I’ve been giving blood for years, and they recently asked me to give platelets instead.

I’ve done one session and it went fine.

Went along for my 2nd last night, but I was turned away because my resting heart rate is too low. They took it 3 times and got 42bpm, 44bpm and 45bpm.

Apparently they won’t take anyone with less than 50bpm without approval from their GP. All very sensible I guess, but am I really that odd in having a low heart rate, or is it just a cyclist thing?

What is your resting heart rate?

Dave

mines similar to yours and has been lower when i was at my fittest….

i cant give blood or platelets because ive had my world wide jabs and worked in west africa 🙁

Mine’s always been quite high (around 70) but my BP has always been really low. Takes me aaaages to fill the bag when I give blood 🙁

last year in hospital, anything below 45 set off the alarm

mine’s usually around 50, so dropping it 5 with controlled breathing is easy.

My daughter has a very rare group and regularly gave blood
She felt dizzy after it last time and had to sit down for a while afterwards, they now ‘retired’ her and won’t let her do it again.
I guess they have some very tight criteria – she even offered to get checked out and start giving again but they won’t let her.

Mine’s that sort of figure for resting alfabus. Wouldn’t be that low if I was about to give blood though 🙂

thats a good point jota180

my mrs colapsed after doing it last time and they wont let her doing it again either.

she gave blood then rushed straight back to work without eating or resting to a stressful retail job…..

had one of those private health checkups paid for by work last year, was referred to a cardiologist as my resting rate was ~42.

Top pro riders commonly have resting heart rates in the low 30s. Miguel Indurain’s was 28!

Top pro riders commonly have resting heart rates in the low 30s.

They also have suspiciously bang on 50% haemocrit levels and during the bad old days of dopeing had to seelp with a HRM to check that it didn’t stop altogether!

48 at the moment.

Mine used to be 40ish when I was racing XC – I’ve stopped measuring and binned all my Polar kit since.

As for giving blood, I visit Africa every few months with work which means that as far as the Blood Service is concerned I’ve had unprotected sex with hundreds of prostitutes, and am effectively banned!

last year in hospital, anything below 45 set off the alarm

I was in A&E with food poisoning last year, the alarm was set to go off below 50… didn’t stop the whole time I was there – bloody annoying beep!

Dave

Once upon a time it used to quite low, now middle age, red wine etc. have put it into the “norm”.
As others have said it was quite amusing having routine health checks after a few relaxing moments.

I’m not fit at all and my resting is around 60.

(there’s an app for that: http://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/instant-heart-rate-by-azumio/id409625068?mt=8 )

45-47 resting – the machine in A&E last week was going off the whole time, started fidgeting about to keep it above 50 to stop the machine going off.

The one in the private hospital was the same but i was too ill to move!

I tried measuring mine first thing before I get out of bed and keep getting 70-72. Thought that sounded high, when I put the HRM on before I get on the bike in the middle of the day and I have been walking around and drinking coffee, its 60. So, no idea.

45ish when I was running, moved back up to about 50 since I had to stop.

If the link above is for the iphone thing, my mrs has got it and we timed it against a “proper” check by her doctor sister – it’s pretty accurate. And addictive.

If the link above is for the iphone thing, my mrs has got it and we timed it against a “proper” check by her doctor sister – it’s pretty accurate. And addictive.

Yep we checked it against manual pulse reading (Mrs is a Dr) and the reading from our blood pressure meter. Seemed spot on – which is impressive!

I tried measuring mine first thing before I get out of bed and keep getting 70-72.

[quote]in the middle of the day and I have been walking around and drinking coffee, its 60[/quote]

isn’t that an indicator of poor recovery?

(52)

I tried measuring mine first thing before I get out of bed and keep getting 70-72. Thought that sounded high, when I put the HRM on before I get on the bike in the middle of the day and I have been walking around and drinking coffee, its 60. So, no idea.

Just hypothesising. When you wake up and start fidgeting you flush out all the stagnent blood from your muscles, that’d give a sudden drop in oxygen levels and push your HR up untill your BP is back to normal and the bloods flowing?

