A resting heart rate that is too low (less than 50 beats per minute), or one that is 100 or higher, could be a sign of trouble and should prompt a call to your doctor.
Bradycardia (heart rate 40 – 60 bpm) can be normal when you're sleeping. It can also be normal when you're awake if you are a young, healthy adult or if you're very physically fit. However, if you aren't very physically fit, bradycardia may be a sign of problems with your heart.
Most people's sleeping heart rate will fall to the lower end of the normal resting heart rate range of 60–100 bpm. In deep sleep, the heart rate may fall below 60 bpm , especially in people who have very low heart rates while awake.
What Is Your Sleeping Heart Rate? Nightly average RHR varies widely between individuals. A normal heart rate can range anywhere from 40 to 100 beats per minute (BPM) and still be considered average.
During sleep, it is normal for a person's heart rate to slow down below the range for a typical resting heart rate. Between 40 to 50 beats per minute (bpm) is considered an average sleeping heart rate for adults, though this can vary depending on multiple factors.
If you're physically active, your heart pumps blood more efficiently. The same goes for your nightly snooze. It's normal to have a low heart rate while sleeping. When you're asleep, your heart rate normally slows down to 40 to 60 beats a minute.
A specific type of bradycardia called junctional bradycardia, in which the heart rate is below 40 beats per minute, may be associated with ischemic stroke, a type of stroke in which a blood vessel to the brain is obstructed or blocked.
It's important to get a prompt, accurate diagnosis and appropriate care. See your health care provider if you are concerned about a slow heart rate. If you faint, have difficulty breathing or have chest pain lasting more than a few minutes, call 911 or emergency medical services.
Summary: Bradycardia -- a slower than normal heartbeat -- does not increase the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, according to a study. The heart usually beats between 60 and 100 times a minute in an adult at rest.
A slow heart rate can mean you're not getting enough oxygen, and failure to get enough oxygen is symptomatic of sleep apnea, a condition that causes you to continually wake up throughout the night because of obstructed breathing.
If your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you're not an athlete) and if you are experiencing any symptoms such as dizziness, palpitations, chest pain, breathlessness then you may need to visit a hospital.
Some arrhythmias that can happen with sleep apnea are especially severe and can stop your heart. That stoppage is a life-threatening condition known as sudden cardiac death.
In general, for adults, a resting heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia. There are exceptions. Your heart rate may fall below 60 BPM during deep sleep. Physically active adults (and athletes) often have a resting heart rate slower than 60 BPM.
Healthy young adults and athletes often have heart rates of less than 60 beats a minute. In other people, bradycardia is a sign of a problem with the heart's electrical system. It means that the heart's natural pacemaker isn't working right or that the electrical pathways of the heart are disrupted.
The study compared generated electrocardiogram readings against readings from the PurePulse heart rate sensors in Fitbit's Charge HR and Surge trackers, and found that they can be off by up to 20 beats per minute during rigorous exercise.
A low resting heart rate in the 30s, for example, means the required oxygen isn't getting to the brain. This can make shortness of breath, fainting, and lightheadedness a possibility. For those with symptoms, visit your physician to explore the situation more in-depth.
Bradycardia is a condition where your heart beats more slowly than expected, under 60 beats per minute. For many people, it doesn't cause symptoms and isn't a problem, especially when it happens because you're in very good physical shape.
Adults and children who have a low pulse and experience symptoms such as chest pain, fainting, or exercise intolerance should also go to the hospital. A person should contact a doctor about bradycardia when they: experience an unexplained change in heart rate that lasts for several days.
When bradycardia is more severe, you may experience shortness of breath, chest pain, and fainting. If severe bradycardia goes untreated, it could lead to cardiac arrest, meaning the heart stops beating, and that can lead to death.
Therefore, bradycardia can be caused by: Coronary artery disease. Heavy alcohol use. High blood pressure.
What many may not realize is that anxiety can cause the heartbeat to slow down as well. It's not that common, but it is possible, and in some cases the issue may not be a slow heartbeat at all but your own mind telling you that your heart rate is abnormal even when this isn't necessarily the case.
If you do not have other heart problems, you likely do not have limits on the type or level of activity that you can do. You may want to walk, swim, bike, or do other activities. Ask your doctor what level of exercise is safe for you.
Clinically significant bradycardia can be induced by beta-blockers and non-dihydropyridine (DHP) calcium-channel antagonists such as verapamil and diltiazem. Although drug-related bradycardia is frequently observed in clinical practice, it is a poorly defined clinical problem.