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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.
in the middle of the day and I have been walking around and drinking coffee, its 60
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.. [i]"fidgeting"[/i]... 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 - MemberNo 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 🙂
mine was 41 the other day when i went for a first visit to a new doctor. she asked if anyone had ever expressed concern about that, i pointed out that not that many people actually know. 😕
i've given blood recently, though, and it wasn't checked or discussed...
Right now its 42 - 44 bpm. Just come in from walking the dog and am drinking my 6th or 7th cup of tea today. Sadly, I can't donate blood as a result of my job requiring me to travel to some unhealthy regions and to take some nasty vaccines.
Your welcome to my organs when I'm done with them - hope my heart can go to a cyclist!
Resting Heart Rate is less of an indicator of how fit you are than how well your heart rate recovers after exercise. I've seen really fit people have an RHR up in the mid to high 70's, and then terminally unfit/unhealthy people with RHR's down in the 40's.
If you've got a big pump (heart) and a small body, it will need to beat less often...
Mine's somewhere around 60-62 iirc. But importantly for me at least, it recovers pretty quickly when I take my heart rate up high when exercising.
Last few times I've had my blood pressure checked though, it has been consistently low which was slightly alarming. Not low enough to worry about, but consistently lower than average. Slightly odd considering that all the men in my family have had a history of high blood pressure, and my Dad has been prescribed Beta Blockers a few times to thin his blood out a little!
I'm not allowed to give blood as I have lived in the UK.
Because V-CJD has totally turned this country into something like 28 days later.
Resting Heart Rate is less of an indicator of how fit you are than how well your heart rate recovers after exercise. I've seen really fit people have an RHR up in the mid to high 70's, and then terminally unfit/unhealthy people with RHR's down in the 40's.
True.
If you've got a big pump (heart) and a small body, it will need to beat less often...
I've got a big body and it pumps slowly, what am I? (Don't say an elephant). Actually, larger animals always have lower heart rates....
Mine's somewhere around 60-62 iirc. But importantly for me at least, it recovers pretty quickly when I take my heart rate up high when exercising.
Mine takes minutes to fall to normal. Not good!
Interestingly my rhr is still ~44bpm despite me being very unfit!
My dad's resting heart rate was in his 30s. After a couple of feints, he was referred to a cardiologist who fitted a pace-maker asap. He's not the fittest bloke in the world, but neither is he a sloth by any stretch. He was first given a 24h ECG before the op was confirmed. The fact his heart stopped for a few seconds at a time whilst he was sleeping sealed the deal on the pace-maker. 😯
Long and short, you may appear perfectly healthy with a low rhr, but it might be a good idea to get it checked, and I'm not sure donating 10% of your blood stream would help if there was something amiss...
bad old days of dopeing
Everything I see tells me they are more efficently doped than ever. The rate of climb record belongs to Cantador and Boonen is the fastest rider to have riden the post 68 Paris-Roubaix course.
Did the riders slow down after the Festina affair which revealed a doping protocol (protocol de Lille) shown to increase power output by over 10% in independant tests? No, they got faster!
I had a dizzy spell at work and the ambulance chaps were called.
They thought i was having a heart attck and the whole protocol kicked in and they rushed me off to hospital.
Lots of checks later i was told i was fine, seems my heart rate - whilst hooked up to machines and being told i was having a heart attack - was 44BPM, low enough to fool the machines.
The rate at which my 'arris was flapping was a LOT higher however..
Everything I see tells me they are more efficently doped than ever. The rate of climb record belongs to Cantador and Boonen is the fastest rider to have riden the post 68 Paris-Roubaix course.
the same could be said about any sport where every new generation of athletes goes faster, longer, etc
well... since this thread has resurfaced, i might as well give an update.
I went to my GP yesterday and he listened to my heart and took my blood pressure (120/60 - i have no idea what this means - can anyone decipher it for me or shall i google it?).
He said he'd put money on me being absolutely fine, but just in case there is an electrical reason for my resting rate being low (something to do with the signals not getting through), he wants an ECG, so I'm booked in for one of those in a couple of weeks.
Dave
120/60 is low end of normal range ie just where you want to be. the high number is systolic ie as the heart contracts and the low diastolic - as the heart relaxes again measured in pressure mmHg 🙂
The fact his heart stopped for a few seconds at a time whilst he was sleeping sealed the deal on the pace-maker.
My heart takes long pauses (2-3 seconds-ish when very relaxed) fairly regularly, considering my RHR is spaced by about 1.3s anyway it doesn't seem too odd. I was told it was pretty normal by my GP some years ago? You have me worried now, that combined with my blood pressure of ~100/60 (edit to correct).
