low heart rate?

Question

Is it dangerous to have a low heart rate? I heard that it's normally 60-100 bpm. mine is 42-46. Is this harmful? what should I do about it? I'm generally pretty healthy, I'm a 20 yr. old female and I don't have any other health concerns right now.

Answer 1

This will help you out:
Bradyarrhythmia (Slow Heart Rate)

Arrhythmia is a medical term that refers to a heart rate that is outside the normal range. (Normal is 60 to 100 beats per minute.) An arrhythmia that is too slow is called a bradyarrhythmia or bradycardia.

Bradycardia means that the heart is beating too slowly (usually less than 60 beats per minute). It is important to realize that for some people with healthy hearts, a rate below 60 beats per minute may be normal. After all, our heart rates may dip below normal range when we sleep, and some athletes experience heart rates below 60 beats per minute when they rest.

The two most common causes of bradycardia are diseases of the sinoatrial (SA) node (sick sinus syndrome), which is the heart's natural pacemaker or other problems with the heart's electrical conduction system (heart block). These diseases can cause the heart to beat too slowly all the time or occasionally. In either case, the heart may not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. As the heart rate declines, there is not sufficient blood flow to the brain, causing feelings of light-headedness, and sometimes, fainting.
If you have any of the above symptoms, contact your doctor.
AT MY END ALTHOUGH YOU ARE SYMPTOMLESS, BUT STILL HAVE YOUR CARDIAC STATUS EVALUATED.
This will be beneficial for you in the long run.

Answer 2

That's pretty low. You are right, normal is considered between 60-100. Some people are in the 50's and sometimes that is still OK. But if it's in the 40's there may be something wrong, or there may not be. Did you get this number by checking it yourself? You should go to your doctor. They can do an EKG which will check your heart's rhythm and electrical function. If they find your heartrate is indeed that low, they may also send you to a cardiologist for more tests, like an echocardiogram which is an ultrasound of your heart. It may just be your body, but you should get it checked.

Answer 3

Pulse Rate 42 Dangerous

Answer 4

im having a girl and at a 25 week scan her heart rate was 146. my mom is an ultrasound tech and when they are doing gender prediction the look at the heart rate as well not as a huge factor but she will say " baby has a high heart rate, which goes along with being a girl " doesn't mean its always true, and it's probably not for a lot a people. but my mom says it IS more common for girls to have higher heartbeats, the heart rate alone though, can not predict an accurate sex.

Answer 5

Of itself, a low pulse, in the absence of other factors, is not significant. It only assumes significance if (a) it's recently changed, and/or (b) if it doesn't speed up during physical exercise, and return to normal reasonably quickly, - and/or (c) if you easily become overly tired physically, for no particular reason.
There's no "NORMAL" pulse rate, -everyone's different, but 'some are less different than others', giving rise to a curve of distributions where most people are "average". But by definition this means there has to be a spread of both higher and lower pulse rates, and you are probably one of the lower ones, with a large ventricular stroke volume, like Roger Bannister.

Do some controlled exercise (walking, jogging, trotting, running...) and measure your pulse as the stress rises. It should rise roughly in proportion to stress, as the body requires more and more blood flow. If your pulse doesn't do this, then..-it should.
Dr. Roger Bannister, (who ran the first 4-minute mile) had a pulse not much different from yours and he was one of the greatest athletes in history. On the other hand, my wife's is also the same as yours, and she is 77 and "cardiac-challenged" shall we say!
I'd opine it's a bit unusual, and for your own peace of mind you'd do no harm by being checked over. Nevertheless, nothing you wrote indicates any danger, so take it lightly and don't worry! -Good luck.
Oh,- PS,... Just bear in mind that giving slow heart-beat a fancy name ("bradycardia") doesn't make a jot of difference to what it is, - just as calling a fast beat "tachycardia" makes no difference, except to mystify the non-medical public and reinforce the impression (like policemen wearing big helmets!) that it's all a Big Mystery, too esoteric for the man-in-the-street to understand...
I once went to a dear friend, -an optician, and told him my problem was that bright lights hurt my eyes badly. His eyes lit up and "Ah! You've got PHOTOPHOBIA!!!" he exclaimed.
"Well I bloody well know that" I said....I just told YOU! Giving it a fancy Latin or Greek name doesn't cure it, does it..?"
.....he never was able to cure my problem.....but a homeopath eventually succeeded.

Answer 6

Bradycardia, if not caused by any problems is not dangerous. But if you have any worries, it is better to go for a thorough evaluation. Some top athletes have very low heart rates when resting, but have no problem to push it up when running etc.

Answer 7

Normally, doctors look for other symptoms associated with the low bp to determine if tratment is needed. Sometimes a very slow bp is a sign of a very healthy, athletic heart. Wait to see if you have shortness of breath, fatigue or pain.

Answer 8

You should ask a medical professional and not a bunch of yahoos (pun intended) who may or may not have any medical experience. 42 is an extremely low pulse rate however, almost uniformly only seen in the extremely physically fit (marathon runners) or mentally controlled (yogi, meditators).