Heart rate 34 on an adult - what does it mean?

Where 34 bpm sits on the adult scale

What a resting pulse of 34 means

Very slow resting rates in people who are not highly trained can mean the heart's electrical system is not keeping pace — for example sinus node dysfunction or a heart block — or can be a medication effect (beta blockers, some calcium channel blockers, digoxin). An underactive thyroid, low body temperature and electrolyte problems are other causes.

Rule out a measuring error first: a weak or irregular pulse is easy to undercount by hand, and some wrist wearables miss beats. Count for a full 60 seconds at the wrist or use a chest-strap or blood-pressure monitor.

Ranges apply to adults and children aged 10 and older, measured at rest (American Heart Association). By the numbers: at 34 bpm the heart beats about every 1.76 seconds — roughly 48,960 beats a day.

The rare athlete who really rests at 34

Stories of champion cyclists, rowers and marathon runners with resting pulses in the 30s are true, but they describe a tiny group. These are people who have trained for many hours a week over many years, usually in endurance sports. Most well-trained recreational runners rest somewhere between 40 and 60 bpm. A waking resting rate of 34 is unusual even among serious amateurs.

Two adaptations explain the very low rates. Years of endurance work enlarge the left ventricle, so each beat moves much more blood, and the body needs fewer beats at rest. At the same time, the vagus nerve, the main brake on the heart, becomes more active. Together they allow a strong, slow beat that still supplies everything the body needs.

Genetics play a part as well. Two people on the same training plan can settle at quite different resting rates, so comparing your number with a teammate’s says little.

How doctors separate athletic slowness from disease

Even for an athlete, a sports cardiologist will usually want an ECG at this level, and often an exercise test or an echocardiogram. The questions they ask are practical:

• Does the rate climb normally with effort? An athletic heart speeds up readily and reaches high rates in a race. A diseased conduction system often cannot.
• Are there symptoms? Fainting, dizzy spells, or performance that has dropped for no clear reason do not fit a healthy athletic heart.
• What does the tracing look like? Slow regular rhythm from the sinus node is expected in athletes; some forms of heart block are not.
• Does it change with rest from training? Athletic bradycardia tends to ease after a period of reduced training.

If you are not that athlete

If you exercise moderately, or not at all, a resting 34 does not belong in the athletic category, and you should see a doctor today. Call 911 if it comes with fainting, chest pain or severe shortness of breath.

Long-time endurance athletes also need a word of caution. Research on veterans of decades of endurance sport has found more atrial fibrillation than in the general population, and some develop slow rhythms later in life that need treatment. A slow pulse that used to be harmless can change meaning when new symptoms appear.

Training heart rates and how they shift with fitness are covered on the heart rate zones page.

For a reliable resting value, sit quietly for five minutes first and average a few mornings: Resting Heart Rate: What It Says About Your Health. You can also measure by tapping along on the start page.

Nearby values

• 29 bpm
• 30 bpm
• 31 bpm
• 32 bpm
• 33 bpm
• 35 bpm
• 36 bpm
• 37 bpm
• 38 bpm
• 39 bpm

Measured on a child instead? See heart rate 34 in a child.

Sources: American Heart Association: All About Heart Rate · MedlinePlus: Pulse · ACSM position stand on exercise intensity (2011)

This page explains a single reading in general terms. It is not a diagnosis. Heart rate alone cannot tell whether the rhythm is regular or whether the heart is healthy — if you are worried, talk to a doctor.