Got a smart watch for my birthday - worried about heart rate

[Layalittle]

Since getting the watch my lowest heart rate has been 54bpm. I was just sitting down, I wasn’t asleep as I don’t wear it when I am in bed.
I’m a bit overweight and I’m not exceptionally active. So I’m a bit concerned this is too low? Can anyone advise?

Yeah I had to stop using mine. It's not helpful to those with health anxiety.

OP get a pedometer and send the watch back. It's not worth it.

Hi, I'm 58, a little overweight and moderately active. My heart rate goes down as low as 42 when I'm sitting, resting heart rate is 46 and when out walking briskly it gets up to about 120. I've been checked out, I have no medical issues and this is just normal for me. Don't worry! See your doc if it will make you feel better.

Your resting heart rate at 52 is entirely normal.
Nothing there to be concerned about.

A heart rate that low isnt dangerous. What is dangerous is obsessively monitoring your health.

Are you very fit?

I am pretty fit and my resting heart rate averages around 50 over the day.
When I am super fit (training like a psycho) my average resting heart rate sits around 42.

A low heart rate isn't necessarily bad, it can actually be a good thing. But it really depends on your fitness lev and whats normal for you.

My husband’s resting heart rate is about 40. It’s been as low as 36 and as high as 42. He’s a perfectly healthy middle aged man. There is natural variability. He’s an exceptionally experienced scuba diver so I don’t know if he’s good at it because of his heart rate or his heart rate is low because he used to do a lot of it.

Good God and here is the reason the NHS is overloaded. Get a grip.

Your watch will not accurately count your steps either. I can shake salt and vinegar over my chips sat in my armchair and my smart watch will register steps. Use your gift for calls and message notifications only - it’s a lot healthier.

I have had my Fitbit for 18 months and when I check my heart rate at the Doctors the results are virtually the same and it was brilliant at recording when I was in AFib. The doctors and consultants l have spoken to about the Fitbit are happy with me using the results it gives me

If you were fit I'd be unconcerned but you say you are overweight so this is maybe not the case. Do you know what your resting was before? Even in years past. Do not ignore heart issues

There are various people saying I'd take the watch off, you can have too much information - erm... morons. The strategy for Apple etc is to make serious inroads in health and health monitoring. My elderly parents smart phone has already identified them as at risk of falls as they now shake more (and they have indeed had falls but had been ignoring the messaging). They are known now for identifying issues in people

My heart rate has always run in the 60s. But 52 seems particularly low.

And no I’m not fit, in fact the opposite, I do walk and live in a hilly area. But I am losing weight. I’ve lost a stone since I started my calorie deficit.

My partner is much fitter than me and his heart rate is in the 40s at times but he was a fell runner and he cycled everywhere.

If I was to go to my GP what would I say? That my smart watch is showing a low heart rate?

I wouldnt worry about 52.

POTs isnt a slow heart rate, pots is a sudden increase when you do something as simple as standing. Mine goes from resting at 80, to standing at 170 in the space of 10 seconds. If yours rapidly increases to a very high rate, then maybe discuss it, but a resting HR in the 50s is not worth a GP apt.

😂😂 Love it.

I mean…maybe she has POTS? People do.

52 is lower than average but unlikely to be a problem if it's stable and there are no other symptoms of concern.

Mine's always been low and goes down to 47 at night and low 50s when resting in the day. While I'm fit now, it's not really changed much from when I was younger and moderately active.

DS2 had surgery last year. Every time someone new did he obs, they asked if he does much sport because his heart rate was lower than most adults.

Average means that there will be people above and below that level, and it often isn't a problem.

If you’ve already had a 24 hour ECG then you have nothing to worry about. That would have detected any cause for concern.

I echo those advising you stop checking it unless you actually feel unwell.

No, because it isn’t. As you’ve been told multiple times, it’s a normal heart rate.

My resting heart rate is often around 45bpm.

52-55 is fine.

Have you counted your pulse yourself OP? I don't have any experience of the watcges but my DS wears a fairly expensive heart rate monitor for his sport and mostly it's accurate but sometimes it throws out bizarre numbers - I think it's usually if it loses contact because he's really sweaty or the sensor slips. But anyway, if he checks his pulse manually when it's saying something weird it's always OK. So my first thought would be to check it yourself in the first instance rather than always trusting technology.
As others have said a heart rate in the 50s is towards the lower end of normal but not necessarily anything to worry about. I'm in my late 50s, overweight and whilst I do exercise most days I'm not what I'd call fit and my resting heart rate is usually 58-60 so not hugely different to yours.