Announcement: We’re excited to announce that our clinic is now accepting new patients!
Announcement: We’re excited to announce that our clinic is now accepting new patients!
While it is normal for a healthy heart to beat slower while at rest, it should generally fall between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Anything below 60 beats per minute is described as bradycardia, or an abnormally slow heartbeat.
A slow or irregular heartbeat can have a number of different causes and may not always be a serious issue, but could also point to an underlying heart problem that requires treatment.
Your heart has a naturally occurring electrical system which, when working properly, keeps it beating at a normal rate. Electrical impulses originate in the sinus node (SA node) and travel through the atria and ventricles, causing the heart to pump blood throughout the body. If there is a problem with the SA node or AV node (the node located between the atria and ventricles which regulates the impulse) or if the electrical signal is blocked (known as “heart block”) from reaching all the way to the ventricles, it can cause bradycardia.
Additionally, a slow heartbeat can be a sign of a congenital heart abnormality or damage to the heart tissue, either by heart disease, heart attack, or the natural process of aging. Inflammation affecting heart tissue, known as myocarditis, can also cause bradycardia, which means that inflammatory diseases like lupus can also contribute to the issue. Slowed heartbeat is a side effect of some medications, and can also sometimes be linked to hypothyroidism or obstructive sleep apnea.
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