Never had any ill effects from it!
as low as 39 when fit & rested. 8)
plenty of endurance type exercise will increase the size and efficiency of your heart (like training any muscle), this hypertrophic state leads to each stroke moving more blood, therefore less strokes are required to perfuse the body effectivley. This also tends to lead to lower blood pressure as the heart can move so much blood in one go (so to speak). This is fine in an athletic person and will aid performance and recovery for several reasons.
However... in a normal person Bradycardia (slow heart rate) can cause dizzyness, numbness, confusion, feinting etc. The associated low BP has similar symptoms.
Some of the heart rates being quoted here are very low (40's), but cycling is an endurance sport so that is not particuarly unusual. However if/when you stop cycling, the hypertrophy can cause you some health problems as it becomes a very fine line between normal heart rate and dangerously slow!
However if/when you stop cycling, the hypertrophy can cause you some health problems as it becomes a very fine line between normal heart rate and dangerously slow!
Presuming you're medically trained....
So does the heart not recognise you're no longer using it and return to normal operation? What you're saying is we shouldn't do endurance exercise as it'll kill us later in life? 😀 Or we just should never stop?
I'm interested in that answer too!
My resting used to be 40 to 41. Its higher now that I am older and much lesss well trained.
Last time I was in hospital after a crash I was constantly setting off the alarms, my normal resting rate is low 40's. If I'm properly relaxed it'll go down to the low 30's.
I once gave a med student a scare when I was getting my heart checked out for a suspected murmour, she was spending so much time trying to listen to it I'd been laid down for a while and my RHr was dropping and dropping, I think she was all for reaching for the crash cart!!!
53bpm here. Down from about 70bpm at the start of the year.
In a medical I had about 1 or 2 months ago it was 46. This was not my true resting heart rate as I had just walked through the factory and it was about 11am so I had bee sat up/'working' at my desk.
When I was in hospital November 2010 (broken bone) it was as low as 42 but I was less fit then and was on drugs. I guess my true resting heart rate now would be somewhere between those two figures.
Interestingly my rhr is still ~44bpm despite me being very unfit!
As for me.
the hypertrophy can cause you some health problems as it becomes a very fine line between normal heart rate and dangerously slow!
Exercise is generally good for us, but sometimes the volumes and rates people choose to exercise at (especially if they've been out of action for a while) can be dangerous for the heart.
Having spent the last several months establishing what is and isn't wrong with my heart (still not 100% clear, but it isn't nearly as bad as feared), I'm paying rather more attnetion to it that simply saying "My RHR is 42 nernerner".
With no symptoms to speak of I've no reason to visit the GP so I don't get to have nice checks 😀 When I arrest someone will find me.
With no symptoms to speak of I've no reason to visit the GP so I don't get to have nice checks When I arrest someone will find me.
What you may be experiencing are ectopic beats - a small extra beat that causes a delay and the next one to feel "big".
I had this and only thought something of it when it lasted for 4 days. Turns out I'm on the path to ending up like Ton....
Our home BP monitor has a fit if I take my BP when rested.
"Alert! Alert! Non-human organism detected!"
I have to jump around to get it up past 45 before it'll take my BP, which is always a bit high.
Right now it's 42 although I'd only ever class myself as slightly above average fitness.
About 68/78 sat about. Lowest about 58. Doesn't seem to do me any harm. Got minor branch bundle block which might be bumping it up?
The doc at hospital actually shut his books with my notes when I told him I can happily race all day with it between 125/160 and suffer no ill effects, he almost booted me out.
On the other hand my wife who has had illness since her teens has a very low heart rate.
On the other hand my wife who has had illness since her teens has a very low heart rate.
Nothing too serious I hope. But this does demonstrate that resting or max are irrelevant when used in isolation.
It's more about how the heart works, and ECG will pull up all sorts of info for someone who knows how to read them.
You have me worried now
My dad was totally unfazed by it all up until having a feint after exertion on a hot day in the Grampians here in Oz. Doc back in the UK checked him out before he came out as he'd recently had a post-retirement health check involving an ECG, and although slow, his heart rate seemed fine. It was only after the 24h thing after his feint (and spotting his heart 'pausing'), then him almost having another feint in the surgery that convinced everyone he should have the pacemaker fitted.
FWIW, 4 months later he says he feels as fit as a fiddle by comparison to before - much more energy.
Right now it's 42 although I'd only ever class myself as slightly above average fitness.
Oh c'mon Samuri - I used to read your blog, and you're a damned sight fitter than I am, and I'm probably almost half your age! GIT!