

Your doctor can tell you what level of exercise is safe for you.

Examples include a Holter monitor and a cardiac event monitor. You may need to wear or carry a device called a portable, or ambulatory, electrocardiogram. An EKG can identify bradycardia only if you have it during the test. An EKG measures the electrical signals that control heart rhythm.īradycardia often comes and goes, so a standard EKG done in the doctor's office may not find it. To diagnose bradycardia, your doctor may take your pulse, do a physical exam, ask questions about your health, and do an electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG).

If your heartbeat is slow or uneven, talk to your doctor. You can find out how fast your heart is beating by taking your pulse. Some people don't have symptoms, or their symptoms are so mild that they think they are just part of getting older. Faint, if a slow heart rate causes a drop in blood pressure.Feel confused or have trouble concentrating.Have chest pain or a feeling that your heart is pounding or fluttering (palpitations).Feel short of breath and find it harder to exercise.Examples include antidepressants, heart medicines, and opioids. Examples include having a low thyroid level (hypothyroidism) or an electrolyte imbalance, such as too much potassium in the blood. Conditions that can slow electrical impulses through the heart.These include coronary artery disease, heart attack, and infections such as endocarditis and myocarditis. Diseases that damage the heart's electrical system.Changes in the heart that are the result of aging.What causes it?īradycardia can be caused by many things. In some cases, it can be life-threatening. This can cause symptoms, such as feeling dizzy or weak.

Sometimes, the heart beats so slowly that it doesn't pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. It means that the heart's natural pacemaker isn't working right or that the electrical pathways of the heart are disrupted. In other people, bradycardia is a sign of a problem with the heart's electrical system. Healthy young adults and athletes often have heart rates of less than 60 beats a minute. Or it could be a sign of a problem with the heart's electrical system.įor some people, a slow heart rate does not cause any problems. If your heart beats less than 60 times a minute, it is slower than normal.Ī slow heart rate can be normal and healthy. For most adults, a heart rate of about 60 to 100 beats a minute while at rest is considered normal. Having bradycardia (say "bray-dee-KAR-dee-uh") means that your heart beats very slowly.
