What is sinus bradycardia, and should I receive a pacemaker for this condition?
So, with sinus bradycardia, the heart rhythm is coming from the normal pacemaker, the sinus node, and the rate is slow. So, bradycardia is defined whenever the heart rate is 60 beats per minute or less. And almost always, it’s normal. So, heart rates slow down when we’re relaxing, slow down when we’re sleeping, may even get into the 40 beat per minute range — and it’s also a sign of good physical conditioning. So people who are endurance athletes, runners, marathoners, typically have resting heart rates in the forties, and this is all very normal. It becomes abnormal if the slow heart rate occurs with minimal activity and is associated with symptoms like lightheadedness or a sense you may lose consciousness. If there’s that type of correlation, then a pacemaker is usually indicated because that prevents the heart rate from going too slow.
