I am 62 and healthy and have been all my life. However, over the last few years I have been feeling increasingly tired, meaning I tend to have to push myself to do stuff rather than doing it without thinking. I also get worn out by about 4.00pm on a moderately busy day, although I can keep going if I have to.
I have spoken to my doctor about the tiredness and have had various tests but they can't find anything that would be causing it. I should say at this point that whenever I have my blood-pressure taken it is usually quite high although occasionally I get a good reading. I have put this down to 'white coat syndrome', where my blood pressure goes up whenever someone tries to measure it, which I believe is very common.
I recently bought a blood-pressure monitor and took readings every day over a couple of months. My blood pressure ranged from 130/81 (which I think is pretty good) to 183/109 (which is pretty bad) - I'm not bothered because I'm used to getting erratic BP readings. However, the BP monitor also gives heartbeat and this has ranged from 49 to 72 beats per minute, averaging 59.5 bpm over the two months - this seems quite low.
Thinking that using the BP monitor might be affected by my tendency to white coat syndrome I started to take my heartbeat before using it each morning. The readings I got here ranged from 38 to 56 bpm, averaging 48.5 bpm - this seems very low and is lower than the BP monitor readings.
This got me thinking that maybe my tiredness is down to a slow heartbeat, which hasn't been picked up via all the various tests I've had because, when nurses and doctors measure it, it is higher than it normally is and my seem in the normal range.
I don't want to discuss this with my doctor, firstly, they are incredibly busy and, secondly, because they might try to send me for a whole new slew of tests and not actually recognise that my heartbeat is, from my measurements at least, very slow.
I have a few questions:
1. Is a slow hearbeat of, say, 44 bpm (I just took a break from typing to measure it) likely to make me feel tired?
I should say that I am not an olympian level athlete and, although I walk the dog and ride a bike, I would say I'm moderately fit.
2. Has anybody else out there experienced similar frustrations with blood pressure and heartbeat readings?
It does seem fairly ridiculous that blood pressure readings can be so varied and possibly inaccurate.
3. Could it be that my slow heartbeat has only become an issue because I am now 62, whereas when I was younger I didn't really notice the effects of it?
I think I have always had a slow heartbeat or at least I noticed I had a slow heartbeat maybe in my thirties but thought it was a generally good thing and didn't really give it much thought.
4. Is there any test I could ask for that would enable doctors/nurses to understand that I have a very slow heartbeat?
Thanks for reading this. It's much longer than I set out to write.
Written by
BigRa
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Hi and welcome to the forum, hopefully you will get some useful information from those on here.Not sure from your bio if you are on any meds that could be slowing it such as a beta blocker ?
In terms of your rate I had a 24 hour monitor from the hospital due to fatigue (following a GP referral) and that confirmed I was dropping into the high 30's overnight and high 40's during the day. The hospital described that as at the "lower end" so took me off the beta blocker (that I'd been on since heart attack last April) and that has pushed me up to around 50 overnight and 60 at rest during the day , going to around 120 if on a hilly walk.
Guess the issue with home bp monitor is that it's a point in time, have you thought about a smartwatch that you gives you heart rate tracking ?
Also if reluctant to go to GP a private 24 hour monitor will cost a couple hundred quid and you get results in a few days (many weeks on the NHS)
I too suffer white coat syndrome and top and bottom readings are both at least 10 points higher in a medical setting so I tend to not down recent home readings to show them.
I'm still knackered , blood tests were all normal tho B12 was right at the bottom end of normal so just started popping a pill for that each day.
Finally have you checked heartbeat, mine had gone irregular last summer ( A Fib) and that definitely slowed me down (since resolved with Amiodarone). In a fib my rate was low tho the majority of a fib sufferers have a high rate.
The first is for you to ring the cardiac nurses - get information on contact details and times from the BHF website.
My second thought is that, thirty or forty years ago you would not have had access to a bp monitor. Your GP wouldn’t necessarily be taking the pressure often. You regard your health as good. Ignorance is bliss.
I suspect your general lifestyle and diet are good too (though for any tweaks see the BHF website) and you will have looked a these aspects already.
So you would have been unconcerned and would have been living in the broad sunny uplands, perfectly happy.
Or you could think “thank goodness for modern techniques”. You could say “sixty is the new forty, why am I tired” or you could say “gosh I’m sixty, no wonder I’m a bit tired by 4 pm”.
My consultant told me normal should be between 70-100. 56+is acceptable.
Below 40 is a concern.
