Slow HeartBeat?

Question

i was wondering if anyone experiences the same thing that i do. i have a resting heartbeat in the mid to high 50s. like 57, and most of the time for the past year i get shortness of breathe, lightheaded and feel like im going to pass out. I never have passed out at all, i been to a doctor and cadiologist. both said my heart is fine they did a ekg and holter monitor. everything came back fine. they said i prob just have to deal with this until i grow out of it. does anyone else get this to, bc it sucks i hate feeling like this. could this be anxiety causing this everyday before i become a hypocrondiac and been to the doctor a lot and he keeps saying nothing is wrong. im a 23 yr old male, in good health. any input would help

Answer 1

Anthony - Although some sources will say that a heart rate of less than 60 is considered "slow" (bradycardia), the truth is that what is slow for one person may not be slow for another. Younger individuals and people who are cardiovascularly fit may have resting heart rates in the 50's or even less. On the other hand, a 60-year-old man may feel short of breath or lightheaded with a heart rate of 50. It is pretty unlikely that your heart rate of 57 is making you feel bad. In fact, The First Dragon's suggestion that you try taking pseudoephedrine to increase your heart rate is a VERY BAD IDEA. It won't kill you, but you would basically be taking a stimulant for no good reason. By the same token, it is very unlikely that a pacemaker would help you at all.

If your symptoms keep occurring, the best way to tell whether your heart rate is causing them is to wear a Holter monitor or an event monitor. As you know, this is a pager-like device with electrodes that stick to your skin. It constantly records your heart rhythm. When you have an episode of shortness of breath and lightheadedness, you can mark that moment on the monitor so that you doctor can go back afterwards and see what your heart was doing at the time. If you had your symptoms while you were wearing the Holter monitor and your heart rate was not particularly slow at the time, then we can say for sure that a slow heart rate is not your problem. If you didn't have your symptoms while you were wearing the Holter monitor, then it is not really helpful and an event monitor (which you wear for a longer period of time) may be needed.

Could your symptoms be caused by anxiety? It is possible, but nobody can say for sure without doing a full medical evaluation. Hyperventilation, one of the things that occur with panic attacks, can cause a feeling of shortness of breath and lightheadedness. It often causes tingling in the fingers or around the lips as well. I would ask your doctors about this possibility as it is very treatable. I hope you find that helpful. Good luck!

Answer 2

Is your diagnosis called bradycardia? What is your systolic #?