A normal adult resting heart rate is between 60 – 100 beats per minute (bpm). If you have bradycardia, your heart beats fewer than 60 times a minute. Bradycardia (heart rate 40 – 60 bpm) can be normal when you're sleeping.
The main symptom of bradycardia is a heart rate below 60 beats per minute. This abnormally low heart rate can cause the brain and other organs to become oxygen-deprived, which can lead to symptoms such as: Fainting. Dizziness.
The hearts of adults at rest usually beat between 60 and 100 times a minute. If you have bradycardia, your heart beats fewer than 60 times a minute. Bradycardia can be a serious problem if the heart rate is very slow and the heart can't pump enough oxygen-rich blood to the body.
In people who are not physically active, a resting heart rate below 60 is sometimes a sign of an electrical problem with the heart, a low thyroid level (hypothyroidism), or damage from a heart attack or heart disease.
Records. Daniel Green holds the world record for the slowest heartbeat in a healthy human, with a heart rate measured in 2014 of 26 BPM.
Key facts. Bradycardia is a slower than normal heart rate (below 60 beats per minute (bpm)). If you're sleeping or if you're a young, healthy adult or very fit, it can be normal to have a heart rate of 40 – 60 bpm.
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.
A resting heart rate between 40 and 60 beats a minute during sleep is common for many people during sleep. It's also common for trained athletes, healthy young adults, and those who work out regularly to have a low heart rate while exercising – this low heart rate associated with fitness is health and normal.
A heart rate below 60 bpm while resting is too slow for most people. A slow heart rate, also known as bradycardia, can be normal for people like athletes who are very fit. If you have a slow heart rate and are experiencing symptoms like fainting and tiredness, you should make an appointment with your GP.
If you're sitting down and feeling calm, your heart shouldn't beat more than about 100 times per minute. A heartbeat that's faster than this, also called tachycardia, is a reason to come to the emergency department and get checked out. We often see patients whose hearts are beating 160 beats per minute or more.
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.
The normal range is between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is above 100, it's called tachycardia; below 60, and it's called bradycardia. Increasingly, experts pin an ideal resting heart rate at between 50 to 70 beats per minute.
Causes of bradycardia
Problems in the conduction pathways of the heart that don't allow electrical impulses to pass properly from the atria to the ventricles. Metabolic problems such as hypothyroidism (low thyroid hormone) Damage to the heart from aging, heart disease or heart attack.
Warning signs and symptoms of heart failure include shortness of breath, chronic coughing or wheezing, swelling, fatigue, loss of appetite, and others. Heart failure means the heart has failed to pump the way it should in order to circulate oxygen-rich blood throughout the body.
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.
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.
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.
Doctors consider a low heart rate to be 60 beats per minute (bpm) and below. In fact, if you have bradycardia, you'll have a low resting heart rate below 60, even when you're awake and active. In contrast, a normal range is 60 to 100 bpm while awake.
The vagus nerve - one of the nerves of the autonomic nervous system which supplies internal organs including the heart - has long been thought to be responsible for the slower night-time heart rates.
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.
Heart rate during sleep can vary depending on age, fitness level, and underlying health conditions. A normal resting heart rate during sleep can range from 40 to 50 BPM. Sleep stage can affect heart rate during sleep as can factors such as stress, caffeine, and alcohol.
Although it is rare, some people have bradycardia (low heart rate) and high blood pressure at the same time. This happens because even though your heart is beating at a lower rate than normal, there is increased pressure on your blood vessels, resulting in high blood pressure (hypertension).