Bradycardia: When the Heart Beats Too Slowly

Bradycardia means that the heart beats too slowly. This might even feel like a heartbeat is skipped from time to time. A normal heartbeat at rest is usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Well-trained athletes may have an even lower heartbeat without any underlying issues. This is due to the fact that their hearts “run” more efficiently. Their hearts pump more blood with each heartbeat than that of the average person. But if you are not an athlete, having a slow heartbeat can result in too little blood being pumped through your body. If the heart fails to supply the body with enough blood and oxygen, bradycardia (a slow heartbeat) can be a severe health issue. In some types of bradycardia, the blood supply is sufficient at rest, but the heart rate is not able to adapt to situations of physical or emotional stress. This failure to adapt the heart rate is known as chronotropic incompetence.

How do you know that your heart is beating too slowly because of an underlying disease or problem? Well, there are a few symptoms that indicate that there might be a serious reason for a very slow heartbeat. Watch out for the following symptoms and talk to your physician if you suspect that something might be wrong.

Symptoms:

• Chest pain
• Confusion or memory problems
• Dizziness or lightheadedness
• Easy tiring during physical activity
• Fatigue
• Fainting (syncope) or near-fainting
• Shortness of breath 

Of course, these symptoms might be caused by a vast number of issues, but if they persist and cause concern, please get in contact with your physician.

To diagnose whether or not your heart is beating too slowly, the physician will most likely measure your pulse and use an electrocardiogram (ECG) to graph your heart´s electric activity. Sometimes, the ECG alone points to the underlying cause of bradycardia.

Diagnosing why you have bradycardia is very important for effective long-term therapy. In addition to the ECG, the physician might examine you further. These examinations might include blood tests, X-ray, ultrasound, and/or a specific examination of the blood vessel system. If your bradycardia is not detectable all of the time, the physician might want you to take a long-term ECG. In this case, you will be asked to wear a portable ECG that stays on for about 24 hours.

Alternatively, the physician may observe your heart’s electric activity over a long period of time with a heart monitor. Heart monitors are insertable and may stay inside your body for years. You can read more about them here.

There are various ways to treat bradycardia. To find the right one, your cardiologist will first determine the cause why your heart is beating too slowly. In case your heart is permanently beating too slowly, your cardiologist may recommend a pacemaker.