Your heart has a complex electrical system that keeps it beating in rhythm. Sinus bradycardia is a type of slow heartbeat. It's when your heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute. At rest, your heart normally beats between 60 to 100 times per minute. Sinus bradycardia can be normal for some people, like well-trained athletes, and doesn't cause problems. But in others, it can cause problems if not enough blood gets pumped to the body.
Sinus BradycardiaYour heart has a complex electrical system that keeps it beating in rhythm. Sinus bradycardia is a type of slow heartbeat. It's when your heart rate is less than 60 beats per minute. At rest, your heart normally beats between 60 to 100 times per minute. Sinus bradycardia can be normal for some people, like well-trained athletes, and doesn't cause problems. But in others, it can cause problems if not enough blood gets pumped to the body.To understand how sinus bradycardia happens, it helps to know how the heart works. Your heart has 4 chambers: 2 on the top called atria and 2 on the bottom called ventricles. These chambers work together to pump your blood. The right atrium and ventricle pump blood to your lungs. The left atrium and ventricle pump blood to the rest of your body. Electrical signals travel through your heart, causing it to pump 60 to 100 times per minute at rest.Normally, the signals start at the top of your right atrium in an area called the sinoatrial, or S-A, node. The signals spread across your atria to a spot between the atria and ventricles, called the atrioventricular, or A-V, node. Then the signals travel down a wall between your ventricles called the septum, and out across your ventricles. Damage to any part of your heart's electrical system can cause arrhythmias.The S-A node acts as your body’s natural pacemaker. It controls your heart rhythm. If your S-A node sends out fewer than 60 signals per minute, you have sinus bradycardia.CausesSinus bradycardia can be due to a problem with the S-A node, such as sinus node disease. It may also occur from other heart problems, advanced age, sleep apnea, an underactive thyroid, or certain medicines. Sinus bradycardia may not be a sign of any serious problems. It’s often a normal effect of aging on the heart’s electrical system. But problems may occur when the heartbeat is too slow to pump enough blood to supply oxygen to the body. You may not notice any symptoms with sinus bradycardia, but you might get some symptoms such as: fatigue, weakness, lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting, and a slow pulse.DiagnosisIf you have symptoms, your healthcare provider will give you a physical exam and ask about your symptoms. He or she will want to know when your symptoms happen, how long you've had them, if you have any other medical problems, and if you’re taking medicines. If you've been tracking your pulse, be sure to tell your healthcare provider what you've learned. You may also have certain tests. An electrocardiogram, or ECG, is used to map your heart's electrical activity. It can show whether your slow heart rate is sinus bradycardia and if there are other problems. If the results aren’t clear, you may need to wear a heart monitor that records your heart's activity for a day or 2.You may also have other tests, including:a treadmill, or stress test; a tilt table test; or an echocardiogram, or heart ultrasound. Your healthcare provider might also order urine or blood tests.TreatmentSinus bradycardia may not need to be treated. If it's a side effect of your medicines, your healthcare provider may change your medicine or your dose. If your bradycardia is caused by a disease in your S-A node, you may need a pacemaker. If it's caused by another type of heart disease, you may need other treatments.A healthy lifestyle can help keep your heart strong and prevent heart disease that can cause sinus bradycardia. If you smoke, quit. Make sure your cholesterol levels are not high. And make sure you're eating a healthy diet.If you don't exercise, talk to your provider about the best activity level for you, and get active. Weight-lifting type exercises may make sinus bradycardia worse and may not be advised.It is also very important to discuss with your provider what types of activities you should not do. Some activities such as driving a car or doing certain types of work may be unsafe if your sinus bradycardia causes symptoms like fainting.Things to rememberBradycardia is a heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute.Sinus bradycardia can be normal in athletes and during sleep.You may not have symptoms.If your bradycardia is due to sinoatrial node disease, you may need a pacemaker.What we have learnedBradycardia is a heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute. True or false? The answer is "true". A normal heart rate at rest is about 60 to 100 beats per minute.The only treatment for bradycardia is a pacemaker. True or false? The answer is "false". There are various kinds of treatment that can work for bradycardia. And in some cases, you may not need treatment.
Date Last Reviewed: 11/01/2020
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