Looking at my blood pressure readings I have noticed a rather low pulse rate of between 49 and 55. The systolic and diastolic readings are fine. So is a low pulse rate indicative of insufficient blood reaching the muscles?
When rls disturbs my sleep I usually find that energetic exercises allows me to return to a sleeping position without rls?
Hi, very interesting that your pulse rate is so low. I wonder if any other RLS sufferers also notice this.
A low pulse rate is known as bradycardia and anything under 60 bpm can be considered as such.
I presume that this is your "resting pulse", i.e. when you're relaxed and at least five minutes after any movement.
My resting pulse is about 54. In my case, I have discussed this with my GP and concluded that it's not a problem. Bradycardia however can be a symptom of "heart block" so, to be safest, I suggest you mention into your doctor who could easily do an ECG. It can also be an effect or side effect of medication e.g. digoxin or beta blockers
Heart rate is not the only thing affecting circulation, several things are interconnected, these are -
Heart rate (HR)
Blood pressure (BP)
Stroke volume (SV)
Peripheral resistance. (PR)
Overall, how effective circulation is depends on the BP overcoming the PR.
BP is produced by the speed (HR) and amount of blood (SV) pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart.
The faster the HR the higher the BP.
SV is the amount of blood pumped out of the left ventricle of the heart on each beat. Quoted as being about 70mL. This depends on the amount of blood entering the ventricle and the strength of the cardiac contraction. The higher the SV, the higher the BP.
With bradycardia, how effectively blood is circulating will depend on the SV, if the SV is OK and the BP is OK then any problem with circulation will possibly not be a cardiac problem.
If bradycardia is due to heart block, or in heart failure then SV will be lower. BP may be low, but unable to overcome PR.
PR is caused by the diameter of the blood vessels. If they're wide then lower PR, if they're narrow, higher PR. With narrowed blood vessels, BP will be raised to try to overcome the higher PR.
A good way to tell if circulation is OK is to manually check pulses., the radial pulse in the wrist and the dorsalis pedis pulse in the foot. If these are good and strong then arteries are OK. Also if blood is not circulating through smaller blood vessels then the skin will be pale and cool.
If you are concerned about your bradycardia, pulses or skin then see your doctor.
Thank you most interesting. I guess when you mention BP you are indicating the Sistolic & Diastolic measurements? Mine are on average 130 / 70? So I guess the blood is pumping ok? You are correct in your indication that an ECG should be performed, the doctor has ordered one for this Wednesday!
Yes, BP measurement is of systolic and diastolic pressures. Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the artery when the heart is relaxed, systolic is when the heart contracts. The difference, systolic minus diastolic, is what pushes the blood around.
130/70 is enviably good.
As I wrote if you're worried about your circulation, checking your pulses, along with colour and temperature of extremities, should reassure you.
If you also note that your ankles NEVER swell up, then this means blood is returning to your heart and is being pumped out again successfully. If the heart isn't pumping out enough, then blood from the veins can't get back in due to a back pressure. One visible sign of this is ankle swelling.
The ECG will show if there's any problem with the heart itself. My resting pulse is 54, but my ECG is OK.
My resting heart rate is 46-49. As soon as I do any activity, e.g. walking, it rises to about 66bpm. Walking briskly certainly helps to reduce the severity of an RLS attack.
Maybe it's all the exercise you are doing to ease your RLS problem. Athletes generally have a very much lower resting pulse rate than non-athletes. For them it may dip into the 30s:
"Whereas a resting heart rate of 42 or even 38 beats per minute can be typical for a well-trained endurance runner or triathlete, that would be pretty low for someone who is a casual exerciser."
runnersworld.com/health-inj...
Pulse rate also declines with age. As a teenager, my resting pulse rate was about 80; the last time I took it, it was in the 50s or 60s depending on how much exercise I had been taking.
I have a lower heart rate - resting is on average 53. When moving around the house, it picks up to around 66. I am not an avid exerciser, so the lower heart rate is not because of that. My ECG cleared me of issues. I'd be very interested to know how many others out there have a low heart rate.
I have a lower heart rate as well! It’s usually high 40’s-mid 50’s. I’ve had countless ECG’s and an echo and they all came back fine 
When I went to the docs for my usual blood pressure check I notice that as well
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