Investigating a low resting heart rate

[SagacityNell]

What will this involve. My resting heart rate is 57 and has been for some time now. I am nt active at the moment - in fact i have done NO exercise at all since Xmas. I was a dancer until i had DCs but not fit at all now. GP slightly concerned as i also have borderline low blood pressure - i can't remember the numbers now.

That sounds like me sagacity.
I also was a dancer and have low blood pressure and a low resting heart rate.

i occasionally feel very faint because of it: esp when I stand up suddenly, so will be looking to see what the results of any tests!!

I do have a very occasional rhythm problem. I occasionally miss a beat. Causes a bit of discomfort but doesn't happen v often at all.
I am not overly concerned as its been the same every time and because of my dance past but i have a new and v lovely GP who has taken into account my entire medical history and wants to reassure herself i think!

zazen-i get dizzy/faint if i stand too quickly. Also get pins n needles v easily - wonder if that's connected.

Check your thyroid... Hypothyroidism causes low heart frequency and pressure. I had both symptoms for years and now take thyroid meds (Hashimoto's thyroiditis in my case - I knew I was positive for it so had been doing yearly thyroid checks for ages, it can take a while for your thyroid to stop functioning normally, so even if your levels come up as normal now, try and have regular yearly blood tests).

I did have thyroid levels checked a month or so ago. The levels are normal. In fact they checked lots of things and they all came back normal or normal for me - I am borderline anaemic so iron levels always raise an eyebrow but I have been this way since forever!

Hi, just a few points, Blood Pressure is dynamic and always changing depending on the body needs so it will change when you are angry, asleep, exercising and laying flat. Most women operate on a lower BP than men and inevitably this means they are more prone to faints when standing suddenly or getting out of a hot bath etc etc. Nothing abnormal, that's just how it is so just take care.

Pulse rate again is variable depending on sleep, anger, size and fitness, it is always lower if you are athletic/fit/dancer and a pulse of 57 is of NO concern nor needs any investigation.

You also do NOT have a rhythm problem. Every heart in the world misses beats sometimes which are followed by an uncomfortable compensatory pause. You would need to be getting more than 5 of these every minute before anything needs doing. Unfortunately a slow heart rate means you may notice these slightly more.

I am afraid your only problem is that you have a very inexperienced GP who needs to learn some very basic physiology again and get out more.

It's never been a worry before and if I am honest I think she is giving me reasons to keep going back. I am currently seeing her ever 2-3 weeks for mental health issues and I'm finding it a bit tricky being honest enough with her.

My DH's resting HR is 40 and its never caused him any problems. Don't think its ever crossed his mind to go to his GP about it though so suppose he could have all sorts of undiagnosed stuff but I doubt it.

My resting HR is 53 and always has been, I am fat more than fit. No one has ever said it was a problem

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I didn't go to GP for this. It was part of a 'check' that she was doing before she prescribed anything else. I have never had my pulse checked before that I remember.

Thank you for reassurance that I was right to not have been previously worried!

But you're also having treatment for an eating disorder, aren't you, and you've not been eating properly for 20 years (just reading your post on the MH board). Within that context, the symptoms you describe are potentially worrying.

FWIW I think your GP's concerns are entirely justified...

I have issues with food yes. I know some of my reasons (was force fed a lot as a child, food was punishment etc) I am a lot better than I was this time last year but its my normal now. I'm 28 and don't know what a proper portion of food is - pathetic really I know.
I have a couple of threads going in MH at the mo.

It's not pathetic... just life, and life for a lot of women. I;m sorry you're struggling like this. Just because you have felt this way for so long doesn't mean it'll always be this way...

When you strip away everything from the outside and find out that you have nothing on the inside then all you have are comforts that may seem wrong to some people.

That's true. But we started this thread talking about the potential for anorexia related heart disease, and that's not comforting.

I don't want to scare you because it seems as though you're scared enough already, but really, making yourself ill will make everything worse. You might want to be a bit careful with yourself before reading any of my health-related posts.

DH has a very low pulse even though it has been a lot of years since he has not had a rigorous fitness routine. (ex-Royal Marine and been pedal bike racing since he was 13. Now built for comfort rather than speed.) Nothing in the many physicals he has had in the last 10 years except for previous fitness levels accounts for his low pulse rate.

I am sure you will be fine.

Breastmilkdoesafablatte: don't worry about scaring me. It's not actually scaring me all that much tbh.