Heart rate and Hospital visit

[Mike T]

Well the plot thickens.
After a couple of months running, racing and cycling all at normal (mid 50s) the low Heart rate came back yesterday morning (32 to 36 bpm).
BUT
After consuming a 500ml bottle of lucozade with my lunch I was back to 55ish (normal)
Same again today lowest reading was 32, the average from 8am till 12 was 47 bpm and that included walking around dropped to 36 to 38 when sat down.
Another lucozade with my lunch and back to mid 50s.
Been to see the Doc and I am booked in for a load of blood tests on Wednesday morning (fasting tuesday evening)

Anyone know why it should drop then revert to normal when sugar or glucose is consumed?

Should I race Stoodley Pike tomorrow evening???

There is not a large amount of glucose in Lucozade - you will almost certainly be getting more glucose from the food you have as lunch than from the lucozade itself. Having a meal does increase heart rate a bit - enough to cause angina in some people with ischemic heart disease for example. In someone with a resting pulse of 40 I would expect a normal meal to increase it to 55-70 odd - if a large meal with alcohol it could go up to 80-90 or even higher. I certainly do not recognize bradycardia by itself as a symptom/sign of hypoglycemia - it could occur with severe hypoglycemia but people would have other obvious symptoms to go with it.

As Rob says there is a small amount of caffeine in some types of Lucozade and this may have a slight heart rate increasing effect.

The question as I see it is - are the periods of bradycardia pathological - or physiological in a very fit person?

As to racing Stoodley Pike you will need to ask your GP/Consultant - but I know what I would do.....

PS I assume there has been no dizziness/lightheadedness/blackouts - and presumably the deep breathing/sighing you had have not recurred.