Heart Rate Recovery takes longer

Frank Silbermann

Professional
Eight years ago I took a cardio-tennis course. The instructor would briefly work us to exhaustion so that we would get our heart rate up to 200 minus our age. Then we would check it after two minutes of rest to see the recovery rate. I did fine.

However, now at age 63 I have noticed that even an hour after playing tennis my heart rate can remain above 100 even an hour or more.
I feel no noticeable symptoms, however. Do I need to see a cardiologist to see what is going on, or is this normal at my age?

I don't know what to do about it because, on the one hand I read that this indicates a lack of condition, but on the other hand I also read that it can be caused by overdoing. So I don't know whether to increase my cardio exercise or not.
 

LuckyR

Legend
61 years old and my rate drops as fast as it ever did. An hour is not normal in your 60s.
 
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S&V-not_dead_yet

Talk Tennis Guru
Yes. An hour is a long time to still be tachycardic. You need to find out if something else is going on, such as flipping into an alternative rhythm such as atrial fibrillation in response to the exercise.

But is afib associated with an elevated heartrate [as opposed to an irregular heartbeat]? if there's no irregularity, doesn't that just mean his body needs the oxygen and that's why the heart is working so hard? Or perhaps each beat of the heart is delivering way less oxygen than before and that's why it stays elevated for so much longer?
 

Mike T

Rookie
Low O2 levels can be associated with plaque build up in the arteries. Ollinger's advice is sound, see your Cardiologist ASAP.
 

LeeD

Bionic Poster
Getting old sucks.
Would you believe you are also getting weaker?
Grayer. Losing hair. Peeing more often. Losing posture. Vision going bad.
 
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