Mine was arround 55 ‘resting’ but dropped to 45 in hospital after anastetic as you’re properly resting/asleep, not just ‘doing nothing’.

When you wake up and start fidgeting

Yep.. “fidgeting”… that pushes the heart rate up a bit all right.. 😀

“Stagnant blood” ? 😯

My RHR used to be around the mid 40’s and early 50s but it’s now well up in the 60s 🙁 I also have very low blood pressure by “normal” terms but both have been confirmed as OK by the docs.

My daughter has a very rare group and regularly gave blood
She felt dizzy after it last time and had to sit down for a while afterwards, they now ‘retired’ her and won’t let her do it again.
I guess they have some very tight criteria – she even offered to get checked out and start giving again but they won’t let her.

I’ve almost passed out 3 times (And very nearly left the recovery area full of vomit on one) giving blood (presumably partly down to my normally low blood pressure?). Always ask me to come back but eat and drink more before beforehand.

Resting when last measured was about 38, not really sure what that means though in the world of good and bad. I’m generally happy that it does something.

No idea what my heart rate is but my proudest moment after being admitted to hospital was having “athlete”written on the notes above my bed.

Always ask me to come back but eat and drink more before beforehand.

They probably knew asking a 20 yr old girl to eat more was futile – I can’t believe what they survive on.

zippykona – Member

No idea what my heart rate is but my proudest moment after being admitted to hospital was having “athlete”written on the notes above my bed.

Were you in with a foot condition?

just counted 45. it’s been lower, not doing much cycling at the moment, or running just a bit of swimming and yoga.

Kev

funny this should come up, i’ve been worring about this for a year now,
low hr and blood pressure caused me to pass out a few times when i had gastroentoritus (sp!) in egypt

low hr and blood pressure caused me to pass out when i had some kinda of sudden sore throat/vomiting bug in the uk

and….recently went in the hospital for ‘the snip’ and passed out due to low HR, low blood pressure on the operating table – just as they tugged at the tube that makes you feel like you been kicked in the goolies!

despite seeing the GP on all occasions, and the one above they called some big-Dr-bod who sorted me out with drips and slapping me around the face – no one seems much concerned!!!!!!

low hr and blood pressure caused me to pass out a few times when i had gastroentoritus (sp!) in egypt

hmm… when i was in hospital (mentioned above) that was gastroenteritis… my work called the ambulance, and they insisted on taking me in because I kept passing out and had hardly any blood pressure.

I guess having a low HR is a risky thing then.

Time to quit biking, take up smoking and start necking hundreds of pies.

Dave

“Time to quit biking, take up smoking and start necking hundreds of pies.”

i knew this biking stuff was bad for you!
😉

I’ve also been told not to bother giving blood as I get light-headed and dizzy.

that app above is great ! 47 btw…

When at Univ we were doing physiology type stuff and the lecturer had issues as my resting pulse was mid 40’s.

Not had an issue with HR or BP when giving blood in the past but now been rejected as I suffered a TIA/ ministroke last year.

I’m not allowed to give blood as I have lived in the UK.

cant give blood as i m on warfarin for the rest of my life but i owe a debt to those that do and enabled my heart operation to take place FWIW my resting whilst racing when 27 yrs old was circa 42 race pace i maintained a steady 135/155. now mr blobby like and 20 odd years later my resting is 70, cant do a heart monitor anymore as i m elctrically broke but my Bp is a static 120/80 although i have seen 190/110

First thing in morning the HR is anywhere between 45 and 50bpm.
My normal HR whilst going about normal day to day things is 60 to 70.

Maximum HR went up to 213bpm during lastweeks roady trip to Alicante .. for a 41yr old – thats clutcher territory I guess!

thats clutcher territory I guess!

Only if it’s still banging around at that rate when you’re on your third post ride pint.

I guess my HR must be fine as I rarely get light headed after getting up off the sofa these days and hammer through a donation in about 5 minutes flat!

Free biscuits, no amount of dizziness would stop me getting free biscuits 🙂