Bradycardia gets its name from two Greek words, bradys and kardia, that mean “slow heart.” It is medically defined as an unusually slow heart rate. The average heart beats 60 to 100 times a minute, but a person with this condition has less than 60 beats per minute. Some very healthy athletes who do a lot of training may have heart rates below 60 beats due to their unusually strong heart muscles, but this does not count as bradycardia. The condition occurs when some sort of muscular, metabolic, nervous system, or endocrine issue causes the heart to beat very slowly. It is categorized as bradycardias of the sinoatrial node or atrioventricular node depending on which node of the heart is not regulating heart beat properly.
Symptoms of bradycardia are generally signs that a person is not getting enough oxygen rich blood throughout their body. If left untreated, a person can end up dealing with potentially fatal cardiac arrest or heart failure. Treatment will depend on a person’s symptoms. Some people may not need any treatment while others may need a pacemaker installation and oxygen supplementation. Since bradycardia requires prompt treatment, you should visit your doctor if you notice these signs of bradycardia.
1. Near-fainting
This condition is extremely common among people with bradycardia. It occurs because the brain is not getting quite enough blood flow. Called syncope in the medical community, this symptom is a brief loss of consciousness or muscular strength and coordination. A person who experiences it may suddenly feel unable to stand or feel mentally “fuzzy” even if they do not completely lose consciousness or collapse. Before the near-fainting episode occurs, a person might have pale skin, cold flashes, sweaty skin, blurred vision, a hot flash, nausea, or vomiting. In some people, the syncope is accompanied by twitching muscles, especially in the limbs.
People with bradycardia often find that they feel completely fine,before the syncope suddenly occurs. It is especially common when a person is standing up suddenly. Patients who are older or female are more likely to have this symptom. People frequently find that the symptom will go away without progressing to an actual faint if they sit down, lay with their legs elevated, squeeze their fingers into a fist, or clench the thighs. All of these methods of management work because they force more blood to go to the brain. After taking measures to rest quietly, near-fainting generally goes away within 10 to 15 minutes.
2. Dizziness
Some people call these symptoms of bradycardia dizziness while others refer to it as lightheadedness. These are just a general collection of strange feelings of movement while standing still. People may feel like the room is spinning around them, or they may feel slightly unsteady, woozy, floaty, heavy, or queasy. Some people with dizziness due to bradycardia may find that they get frequent bouts of dizziness throughout the day, while others just get a quick moment of dizziness while standing up or doing vigorous exercise. It is generally caused by a lack of proper oxygenated blood flow to the ears and brain.
3. Fatigue
Oxygen is an essential part of the body’s metabolic process, so it is hard for a person’s body to make energy when blood is flowing too slowly. Without enough oxygen rich blood, a person may struggle to get enough energy. Some people find that their muscles feel weak and limp whenever they do even mild exercise. Others may find that the fatigue is more of a general feeling of tiredness and exhaustion. Bradycardia can leave a person feeling tired even if they do sleep for a long amount of time. Spells of unusually low heart rate can cause sleep apnea, and this impaired quality of sleep will make the fatigue even worse.
4. Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath is a symptom technically called “dyspnea.” It is characterized by a feeling of not being able to breathe properly. Most people find that it causes discomfort and even distress when they are experiencing it. Shortness of breath typically results in quick, short breaths, but some people may have longer breaths with a much shorter period of time in between breaths. The shortness of breath associated with bradycardia typically occurs during light activity, such as climbing stairs, carrying a medium weight object, or walking across a parking lot. Some people find that they experience it even when they are not moving around though.
5. Chest pains
This is a symptom of a more severe version of bradycardia, and its medical name is angina pectoris. It happens when the heart is struggling to keep up with an increased demand for oxygen, so the heart muscle itself is not getting enough oxygen. Some people report that the chest pains feel like a cramp in the chest, while others experience a dull throbbing or a sensation of pressure. It is sometimes mistaken for indigestion or gas. Keep in mind that chest pains could be due to cardiac arrest in patients with more severe bradycardia, so you should always seek medical treatment if you get chest pains that are very sharp or last longer than five minutes.
6. Confusion or memory problems
Without enough oxygen, the brain struggles to function properly. It can cause people to forget both recent and past events. During conversations, they might forget the right word for various objects. People may also start to get confused about their surroundings or situation if the bradycardia is bad enough. This symptom can be hard to diagnose because bradycardia typically happens among older people who may be dealing with memory problems already. Memory issues and confusion caused by a low heart rate can be identified by the fact that they worsen during physical activity and get better when the patient’s heart rate is up.
7. Easily tiring during physical activity
Athletes who have a low heart rate without having bradycardia can still exercise without being tired. Bradycardia patients can be diagnosed because they get tired while doing physical activities. Unlike athletic heart syndrome, this heart condition makes it hard for people to get enough oxygen and blood flow during physical activity. People who formerly enjoyed sports or exercise may find that they no longer have the energy to do these activities. Measures of performance, such as the ability to run a certain distance or the ability to lift a certain amount of weight, may begin to decline because the patient is feeling so tired.
