I'm 23 years old. I'm not very active and I am overweight. I wear a Fitbit (I know they're not perfectly accurate) to watch my heart rate. not for medical reasons but just because I feel the need to check it.
today my RHR was 58-60, when usually it reads in the mid 60s-low 70s. I feel fine but it made me worry quite a bit and I sent myself into several panic attacks. I have really bad health anxiety and have a fear of fainting (though I've never fainted before), so when I panicked I got pretty dizzy and scared myself even further.
kinda just looking to hear everyone's stories. I've heard lower can be better but it just worries me and I can't relax! I checked my BP a few times and it was reading between 113/67-124/73.
I am on anxiety meds and seeing a psychologist but I still have anxiety flare ups.
Thanks
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quixotic6
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Hi , YeA I wouldn’t worry mate , I used to obsess over what my Fitbit was telling me in the end I sold it lol but my rhr was or is 55 sometimes caught it at 48 once , I’m 39, never smoked , light drinker but played footy and been into gym for last 20 years so I’m hoping although not an athlete that I’m fit to have a low rhr, so don’t panic about 58 etc, and sell the Fitbit
it is pretty common to be anxious, your readings are fine, dump the fitbit and get a Polar heart monitor and watch, they are very reliable. Your best bet is to get up everyday with some determination to lose the weight and get active. Try the 3 mile walk with Lesley Sansone, American Heart Foundation, on Utube in the privacy of your own home. It is quite possible that you may start to feel a bit better each day and be able to ditch all medication. All the best Ron
Just clicked on to Lesley Sansone to check it out. Seems like a really good workout but omg that voice 😧 not sure I could go the 40 odd minutes with her talking all the way through, 4 minutes made my tinnitus rage 😂
Hi, not to sound negative, but, as Dazgad said, its best to get rid of it or not monitor it as much. Its like weighing yourself every half hour! By all means keep track, use a normal upper arm cuff monitor for pulse and BP weekly and if you feel "odd" but I personally disaprove of these devices as they make you paranoid HTH
Not negative at all! Thank you for your comment! After I said I probably won't get rid of it I thought about it for a while and I might end up selling it in place of just a regular step counter.
Nothing wrong with your results. I assume you take your own BP and suggest you check the pulse rate on there against your fitbit at the time. Mine is usually the same or one digit difference. Fitbit may not be totally accurate but as long as you're wearing the same gadget all the time it should be consistent. I wouldn't be without mine. This looks like one area that you needn't become anxious about. Dizziness can be caused by standing up too quickly etc but make sure you are drinking enough fluids (preferably water) as well.
Health anxiety is horrible to live with but can be managed. In the case of health anxiety it is best not to monitor your pulse and BP at all. Your symptoms can all be explained as due to anxiety. If your anxieties are interfering with your life eg you avoid going out, socialising or other activities and/or your distress overwhelms you then you need to see your G.P. There is excellent and effective treatment available. I hope I don’t sound dismissive or uncaring. I do know what anxiety and depression feel like and I do know how debilitating they are.
Top athletes have very low heart rates, so dont stress about yours.
I wish I had your BP readings. My heart is very strong but I cant get the BP to your excellent levels.
But your weight is important and you skip past that. If you are overweight then at your tender years it would be good to get your weight to a good level. Just weigh yourself once a week and ensure that you edge it down by a little each month.
Fitbits are not a good idea. Cause far more damage than good. My friends count every step then declare they have walked many miles each day, when they have not.
You dont need electronic devices to run your life. These devices are best used to serve you, not the other way round.
I hope your therapy goes well. I find relaxation classes helpful and seated yoga mega helpful.
'I am not very active' and 'I am overweight'. OK. Turn your computer games off for a while, invest in some waterproof walking boots, get out in the green stuff, see how far you can get in 30 minutes, turn round and walk back. See how long it took you. The hard part is doing it every day.
As a man you can burn 2.000 calories as a daily allowance. Piece of pizza 240 cals. Whole pizza 240 x 8 = 1920 cal. Zap the baddies - grab a slice, and repeat. Where did the pizza go?
A cake ? Yup got to have a slice of cake, chuck in a slice 240 cals. Still a need a nibble? Couple of biscuits say 50 cals each =100 cals.
Cup of tea, 2 sugars comes in at 32 cals, say 4 cups a day =128 cals. Pint of Beer 5% = 215 cals, can't have just one can you, so another one at 215 makes 430.
total 2790 - about 790 cals over your daily allowance, and the really bad news is that it is mainly carbs/sugar that has to be burned or stored as fat. You are on the glidepath to diabetes.
My heart rate goes between 46-150+ pm during the day depending on what I’m doing. I also take medication for my heart to slow it down. I agree with what others have said about not monitoring your heart rate. I wear an iwatch but that’s purely co I had a heart attack 2 years ago which has left me with some minor problems so I use it to monitor my heart rate as it has alarms on there which warn me if my heart rate it to high or of it drops to low and also if my heart decides to beat irregular.
Some good advice here about trying to avoid health anxiety. I suffered myself a long time ago and know how easy it is to imagine the worst. I believe I learned my lesson then, and i hope you can too.