My heart rate goes as low as 23 and currently races during the day 156. Drops to high 30s most nights.
I was tired exhausted and while working last year same as you 4pm ish I could drop but kept going. My Bp has always been on the low side. Now I know all the signs age 64. My heart rate was low when I was about 11-12 yrs old. I find after exercise and stress makes my heart rate drop to high 20s and low 30s.
Mine issues all came to a head end Dec 2023 when a fit bit I’d been wearing for 6 months suddenly had an alert - possible signs of AFib. It potentially saved my life. I only got it to see how many paces I was doing a day.
My heart is AFib, Arrythmia, arterial flutter. Tachy/brady cardic. Low blood pressure.
An 5 lead ECG will tell exactly what’s going on. Your practice nurse will be able to do the ECG.
I’ve had so many ECGs over the last 14 months I’ve lost count. They all show any AFib, Arrythmia/flutter. Ectopic beats Bradycardia Tachycardia.
If you are concerned call your Gp for urgent appointment as it’s your heart.
If you can’t get urgent appointment. Go to A&E and tell them how low your heart rate goes. You should be prioritised. I am seen normally within 15-20 minutes with my issues.
hello there, think I’m a bit like you I’ve been on sotolol for a number of years fast forward I started with ectopics last July had the usual tests 24hr holter showed 70% bradycardia with lots of PVC’s after the tests the recommendations were to increase my sotolol this made things too slow I’d originally been put on this for SVT saw my GP over a week ago who told me to stop sotolol and start bisoprolol took it for three days felt dreadful everything too slow which allowed the ectopics to kick in more - the doctor asked me to keep a diary I’m seeing him on the 10th March but beta blockers is definitely not the way to go in my situation, it can be slow without beta blockers because of the ectopics if I have a run of them my HR drops, just thought I would tell you my story just to let you know your not on your own - I’m exactly the same as you HR and BP increase when I visit the surgery always has done which gives a false picture, so this last week I’ve taken photos of readings to show him the truer picture. Hope you get sorted very soon I know we don’t always want these tests but I do think it’s worth you contacting your surgery take care 😊
In my experience a slow heart rate does not make you tired. Mine lowered to 46 bpm at 60 ish and a private investigation showed sinus bradycardia and the consultant said that my heart had changed to another node and following tests declared I was perfectly fit and healthy. I felt great and remained very busy and active full of energy. I had a couple of unexplained tachycardia over the years .
About 18 months ago age 69 I had tiredness at 4pm ish and I am a person who does not rest in the day and like to be busy. If I over exerted myself my upper back ached ( I now recognise it as heart pain)
Cholesterol was slowly and silently building plaque in my artery
Unfortunately 5 weeks ago I had a major heart attack and a stent. Being young for my age , fit and eating healthy food and a non smoker etc saved my life but my heart is significantly damaged. The damage in a heart attack is mostly permanent but with a bit of determination and drugs people get back to leading a normal life and I’m throwing everything at that goal !
This was not down to my heart rate it was cholesterol / plaque in one artery
Please do not dwell on the heart rate but on the tiredness and be alert to even the mildest feeling on your left chest. The CCU was full of patients in denial.. ( indigestion that wasn’t …for example.)
Better to ask for tests, you deserve the reassurance even though our gp’s are busy. You are as important as the next person.
4 pm tiredness isn’t always ‘an age thing ‘ in a fit person like you!
In my experiance Apixaban makes me breathless and tired. My consultant told me to stop taking immediately. 12 hours later I was almost back to normal. Beta blockers lower your Bp and can make you tired
Bradycardia and low blood pressure can make you tired. I my heart is so screwed up I have the world’s smallest most accurate cardiac monitor injected into my chest linked via an app on my phone to my hospital who monitor 24/7.
It also have a fit bit that follows and records my heart rate. I know exactly when my heart rate drops because I can suddenly fall asleep if I’m not active. It has been as low as 23bpm quite often low 30s. I get calls from my hospital as alarm goes off at the hospital when it goes below 40 or above 150bpm. After exercise and stress makes my heat rate plummet. My normal used to be around 40 while asleep and 50 while awake and working. So you can understand I’ve been tired and exhausted for years and put it down to working long hours and getting old.
if your blood is not moving round at a regular rate or slowly yes it can make you tired. Lethargic exhausted. I’ve learned so much since my issues came to light 14 months ago. 4 lots of surgery now waiting for 5th. 5 beta blockers, calcium blockers, heart suppressants. Sadly all have failed.
