Sinus bradycardia

[Guinness_Guinness]

Hi, I have sinus bradycardia with symptoms. I'm wondering if anyone else has it with symptoms and if you find you seem to suffer with the symptoms some days but not others? Thank you 😊

[Blearyeyed]

Do you have other health or heart related conditions that cause your sinus bradycardia.Sinus Bradycardia can be caused by lots of different reasons , and having symptoms from it can be more related to other things than heart issues, especially the vagus nerve , and can be to do with diet or lifestyle and age more than Sinus Tachycardia is.

Sinus Bradycardia is actually experienced more by very healthy and active people , often without them knowing it unless they get other symptoms.

It is also really common in people over 65 because the heart gets naturally slower as we age.

It's only when it begins to be the cause of symptoms that it could be a sign of other complications.

Often it can be a combination of electrolyte imbalance , high sodium or high magnesium , and other medications or supplements that you take that can take the heart rate too low and then cause the symptoms.

Many supplements can increase bradycardia, as can alcohol, smoking , various medications that slow the heart and narcotics or pain killers.

Dehydration can make it worse, especially if it is being caused by high sodium in the blood.

It can be a symptom of other illnesses , infections and inflammation from things like Rheumatism.

If you suffer from bradycardia even without complications it's more likely to be lower after a big meal , at night as your heart naturally drops for sleep or if you have been inactive for some time.

That's because the autonomic nervous system , including the vagus nerve reduces your heart rate when it takes on the " rest and digest" jobs.

Eating smaller portions meals can help , 5 light meals a day rather than three big ones.

Drinking the recommended water each day , cutting out alcohol and reducing salt and sugar are recommended.

If you take Magnesium supplements or a multivitamin with Magnesium it is better to stop it and speak to the GP about tests because high magnesium can increase bradycardia to the point that you get more severe symptoms.

Keeping active and , even at a slow pace for 5 minutes an hour during the day and avoiding daytime naps can help control daytime symptoms.

Active healthy people are more likely to have bradycardia without symptoms, but in contrast those with symptoms need to try to do some exercise and some brisk movement each day to a point that the activity doesn't affect other health issues.

Standing and stretching and having your legs down , or on a lower footstool helps reduce the heart rate getting low enough to cause symptoms.

Deep Breathing exercises , either when standing or sitting in a chair with legs down can also reduce symptoms and help to prevent them . It is better to do them in fresh air either outside or near an open window. Try to do deep breathing with some movement of the upper body or walking a few times a day. This increases the oxygen volume in your blood and increases your heart rate.

If you take medications that may decrease your heart rate , either deliberately, or as a common side effect, speak to your GP you may need to change your dose or change your type of medication to reduce the effects of bradycardia.

Sometimes you need to change the timings if certain medications making sure you don't take them too late in the evening.

If you haven't had them checked you need blood tests to rule out nutrient deficiency that can cause it , even if you've got a good diet these can happen as you age.

You can request your GP to check Full blood Count ( FBC) , Electrolytes, Vitamin B 12 , Ferritin, Folate , Magnesium and Vitamin D.

Check the test results even if the GP says they are normal because very low normal results are a sign of Insufficiency in a nutrient , and that can affect your heart rate and cause symptoms so it's better to improve the results with duet or supplements.

Hypothyroidism and certain types of Rheumatic and kidney conditions and infections can cause Bradycardia with symptoms so if the first tests are normal ask your GP to do other kidney tests , a thyroid panel and tests for arthritic conditions.

If the Sinus Bradycardia continues despite making diet and activity changes and you don't have an illness or medication that is causing it the GP needs to do more diagnostic tests to rule out the causes , and you should have a Holter test for 48-72 hours to show your doctor when your symptoms are worse so they can give you some self care tips to help you prevent your heart rate getting too low. You may need medication to help.

It takes a bit of trial and error , just as it does to find ways to manage Sinus Tachycardia , but you can get it under control , especially quickly if you can pinpoint what is causing it for you. Different symptoms can be an indication of your individual causes for the bradycardia with symptoms.

Take care , and remember to wait a moment as you stand up before walking to make sure you don't go lightheaded or lose balance . Drinking some water before getting up or moving about can also help you stop feeling dizzy.

[Guinness_Guinness in reply to Blearyeyed]

Hi, thanks for your response and such an in depth and informative one at that! I have had a bad weekend so apologies for the late reply.

I have Sinus Bradycadia with symptoms and under age of 60, reasonably good diet, never smoked, have a bottle of wine over a week as an average and not overweight. I'm not on any meds other than HRT though do have scoliosis (had two spinal ops and lots of metalwork). I don't take any supplements other than Vit D and only take painkillers when needed i.e not nec every month let alone day or week.

I have had all bloods checked and all ok (inc the pro-bnp and thyroid) though in my opinion the folic was just about borderline. I had ECG which was abnormal, then had 24hr ECG and currently waiting for the results of that. I have an appt for an Echo at the end of the month and lung test appt early July (in case my symptoms are lung rather than heart related).

I do walk and do stretches daily and for a while have increased my fluid intake as was aware I might not have had enough.

I definitely have symptoms of sinus bradycardia and have done for a while (and blamed it on the menopause mostly) and appreciate not all test results are through and possibly more to have so just need to be patient but just wondered if those that have this condition, with symptoms, find that some days (even weeks) are better than others or not.

Will update once I get results