vasovagal syncope worse

This topic contains 3 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by laurafds 6 years ago.

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Sue Denim

7:11 am
11 Jan 14
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I find on fasting days my resting HR is about 10-20% lower. I’ve been measuring it about lunch time on fasting days and non fasting days for a few months. Fasting regime is one meal a day at the end of the day and hot drinks to keep me going during the fast. My resting HR on a fasting day tends to be around 36-38bpm. I’ve had it as low as 34bpm before but that was slightly due to hydration.

Annoyingly I also get Vasovagal Syncope – which to save people googling it is a reaction typically to injury or the sight of blood that causes your HR to drop as a “protection” mechanism to reduce bleeding. It happens in a lot of people, but when you have a low resting HR it can cause fainting.

I’ve had angiograms and ECGs and my low HR is a factor of my fitness rather than anything they could find. The side affect of 5:2 is the Vasovagal Syncope is worse on fasting days. as with a lower, low HR, the HR drop can knock you out rather than just make you feel faint.

Anyone else get this and is it worse from being on the 5:2.

Reeterdrake

11:31 pm
21 Mar 14
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I have this condition and it is not affected by fasting…… However I do eat 3 times on fast days. I have found that regularity is vital in keeping my condition under control

kilda

2:21 am
22 Mar 14
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do you drink caffeine? It could help increase your heart rate on fast days.

laurafds

4:04 am
9 Apr 18
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After about a year of fasting, I went to bed on a fasting day and had terrible heartburn. The next morning I felt heavy, odd. I went out to make myself food and dropped. My husband was there and said that I turned grey and he couldn’t find a pulse. He ran to get his phone and came back and I was beet red and shaking. He called 911 and they took me to the hospital. They did all sorts of tests over the next month and came back and said it was a Vasovagal Syncope, which I think I’ve had before. I stopped fasting and started noticing that in the mornings my resting heart rate was low. I’m not sure if fasting made it worse but I stopped. I’m just taking up fasting again although a little more carefully. That experience was very scary.