Hi , my experience is similar to Poshpaws63 above. I had tiredness that I noticed , I’d work around our small holding then come in about 4pm and write out my usual weight training programme before going to training about 5-6pm. I started to feel so tired and fell asleep regularly , missing my training. I really didn’t like myself . I put it down to working hard and age , 61. Some days were worse than others . It took me months before I went to my GP to discuss it , I thought perhaps my testosterone had dropped. Eventually got an appointment and explained that I’d lost my zip, energy , vavavoom, fatigued etc. my blood pressure wasn’t too bad slightly raised but not of a concern apparently, I always had a low resting heart rate , in the low 50s . Lifetime if spurt and training . I looked very fit and healthy. I was given blood tests for blood sugar, thyroid , testosterone, vit B etc . I got a text back saying all normal . That was all I got . 6 weeks later I came out of a yoga class and didn’t feel right , my wife and I put it down to not eating breakfast before the class . After driving home , having brunch I developed what I thought was painful trapped wind .. I had a nstemi heart attack (about six weeks after going to the GP) confirmed in hospital by blood tests /troponin count (my ECG taken at home and hospital were all good showing no signs ). Every medic thst I spoke to in hospital or in a transfer ambulance ( I was in 3) asked about any symptoms I had prior to the heart attack . The only one I had was fatigue/tiredness. They all said that this was a key sign/indication of a cardiac issue. I had angiogram the day after that confirmed I had 3 blocked arteries and stenting wasn’t deemed an option . I had quadruple bypass surgery and had a great rehab and recovery.
I write the above not to impress you but to impress upon you that our GPs are just that, General Practitioners. I looked fit and strong and not like a heart attack patient. I would urge you to be alive to any possible heart attack symptoms in the meantime and then get back to your GP to insist on further tests ( cholesterol might indicate , mine was normal though ) to see how your heart is /arteries are functioning. An angiogram would tell you if your arteries are blocked . I wouldn’t sit back and wait because the doctors are busy and you worry about another skew of tests . We all have a responsibility for our well being , the system will not come chasing you. I feel very lucky and love my rebirth . 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻.
Good morning, I can only tell you about my experience. I had bradycardia (40 bpm during the day, even lower at night), tachycardia (very scary), arrhythmia (very scary), breathlessness and fatigue for well over a year. I underwent so many tests in that time to try and discover the problem - eventually it was decided that the ‘electrics’ in the top of my heart weren’t working. My heart functions well (ie pushing blood round the body), nothing wrong with my arteries and BP ok most of the time.
I had a pacemaker implant on 17 February: still getting increased heart rate upon exertion and short periods of arrhythmia (particularly at night when I’m in bed) - but neither of these symptoms as bad as before. My heart rate is usually 60bpm and I’m not feeling as tired or breathless as before. Still got a way to go yet but the slight improvement is promising.
Please go and see your GP and request a full investigation into your symptoms. You sound fit and your age is not a criteria for feeling tired for as long as you have.
All the best to you and I think you will find that the members of this forum are very supportive, kind and happy to share their experiences and knowledge with you.
Well I'm not off to Norway but I've found this year through the cold weather here in the UK I've felt really tired and looking back last year and the few before. I just don't do well in the cold any more. I also have HF. I notice I slow right down like you do from about 3pm ..I get up around 7.30am. So I'm interested to hear the comments x
Hi I have been in a similar situation to yourself. I had blackout/faint one morning then mysight went pixolated for a few minutes. Referred to cardiologist who suspected as I also had low bloodpressue Atrial Fibrilation. I had a small implantable chip in my chest and after some time they could possitively say AF. I was referred to Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital where more tests where done and after a few weeks I had a pacemaker fitted last November. I am feeling much better playing sports walking extra. I should add I am 74 years old and do not agree with 'oh I am 60 odd that must be the reason'😀
Hi, I'm not sure if my situation will help or not, and speaking to your medics is probably the way forward. I'm 72 and had my attack just over a year ago, when in hospital awaiting stents my pulse rate at night always dipped to the low 30's at night. When ,a year later, I bother to check, it still drops as low as 34 but more often 38 at night. My resting pulse is averaging around 43. My blood pressure sometimes is high but is being regulated by my medication.My consultant is not going to fit a pacemaker having seen the results of a 2 week heart monitor and is quite happy with the situation. I'm quite active, never smoked, don't drink much alcohol, I'm pretty fit and play golf 2 or 3 times a week but after all that I often feel light headed - no one has come to a conclusion why!
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