Bradychardia worry

Hey all! This is my first time posting here in years. I suffered from health anxiety about 5 years ago and it was a daily battle and took over my life for quite some time. I went to therapy and also put on meds, and one day I just overcame it. For the past 3 weeks it came back and my anxiety has been through the roof. I'm 28 years old and I lost 70lbs in the last 20 months. This was a complete lifestyle change and I work out everyday for a half an hour and I also completed my first half marathon so I was running a lot. The last 5 days my heart rate has been in the 50s, and when I'm sleeping drops down to like 46. When I didnt have anxiety and things were great it was in the 60s and dropping down to the 50s when I was sleeping, occasionally 48. I've been freaking out about my HR and that I'm just going to suddenly die from it. I have a drs appointment next week and I'm scared something terrible is going to happen before then. I need some reassurance before I go crazy!

I have clocked my heart as low as 40 when i have awoke in the night and decided to check my pulse, ( Im a serial pulse checker) I was told by the doctor this is not a cause for concern and quite normal

For someone capable of running a marathon, a resting heartrate in the 40s and a sleeping heartrate in the 30s are quite common. As the heart gets stronger from exercise, it beats more slowly. Also, temperature, digestion, and many other things can raise or lower heartrate.

Sounds fairly normal to me. :)

Hi there, sounds like you are doing amazingly well, especially on the weight loss. If you are on medications for anxiety or blood pressure, these can sometimes help cause a lower heart rate. But there again, so can regular exercise.

There's a good article at the American Heart Rhythm Society website on heart rate.

It indicates that "slow" heartbeat is counted as a concern rather depending on the person and their circumstances, e.g. age. So, for instance, they say that a heartbeat of 35 - 40 in a young athlete is not a cause for concern. I remember years ago reading an article about George Bush snr in his younger yaers, and he was proud of his athlete's heartbeat of 35 BPM, down to his jogging. All in all, perhaps your slow-seeming heart rate is not such a cause for concern, but double-checking with a medical practitioner is also always a good idea.

I would add that's it's good, in a way, that you don't have to put up with the rapidly beating heart, which can and does torment many anxiety sufferers. That is at least something you can count as a blessing!

Best wishes,

Paul