Sudden heart rate drop while on treadmill...freaking out!

  • Yesterday I went to the gym for the first time. *L* I've been walking all along, but I joined the local Y a few days ago because I'm a wimp and don't like walking in the cold and snow.

    Anyway, I was on the treadmill and had my hands on the sensors that pick up heart rate. I was going along at a pretty good clip, and got my heart rate up into the cardio zone (170 bpm)...but then, all of a sudden, it dropped to 90 bpm. And then it kept dropping. 89....86...75....but then it hopped back up to 100, and kept climbing till it went back to the cardio zone.

    I didn't feel sick or weird or anything; no heart palpitations or anything like that, but I'll admit that it freaked me out quite a little bit, even though I have no heart problems at all. Is this something that just happens, or am I dying? *L*
  • Those sensors are notoriously unreliable.If you are really concerned buy a heart rate monitor.
  • Yep. I'd put your odds at 99% or higher that, if you didn't feel funny, this was a sensor blip.