As an on-going quest to discover more about myself, particularly physical and mental health, I’m going to talk about bradycardia.

Bradycardia is having a heart rate below 60 beats per minute (bpm). As I write this, my heart rate is at 56 bpm. My resting heart rate over the last week was 50 bpm. Now, a rate under 50 is normal whilst sleeping, and mine often is, but not during the day.

As a result, when trying to take an ECG with my Apple Watch I often get this…

Bradycardia can be dangerous but, in my case, it’s fine – I’m not suffering any symptoms. I’d love to say it’s due to age but I’m not sure how long I’ve had it.

A few years back I was hospitalised with a mystery illness (which remains a mystery to this day) and it was thought it was a heart problem – I had x-rays, ECGs, all sorts. Conclusion – it wasn’t my heart and a doctor said I had “the heart of an ox”. And it’s for this reason that my bradycardia is fine – in the same way that athletes often have it, it’s simply down to an unusually strong heart.

Normally, bradycardia causes issues as the slow rate means not enough blood is being pumped around the body, causing dizziness, breathlessness, etc. In my case, my heart is strong enough that it’s simply pumping stronger and, hence, slower.

One of the few medical oddities about myself that could be seen as good. I guess.