Is it normal for the heart rate to drop after exercise?
As a bit of background, I’ve only recently started light cycling to lose weight and build up some fitness, as I am very overweight and unfit. My RHR is usually 75-80, and I’ve noticed that in the hour or two following my exercise, I have “moments” where I feel very tired, shaky, unsteady, and out of breath. This week, I noticed that during these “moments” my heart rate drops, often to 40-45bpm. If I stand up or move around, it rises some but only to around 50-60 and I feel utterly exhausted. It often shoots up to 120+ afterwards, then settles down. It only lasts a few minutes at most. It might be a silly question but is this a common thing and likely to have something to do with the exercise? Am I not cooling down properly or something? As you can probably tell, I know very little about the heart and don’t want to waste my GP’s time if it’s a normal thing.
That’s like saying you don’t want to waste a chef’s time cooking you a steak because you don’t know how to butcher a cow.
Go. To. The. Doctor!
Seriously…a healthy heart should not bob & weave around like that. And “light cycling” should not leave you feeling “utterly exhausted”. There’s obviously a (potentially serious) problem which needs to be addressed — and not by the internets!
Jess, don’t mess around with your health. My advice is to head to the doctor asap. Make sure you are not leaving any other symptoms out on your visit. They may or may not give you a stress test depending on what they hear or see. Wish you the best of luck with your health.
Definitely time to see the dr. Are you doing anything after the ride like rubbing your neck or bearing down (like pooping) maybe when stretching. If you’re sensitive to vasovagal maneuvers you can lower your heart rate and BP. Doesn’t matter really go see a cardiologist.
