Keeping Pace With Your Heart: When to Worry About Low Heart Rate

Ever Wondered Why You Have A Low Heart Rate? Know More About Bradycardia

1 minute read

Published On: May 2, 2024

Did you know a regular heart rate is around 60-100 beats per minute (bpm)? However, our heart rate can also decrease. Known as bradycardia, it is a health condition where your heart rate is lower than normal.

While in some cases, a low heart rate is not a cause of concern, in some cases, bradycardia can also be a sign of an underlying medical condition.

What you need to know:

What is a low heart rate?
What causes a low heart rate?
When should you worry about a low heart rate?
How to reduce the risk of developing heart disease?

What is a low heart rate?

Bradycardia, or slow heart rate, is a medical condition where your heart or pulse rate drops below 60 bpm (beats per minute). A low heart rate is standard in athletes and physically active adults. Your heart rate may even fall below 60 bpm during deep sleep.

However, sometimes bradycardia is caused by an underlying medical condition and may not cause any symptoms. It means your natural pacemaker is not working right, or its electrical pathways are disrupted.

In severe forms of bradycardia, your heart beats so slowly that it cannot pump enough blood to all the organs in your body, including the brain. This can cause severe symptoms and can be life-threatening.

Here are some of the symptoms of bradycardia that you can experience:

Low stamina
Lethargy
Dizziness
Weakness
Chest pains
Memory and cognitive issues
Chest pain and sudden heart palpitations

Borderline or occasional bradycardia may not require medical care. However, prolonged bradycardia may need medical intervention. The doctor decides your treatment path on a case-to-case basis. If you want to know when to worry about low heart rate, recognize the symptoms of bradycardia.

What causes a low heart rate?

Several factors can cause a low heart rate. Let’s discuss the most common factors:

Heart malfunction

The most common cause of a low heart rate is problems in your sinus node. It is responsible for controlling the speed of pumping blood throughout your body. When the sinus node slows down, it gives rise to several health complications, like heart malfunction and poor blood circulation.

Age

Age contributes significantly to bradycardia. After 65 years, the functional capacity of our hearts decreases.

When should you worry about a low heart rate?

If you want to know when to worry about a low heart rate, be mindful of your condition and talk to a health expert. Most low heart rate cases are not life-threatening. However, if your doctor feels the need, he will use an EKG (electrocardiogram) to understand the electrical signals in your heart to check their efficiency. Once the treatment path is devised, the doctor will prescribe certain medications or implant a pacemaker to fasten the heart rate. However, there is no reason to be concerned, as even super-fit people have heart rates around 60 bpm.

How to reduce the risk of developing bradycardia?

You can reduce the risk of bradycardia by making lifestyle changes:

Get regular exercise
Perform yoga exercises
Consume a balanced diet
Quit smoking and drinking
Control your blood pressure levels

Most of us have experienced a fast heart rate due to anxiety or excitement. But a slow heart rate can also come with health risks. Now you know when to worry about low heart rate and how to take adequate measures against it.

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