Is Heart Rate Of 56-60 BPM Normal?

Posted on Fri, 6 Feb 2015

Question: Hello

I have a few questions that are concerning me. First of all 5 months ago I had a stress test, 2 high turned out to be fine. I had an ultrasound on my heart which showed structurally normal heart only some trace regurgitation. My eggs were normal. I had a 48 hour holter monitor which showed :

925 PACS over 48 hours
3 couplets and 4 bigamy
0 runs totalling 0 beats

1 single ventricular beat

My lowest heart rate was 50 during deep sleep at 5 AM average heart rate was 71.

I am not athletic but I lost 70 lbs over the last 10 months with good diet. My resting heart rate when I'm relaxed varies between 56-60. Is this ok even though I'm not an athlete?

I currently am wearing another holter monitor because I requested another one. I feel the PACS at night when I go to bed and when I wake up in the morning. Are these dangerous? I'm really scared and suffer from anxiety. I get chest pain during the day sometimes on my left side. Is this heart related or something else? It is very brief. Do PACS lead to afib and other arythmia all the time? This really worries me

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Following answer to your queries...

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thank you for asking!
I read your query and understood your concerns.

Your resting HR is normal although you aren't an athlete. Also is normal to have the lowest HR (50 bpm) in the early hours of the morning.

You are saying that you experience chest pain but you shouldn't worry about heart disease as long as stress test was normal 5 months ago.

Fortunately PAC are a benign arrhythmia and aren't dangerous. Different studies indicate that PACs in a few cases precede an atrial fibrillation attack. However you shouldn't worry as long as holter monitoring was normal. I recommend to repeat again Holter monitoring. This will help to find out the exact arrhythmias and to ease your concerns.

Wish You health!
Dr. Benard

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar

Follow up: Dr. Benard Shehu (14 minutes later)

Hi Doctor Thank you for your response. My holter said no arythmia detected. Sinus rythm. Only showed the PACS. Can magnesium citrate help with this? I bought a bunch of vitamins such as magnesium citrate, omega 3, vitamin C and a multi vitamin. Can I take these is it safe?

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (4 hours later)

Brief Answer:
Magnesium is of help in treating PACs...

Detailed Answer:
Hi back,

Magnesium supplements are of help in the treatment of arrhythmias and especially in the treatment of PACs. You can take safely Magnesium citrate, Omega 3 fish oil and vitamin C. I strongly suggest a single pill which has all the needed vitamines and electrolytes (like multicentrum pill).

Wish you health!
Dr. Benard

Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar