Heart rate whilst driving

[luckylouise08]

What should a normal heart rate be whilst driving. Mine has hit 159bpm today. I am having intermittent high spikes in heart rate so I just wondered if this is unusual.

[Stumpy47]

Interesting , last weekend l drove 4 hours down to London on the Fri 17th my HR maxed out at 132 BPM & averaged around 85 bpm on the way home it maxed at 150 bpm for some 24 minutes, with an ave again around 85 bpm. I guess conditions have a bearing too ( on the way home I came across Fog & wet conditions) I've had a Pacemaker for 4 months with the lower rate set at 65bpm overall I was pretty comfortable driving & had a good nights sleep YEE HAA!!

[luckylouise08 in reply to Stumpy47]

Thanks for sharing. What heart condition is your pacemaker fitted for...if you don't mind me asking?

[Stumpy47 in reply to luckylouise08]

Hi , I had tachycardia/bradycardia episodes of SVT were lasting For a few hours at 220 bpm & countless visits to a&e . I had a successful ablation in May 2019 , but the beta blockers reduced an already low heart rate to high 30's bpm average at night & 40/50's during the day so I ended up with a pacemaker which has certainly improved my quality of life.

[luckylouise08 in reply to Stumpy47]

Oh wow. Sounds like you have been through a lot. Glad the pacemaker is helping 😊

[SPV123]

Mine drops to resting levels or lower on the M6, It goes up a lot when I spot someone on the phone though..

[luckylouise08 in reply to SPV123]

Not surprised ! People need to use hands free. Drive as safe as possible

[NorthantsSteve]

Hi luckylouise. What device are you using to measure your heart rate. Fitbits etc can be pretty unreliable if you’re moving around.

[luckylouise08 in reply to NorthantsSteve]

I am using a whoop band.

[NorthantsSteve in reply to luckylouise08]

That’s a new one on me 😄. They seem to be reported as accurate - so maybe I’m off the mark.

[luckylouise08 in reply to NorthantsSteve]

I'm not sure with accuracy on fitness trackers. Whoop has got some great features on it and some athletes use it too. However I am more just trying to work out whether my heart rate bumping up on several occasions is something to be flagging. Due to see a cardiologist when I get the referral appointment through. Believe I have underlying heart problems that have not been diagnosed yet. Trying to paint a picture as clear as possible to get an idea of what may be wrong if there is something untoward going on, but the heart rate spikes I am seeing is just one part of what I wanted to look into. I also have other symptoms and long term health issues / complaints. Helps to hear viewpoints of others and experiences to get better medical knowledge or information to make educated investigations or know what questions to ask at medical appointments

[NorthantsSteve in reply to luckylouise08]

I’d keep a diary of what you’re doing and what your heart rate is to take to your doctor/cardiologist. It might also be sensible to keep a record of your blood pressure. Heart rate going up while driving wouldn’t be unusual in stressful circumstances. There could be quite a few reasons why it’s happening - especially if you have a history of heart related issues.

[luckylouise08 in reply to NorthantsSteve]

Thanks for the ideas. 🙏

[luckylouise08]

Interesting. Thanks for the reply