Hi, I've recently started monitoring my fitness with an activity tracker/band (because I'm unfit!). I've noticed that my resting heart rate is averaging around 95-105, but also with random seeming drops down to about 50-70 (not been able to work out if they're linked to any specific events yet). I was wondering if this was anything to be concerned about - I figured the high resting heart rate was down to poor cardiovascular fitness and bc I suffer from anxiety too, but thought maybe the drops were a little odd. My dad has arrythmia but I've had two general anaesthic op's with nothing said about heart rate etc (though they were quite a few years ago now).
I don't want to bother my doctor unneccesarily... having anxiety and depression anyway, if you go in with stuff like this you don't always get a warm reception.
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doompixie
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Is your HB regular or irregular? If it is irregular then you have AF and in which case tracker band won't pick up HB properly all the time. If regular then could be something else.
This is interesting. I was diagnosed with AF in June, but over the last few years, I noticed that when on the treadmill in the gym, my heart rate would show as 120 ish, and then drop to the low 50's. I thought the machine wasn't working well! Perhaps I've had this longer than I thought!!
Very probably. I certainly had AF for a few years without realising it because I was probably asymptomatic for the most part and the times I had mild symptoms I put them down to other things and being in my mid 50s.
HR monitors on treadmills are notoriously unreliable. Take your hands off the monitor when that happens and try again -- you'll probably find yourself in the 120 range you expect when working out.
Your heart rate will often vary by a factor of 2-300%, so the figures you quote are not unreasonable although your average resting heart rate is higher than normal, so you should feel your pulse to see it is regular.
If you are using a heart rate monitor with a wrist rather than chest sensor, it can be a little inaccurate. Otherwise a bad skin connection can give false high and low readings especially if using a chest strap which is not wet with sweat ie at the start of exercising. Wrist sensors don't work well in the water.
A pulse oximeter will give a more accurate heart rate reading and you can see if it is irregular, but need to fork out £20 to buy one.
Hopefully you are going to be working on your fitness and anxiety levels though and then you should see a drop in your resting and sleep heart rate.
Both my EP and my Sleep Apnoea (SA) consultant said do not use a pulse oximeter for heart rate measurements in AF as they can be quite inaccurate. In fact I did cross check my pulse oximeter against the Kardia (AliveCor) and inaccuracy was up to 30%. It is not consistent (as would be expected).
Also my SA consultant said that even the SpO2 level is not accurate if you are in AF when measuring.
I was treated for 12 years for being unfit, asthma, thyroid, lack of iron and I presented with a high pulse rate. It was not until it got really bad I was diagnosed with AF. The irregular heart beat shows up on the ECG and also my home PB monitor so I can keep an eye on both. Keep going to your GP until they do something more for you.
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