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57 Years Old, Physically Fit, High Blood Pressure, Fluctuating Sometimes, Low Pulse Rate. Causes And Treatment For This?
I am 57 years old, feel super fit and can do 45 minutes on the treadmill ( average 6 km/hr) at least 3 times per week. However, my blood pressure reading on normal resting days is in the range of 150/82 and fluctuates a bit . But the pulse rate is always on the low side fluctuating between 35 and 40 for most readings. My therapist thinks this is bad, especially the low pulse rate. Mind you, I can run the mile, am healthy, sleep well, eat the right food but the pulse rate intrigues me. Is there any logical explanation for this? Thank you.
posted on
Thu, 10 May 2012
Medically reviewed by
Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team
Wed, 11 Jul 2012
Answered on
Fri, 13 Jul 2012
Last reviewed on
User's Response
Hi
Your pulse rate is really quite low but as long as you feel well with it there is no need to worry. It is normal to get a low pulse when you exercise a lot. This is because the part of the nervous system that regulates things like heart rate (the autonomic nervous system) is conditioned to act in this way. This is referred to as high vagal tone. It is much healthier to have a slow pulse than a rapid one. You can still have high blood pressure with a slow pulse though your BP is not really high and only needs to be observed, not treated at this level. Keep up the exercise and enjoy your fitness!
Take care
Your pulse rate is really quite low but as long as you feel well with it there is no need to worry. It is normal to get a low pulse when you exercise a lot. This is because the part of the nervous system that regulates things like heart rate (the autonomic nervous system) is conditioned to act in this way. This is referred to as high vagal tone. It is much healthier to have a slow pulse than a rapid one. You can still have high blood pressure with a slow pulse though your BP is not really high and only needs to be observed, not treated at this level. Keep up the exercise and enjoy your fitness!
Take care
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