Should I be worried about my low resting heart rate?

[illumi]

I am mid 40's and started at the gym a earlier this year. I am 220lbs down from 255lbs. I got a fitness watch for christmas and when I started my resting heart rate was 79 - 89 ish and if I stood up to walk about my heart rate would shoot up to over 100 bpm.

Now my resting heart rate is about 48 - 55 bpm and gets up to 75 when I am moving about. When I am at the gym I just walk on the treadmill I do so at zone two which is 120 ish which I do 3 times a week.

I feel fine, no dizziness and my heart rate will go up normally with activity.

Do I need to worry about this as it does seem quite low. My very fit and slim husband has a resting heart rate of about 70 - 75 bpm. We have tested my bpm on an oximeter and his watch as well as just counting so the numbers are accurate.

Between 50 and 100 is fine

Mine is the same. I often get warnings saying it dropped to below 40 for 10 mins or more while I was sleeping.

I wouldn't worry if you have no other symptoms. It's actually considered to be quite good thing!

I would get it checked out with a doctor. No-one on here can confirm it's ok without a physical examination.

It's probably nothing to worry about but if I had significant change in my pulse I would want someone medically trained to assess me even if it's just for peace of mind.

Thanks I will mention it to my GP next time I am in.

It’s probably is a good indicator of your fitness, although quite surprising as you still weigh 220lbs. Obesity is often associated with an elevated resting heart rate and a low one can be a sign of bradycardia. However, you don’t have any other symptoms. I’d still get it checked out, to be safe.

Congrats on the weight loss so far.

Whilst in this circumstance I'd imagine it's just an indicator of your improved health.

However, low resting heart rate was one of the first symptoms of thyroid disease for me.

Not suggesting you have thyroid issues but really just flagging for anyone else who might read this thread.

@LoneHydrangea Thanks, The only thing I wondered is if it was fitness it might be that getting fitter while still so overweight i.e. carrying a lot of extra weight then losing some weight has boosted my fitness beyond what might be usual. My circulation seems good and I have no other issues so hopefully it isn’t anything wrong. I’ll mention it to my gp though.

@Thatsajokeright Thanks for that info, I don’t have any other symptoms of hypothyroid but I will keep an eye and perhaps ask the GP to test for that.

I think because there has been such a big change it’s worth checking it out with your GP.
If you are otherwise well it’s probably fine.

It's probably because you are getting fitter and healthier.

My resting heart beat is usually in the 50s and sometimes in the mid 40s. GP is not concerned because I don't feel faint etc.

I was the same weight as you last year OP and my resting heart rate was mid 50's. It's now even lower, and the range is as low as 39 if I am sleeping or sitting very still. There's nothing wrong with me. I have a strong heart.

@Franticbutterfly did your heart rate go down as you lost weight?

@MajesticWhine I will ask my GP about it.

Yeah, it was always low though. I was fat and very fit (probably fitter than I am now at 11st) as I would do long tabata rides on my peloton then and would struggle more now I think. My heart rate would be even lower if I didn't smoke (swapped food for fags 😳).

FYI my husband has a very low heart rate at 195lb (very muscular works out most days for hours) and so is my mums. I don't think it's that unusual. I read somewhere that people with lower heart rates have slower metabolisms. Don't know if that is true though (although it seems to be for me and my family).

@Franticbutterfly mine was higher before I lost the weight I was very unfit though as I had a chronic pain condition for years which is now improved. My watch tells me I have a high heart rate variability which is associated with a lower resting heart rate so it could be genetic. I probably do have a slowish metabolism and to be honest I’d rather it didn’t slow down too much as I still have a lot of weight to lose!