65 Is my pulse rate too slow?

A SLOWER pulse rate is more common with age. ‘A normal heart rate is between 60 to 90 beats a minute,’ says Dr Sanjay Prasad, a consultant cardiologist at the Royal Brompton Hospital.

But it doesn’t necessarily indicate bad health. A heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute (bpm) in adults is called bradycardia, but physically active adults and athletes often have a resting heart rate which is slower than 60.

However, slower can be a sign of a faulty heart rhythm. So it’s important your GP takes your blood pressure and establishes if there are any other symptoms such as dizzy spells, blackouts or breathlessness, which might point to this, says cardiologist Dr Glyn Thomas of the Bristol Heart Institute. Your GP can arrange for an electrocardiogram (ECG), a test which can be done in some GP surgeries to check the heart’s rhythm and electrical activity. A slow pulse can also be caused by conditions such as an underactive thyroid and medication including beta blockers or eye drops for glaucoma, he adds — your GP can arrange blood tests to assess thyroid function.

If there are no symptoms and you are otherwise fit, it may just be normal for you but to be sure, he suggests asking your GP to arrange blood tests to assess thyroid function and an ECG.