When should I worrk about a slow heart beat

[teacherjane]

I have recently been diagnosed w/osa and have started cpap.I recently purchased a pulse oximeter. I noticed my heart rate will sometimes go down to the 52-48 when first drifting off to sleep. Not sure what it is during full on sleep. My normal heart rate during the day is usually 75-85. WHen do I worry about the slow hear rate, or is it normal for your heart rate to drop when falling asleep/sleeping.

[dsm]

My guess is that your reading is good.

If your day rate is as mentioned then your heart rate dropping during early sleep suggests you are very quick to relax.

The p/o you have is likely to be pretty accurate on heartrate readings.

I think you should be pleased with those numbers.


DSM

(humour: When should I worry about a slow heart beat ? - the moment it reaches zero )

[NightHawkeye]

I noticed my heart rate will sometimes go down to the 52-48 when first drifting off to sleep. Not sure what it is during full on sleep. My normal heart rate during the day is usually 75-85. WHen do I worry about the slow hear rate, or is it normal for your heart rate to drop when falling asleep/sleeping.

I can tell you that my physicians have never had a concern about mine at rates below 50 and I've seen cardiologists regularly for years. Mostly I'm just told that my heart's in great shape.

I've read that pacemakers kick in at about 40 beats per minute, so that's probably an indicator of where you might start getting concerned.

Here's a link to a thread about a week ago on bradycardia, or slow heart rate, which had a reference you might want to check out.

viewtopic.php?p=111243&highlight=bradycardia#111243

Regards,
Bill

[kteague]

I need to read that article too because I must have misunderstood when my Mom got her pacemaker 8 years ago. It was set at 59 - the doc said because any slower could potentially cause more problems. Tried to read a little about it just now, and most literature does say a resting rate of 50 is okay, and that some even go below that during sleep. My own doc said as long as it's not flip-flopping from fast to slow to fast (unrelated to sleep) it was not worrisome. Maybe your doc can give you that number you should not go below, in case meds or other problems cause it to go even lower. Is the reason you don't know how low it is in your sleep because it doesn't record data? Someone on here said they videotaped their p/o while they slept. Best wishes in getting the info that will help you watch out for your own health.
Kathy