Automatic blood pressure monitors and pulse oximeters show the pulse beautifully. Someone will measure, and then are surprised that the pulse has become too rare.
In fact, with covid, the heart rate rarely drops. Well, that is, the virus, its consequences and the side effects of drugs can damage the heart, but a rare pulse is still rare. All these cases can be counted on one hand.
Bradycardia
A rare pulse is called bradycardia. A normal pulse is within the range of 60 to 100 per minute. Athletes have a large heart, so they can have a normal heart rate of 40 per minute.
Personally, I am wary of sleeping in a smart watch, because it detects a heart rate of 40 or 38 per minute at night. Creepy.
It is clear that there are many diseases that can cause bradycardia.
Infection or atherosclerosis sometimes spoils the source of the rhythm in our heart. Moreover, sometimes the pacemaker himself refuses, and sometimes the conduction of electrical impulses simply slows down.
Apnea
Sleep apnea can easily drop your heart rate to 30 per minute. Apnea is when a person snores and then suddenly stops breathing for a few seconds. Some do not breathe for half a minute. Have you seen this?
Anorexia
With anorexia, the heart rate sometimes drops to 25 per minute. This is a natural reaction of the heart to a weak metabolism in the body of an anorectic woman. Psychiatrists even have such a rule that if a patient's pulse drops below 40 per minute, then it is time to hospitalize her.
When to call an ambulance
Typically, heart rate above 40 per minute does not require any kind of treatment.
If the pulse is below 40, then you can already call.
Seek medical help when the pulse has dropped below 60 per minute, and symptoms appear:
- dizziness;
- fainting;
- dyspnea;
- chest pain;
- severe weakness during normal exercise.
