get mine checked out?

I hope the OP is ok.

Just panicked reading this. My RHR is consistently in the mid 40s and I'm active but not sporty. Do have low blood pressure and used to get dizzy when I stood up etc but haven't had that in years. I wonder if I should be telling my GP?!

Thinking the same! My resting rate is 48-50 and I’m no athlete. Might mention it to my GP.

From what I have read and know, 40+ not a major concern but certainly worth a mention of between 40 and 45 and not a super athlete. Don’t think OP is coming back as they didn’t want to take advice. Good health everyone!

Well I suppose I've had a HRM for nearly a year now and my RHR is consistently low 40s, and I haven't died yet! I do notice that my HR drops below 40 in the early hours though

to the above posters - there is nothing wrong with booking a GP appointment and getting it checked out

45-50 BPM is less worrying than 31 BPM though especially if you’re active but i’d still want it checked.

im in my 20s and lift weights 4-5x per week and my resting heart rate is between 57-64 BPM most days. i suppose those of you who run will be much fitter than me though

If you are an athlete a resting heart rate of 45 plus is fine. By athlete I mean someone who trains 5 plus days a week.

Below that is cause for careful monitoring.

Anything in the 30s for anyone should be checked out by a doctor immediately.

Anything in the low 30s should be going to A and E for evaluation that day.

If you have heard of people who have just dropped dead because they had a heart condition they didnt know about ..... most of them are likely to have had bradycardia that developed into heart block (slow heart rate that just gets too slow to live with - because of electrical confusion in the heart pathways).

And it is 100% fixable, my father is living testament to that. His heart rate declined alowly over many years into the 50s (he was chuffed thought it was good even though he never exercised), 40s didnt really notice, but slowed down, 30s felt light headed and breathless occasionally. When he struggled to climb the stairs in one go DM and i stepped in. When it hit 29 he was hospitalised and pacemaker implanted. He now feels better than he has in 10 yrs

Dont take this lightly, it is a silent and insiduous killer.