Am I being irrational?

[Sandy1710]

Just woke up. Vitals are 120/81 and heart rate of 56, there is no pleasing me. Convinced now that it’s my heart slowing down until it eventually stops! 😞

[Hidden]

Hey Sandy,

It depends...your blood pressure is very normal if not spot on perfect. 56 BPM is very, just by technical standards "bradycardia", but that doesn't mean you are dying. Are you sitting still and at rest? If the answer is yes, that's why. Many times when I sleep and even when I'm on the couch watching TV, my heart rate slips below 60. If you exercise frequently, your heart rate can also naturally below 60 as it just means your heart has to beat a little less to achieve the same results. Here's something to ease the mind...many Olympians have a resting heart rate in the 40's and it's completely healthy. If you're concerned, try standing and getting a little cardio going. If your heart rate is dropping into the very low 50's to the high 40's, try calling a nurse's hotline to see what they recommend. Your blood pressure is fantastic and that BPM isn't horrendous at all. Please don't be alarmed and make yourself anxious over this. If you become very faint and the numbers plummet, call emergency services. Or if it helps, call a nurse's hotline where they can recommend whether you need treatment or not for the peace of mind. Personally speaking, those are fantastic numbers.

Edit: if you're taking medications for blood pressure or a beta-blocker...that's another thing to factor in...beta-blockers actually decrease the pulse a bit as I'm sure some blood pressure meds do the same.

[Sandy1710 in reply to Hidden]

I had just woken up and was lying in my bed. Wasn’t moving at all. So it’s good I suppose.

[Hidden in reply to Sandy1710]

Oh yeah, that's normal. A few times I woke up to my Fitbit (heart rate tracker on wrist) showing 54-58 BPM. The moment I got up, up went the heart rate. It's actually normal for your heart rate to slip into the 50s while sleeping because it doesn't have to work so hard to supply oxygen to the body. I wouldn't worry Glad to be able to give some good news.

[Agora1 in reply to Sandy1710]

I just found your post.

[Dolphin14 in reply to Sandy1710]

Yes, it's good.