It's nothing to worry about. My resting heart rate is low 50s and it often drops down into the 40s. The advice about going for a walk every day is very good. It will help your mental and physical health. As for the hard part being 'doing it every day' there's an easy solution - get a dog, which will also do wonders for your mental and physical health. I've got 2 dogs and they make sure they get a walk every day by using pester power, impossible to resist. You will soon find you can walk further and feel better.
The lowest my iWatch has gone is 33bpm. It regularly goes down to around 38bpm then jumps straight up to around 90bpm. I have regular notifications saying my HR has gone below 40bpm for an extended period of time. My watch also has an ECG reader which consistently comes up with inconclusive readings. I knew there was something not right and had it checked (I normally try to avoid going to my GP at all costs). If it had just been the low heart rate, I wouldn't have been concerned but with the inconclusive readings (as well as fatigue, palpitations, etc) I went to my GP to get it checked out.
I have ectopics and LVSD which are being investigated but my Cardiologist says to ignore my watch as it can't accurately read my heart rate as it isn't designed to read anything other than normal or AF readings. Sometimes my watch can't even detect a heart beat and just comes up with a ?
I have had my watch for a few years with normal HR readings so noticed when the readings started getting lower. I had the odd 45bpm reading here and there but they started to get lower and more frequent. Knowing you numbers helps to identify any significant changes, if something is wrong but you don't need to check them all the time. Most watches/apps have a history function so you can look back at any patterns that may start to form. Try to use it as a helpful tool and not let it have a negative impact.
When I started to notice my palpitations and low HR, I was constantly checking my watch which helped me to identify, if there are any particular triggers but also worried me as I couldn't stop thinking about it. Then I told myself, if I didn't have the watch I wouldn't know my HR is low or have inconclusive readings so although it helped me to seek help initially I have also learnt to get used to the readings without stressing over it.
You have to really go on how you feel and I knew there was just something not right. I am not one to voice my health concerns to anyone so for me to actually go to my GP in the first place was a big thing.
You know you suffer from bad health anxiety and know how that makes your body feel so would notice a difference if there was a new big health issue going on with your body.
I wouldn't worry about 58-60 bpm reading, sounds pretty healthy to me. Hope that helps!
Hi Quixotic6. You sound on perfect health with regard to heart rate and BP. My resting HR is always between 46 to 52 ish and it is fine for me. Your BP would be the envy of many hence I do not see what you are worrying about. Of course if you anxiously keep checking your Fitbit just to see the HR figure of your choice, it will almost certainly go up. I an sure others on here will will concur anxiety can play havoc with our body chemicals and adrenaline. Believe me, I know from vast experience over decades. May I offer you my very best wishes and NO fainting please.
Totally agree with ‘that was unexpected’. Mine seems to be mid 50s. When i raised this at my recent blood pressure review’ , the GP basically echoed what ‘that was unexpected said!
If you don’t have any symptoms ie dizziness etc don’t worry, my BP is always lower than it should be but I had dizziness, eventually I had a pacemaker and now I’m fine. My cardiologist told me that a low BP is better than a high BP as long as you feel well. Try not to worry too much about your health if you’ll drive yourself crazy. Try to slowly lose weight, walking is probably best as you can start out at a steady pace then gradually build up to power walking if you can but try not to concentrate on every little thing or you will make yourself ill.
Hi, I suffer from health anxiety and my currently worried are also my lower than normal RHR. (it kept me up again last night). My sleeping HR is low to mid 50s. And my awake RHR is mid 60s to low 70s. I'm not exactly fit either. I notice it goes lower on days where I haven't eaten much or when I'm really tired.
I've gotten a lot of heart tests done and everything came back fine. I still worry about it though and I have another cardiologist appointment end of September.
My friend panic is the worst thing in the world, I had my H/A in Jan 2019, and advised to keep my heart rate down to 50-60 any lower than 50 is the time to worry, I have not experienced dizziness or fainting symptoms but the slightest chest pain and I go into panic mode, as I was advised when discharged from Hospital know your body ,it will let you know what it can and cannot do, speak to your GP about your anxiety, if not him talk to us Hearties we cant give you medical advice but we do have ears to listen with, your never alone.
i’m a 65yr old gran!. angina and IHD.. plus a few more ailments lolol.,on several heart
meds... my
usual HR during the day ranges from high 50’s to low 70’s..sometimes reaches 112 when out shopping or doung things in the garden.. was drying my hair earlier this week and HR went up to 90.. early eveni g usually falls to low 50’s ..later in n the evening drops to high to mid 40’s.. lowest recorded was 38.. got a fright couple of werks ago.. bad chest pain and for about an hour HR went between 70 and 90 .. rapidly
jumping from 70 and 90.. just waiting for a 24hr holter ecg recorder to become available from
Your Blood pressure is good.RHR 50 -60 is ok I’m on medication to lower my heart rate and my RHR is between 42-44 bpm. Cardiologist says if you’re feeling alright and not passing out , don’t worry. Talk to your GP for peace of mind. Good luck.
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HTH
Anxiety and fear due to cardiac arrest 2 years ago 
Feeling normal……..
Mental State post HA
Propranolol withdrawal 
