Medical Questions » Heart Questions » Question No. 491
| Question: | I' m a 57 year old male, and reasonably fit as I exercise daily with a 20 minute run. After running, while I am cooling down, my pulse drops from 140 to normal in ten minutes, but during this time I notice that I miss a beat every six to eight beats. Is this acceptable, as i would feel foolish going to a doctor if it is normal? |
| Answer: | What you describe is completely normal under the circumstances. As you get older, missing the occasional beat is a common event, and many elderly people cope quite well while always missing every third or fourth beat.
Provided you are not missing heartbeats when completely rested, and provided you are not suffering any other symptoms related to your heart, you can relax.
All men of your age should have their blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked every couple of years to exclude any other heart risk, and you obviously should not smoke, as this can aggravate heartbeat irregularities.
Any sign of chest pain, ankle swelling or excessive breathlessness should be reported to your doctor immediately.
No-one should ever feel foolish about going to a doctor with a problem that is concerning them. Having a doctor say that there is nothing wrong can relieve long-standing anxiety, and therefore improve your quality of life. Doctors do not laugh at such people, but consider tliem sensible for obtaining appropriate advice.
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