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Thread: Heartbeat too slow?

  1. #1
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    Heartbeat too slow?

    Hi,

    Straight to the point, have you ever had those situations where you believe your heart rate is too slow?

    That's not for anxiety or panic I know, in fact when I have a full blown panic attack I'll be doing 140-150 bpm, thankfully although I am having panic attacks occasionally they're not as much of a part of my problem this time round as the more general anxiety.

    Why am I asking? My normal resting heart rate is around 70bpm when I'm not stressed and 80-90 bpm when I am. When I'm doing something that I'm sure should be raising my heart rate it stays slow or feels like it does, and only raises when I do something particularly active, which I wish I could do but I'm having a hard time getting past the early exercise palpitations.

    I went and bought a blood-pressure monitor the other week. Anyone else done that? It shows for the most part that my BP and heart rate are fairly standard and behave normally and in some way that puts my mind to rest. But I still can't get it out of my mind that sometimes when my heart should be pumping more blood around and faster it just doesn't. Silly I know but I had to share

    Chris

  2. #2

    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    OMG noooo, not the BP monitor - throw it out the window, you'll be checking it all the time

    About the slow heart rate, yes the other day I was out walking and my heart rate was going really slow and I had the same thought as you - that it should be going quicker because I was active, but then logic says we should be happy about that really because that means we are fit.

    Maybe all this anxiety is strengthening our heart muscles and making us fit, is that possible do you think?
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  3. #3
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    Chris, you are a young person and your heart rate is normal, and if as you say that your heart rate 'goes up' to 80 or 90 when you are anxious then count yourself lucky. There are alot of ppl here whos heartrate goes up way over 100 with anx. As for blood pressure, well im on meds for mine since last year i developed high bp, but its a combination of moving to germany, my age (54) and menoapuse.

    Chris, ive been waiting to die since i was 22 yrs old. Thats how long ive had health anxiety, mainly im heart phobic and 32 years is a long time yes? The thing is that now im actually at an age when things can start to go wrong with my health, but why on earth did i let it get the better of me in my 20s? dont do it. Learn from us oldies on here.

    Keep posting, keep listening.
    Take care
    Cathy xxx

  4. #4
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    Actually yes I thought to myself at the time that it was a stupid thing to buy.

    I have an example of why this is a bad idea, I'm going to write this down here because doing so helps me to clear that thought in my mind:

    My current normal blood pressure is around 140/90, top end of normal and not surprising as I smoke and am fairly unfit. I posted on another thread earlier that one of the issues I'd been having this time around was that I woke up in full blown panic attacks and last week during one I went and checked my blood pressure it was something around 190/120, do you know what that did to me? That made my panic worse!

    I know my heart is fine, my head tells me this, when I'm having 140bpm panic attacks I can deal with those too, just given that 4 years ago I was so fit I was cycling 150-200 miles a week and now I'm terrified of walking to the shop because I have palpitations. It's a tough one to get over, I went through this two years ago when I was having palpitations on doing what is light exercise, I've let myself get unfit inbetween the two periods of general anxiety.

    I've said all that and I just want to shake myself to logic and stay get it out of your mind but I can't it's silly.

    I feel for you Cathy my problems have been shortlived compared with yours, you must have enormous strength and I admire you for it!

    Chris

  5. #5
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    Your blood pressure will go up in this way with panic, as well as an increase in heart-rate...something wrong actually if it didnt do this as you wouldnt be able to 'fight or flight' without this response! what puzzles me is that you say your normal resting bp is 140/90...your doc has said this is normal? only im on meds for this, and was always under the impression that normal bp was 120 to around 138 over 80 to around 86. They arent too bothered about the top number so much coz this reading can change by the minute depending on what activity or stress you have. Apparently its the bottom number they worry about more.

  6. #6
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    Admittedly I'm not a healthcare professional but my understanding of a fairly normal BP is around 125/80. If I'm not mistaken one of the definitions of hypertension is where the diastolic BP is above 90 regardless of the systolic reading - though the latter being over 140 I think is high too.

    My doctor has repeatedly said my BP is at the high end of normal rather than being high as such. But then as I said I'm a smoker and feeling rather generally anxious. Also as you pointed out I'm youngish I'm sure if it gets higher as I age they might worry but as yet isn't something, thankfully, I worry about mostly.

  7. #7
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    I am attached to my BP monitor. At one point I would take it 70 times a day! I had high BP after having my kids. I was on 4 different meds but am med free and BP is great now. However I worry about my heart rate. I believe it gets too low. In the evening I take it and it sits about 50. The occassional times it has been down in the low 40's and that freaks me out completely!!!! I had an EKG done to rule out heart block etc. My doctor tells me that a low pulse rate is the sign of a strong heart and as long as it isnt causing any effects such as dizziness and passing out that it is a really good thing! The less hard your heart has to work the better. Many athletes have heartrates in the 30's because they are so fit.
    However due to the health anxiety I do have times where I still worry and panic about it, its hard not too.
    Huge hugs and I hope you dont get too sucked into the BP machine!
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  8. #8
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    When my children's father (my ex) died of a heart attack aged 44, I bought a Omron digital b/p monitor so I could check on theirs (heart disease is in the family).

    I take mine occasionally perhaps once every few months, usually it is a case of someone wanting me to take theirs (my neighbour).

    If you are going to get one get a good make and one with the cuff that goes around the upper arm not the wrist and make sure it is the right size for your arm. If you have fat upper arms you want a large cuff.

    I took many patients b/p over the years so I am use to taking it but if you feel unsure Lloyds the Chemist will check it for you.

  9. #9
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    The one I bought has a full arm cuff and is fairly simple to use, as my own readings are more or less in line with my doctors I'm fairly sure I'm using it correctly, though might be abusing it. Although I said earlier that it's not something I worry about, on a couple of the medications I've tried for my depression it'd always go up so I just feel nice to have to be able to check I'm not about to burst apart without bothering my doctor. Silly I know.

    As for the reason for this thread, the thing is my heart rate isn't abnormally low, certainly not as low as yours has been Alisonj, however when I've been in my extended anxious periods in the past and it's low (often before bed when it should be lower) although I don't feel faint but it's a very odd feeling for it to beating so slow and yet I'm so stressed, it manages to bother me more than if it was still racing.

    When I exercise it doesn't always pick up when it should either, I'm often tired after doing the simplest things. Now this I suspect might be my mind making 2 + 2 =5. Cos having read threads and articles here the fact I'm dizzy and breathless after doing the simplest things is because I've forgotten how to breathe properly, not because my heart isn't working normally. But I guess being the semi-intelligent person I like to pretend I am I'm always thinking about stuff I shouldn't, like erm what if my body is producing so much adrenaline to keep me anxious all the time but when I do need it for exercising it's just not doing it.

    All I do when I get that in my mind is tell myself that in the intervening year between the anxiety it hadn't done it, so it's much more likely that I'm using up all my energy worrying and then feeling naturally tired because of that when I'm using up more than I've put back in. I'm rambling I know but it's sane logic which often appeals to my brain I often throw out of the window when I worry about things.

  10. #10
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    Re: Heartbeat too slow?

    Hi Chris, i may have missed it, but reading back over your posts here, you don't mention meds. The reason im asking is because some meds can make your heartrate lower, heartbeat slower and can cause breathlessness and when exercising you struggle to get your heart-rate to increase to a good cardiovascular rate. Theres nothing wrong, its just that with the meds, your whole body is saying "hey man, chill" !! im referrinf to beta-blockers here as they are famous for slowing everything down....ring any bells?

    Cathy xxxx

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