Generally, a healthy heartbeat whilst resting is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). The lower the heart resting heart rate, the more effectively the heart works. The hearts of professional athletes beat at roughly 40 bpm while resting.

Your pulse rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate should be 60–100 beats per minute, but it can vary from minute to minute.

The normal range is between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is above 100, it’s called tachycardia; below 60, and it’s called bradycardia. Increasingly, experts pin an ideal resting heart rate at between 50 to 70 beats per minute.

In general, for adults, a resting heart rate of fewer than 60 beats per minute (BPM) qualifies as bradycardia. But there are exceptions. Your heart rate may fall below 60 BPM during deep sleep. And physically active adults (and athletes) often have a resting heart rate slower than 60 BPM.

The standard treatment for a slow heart rate is to implant a pacemaker. For people with bradycardia, this small device can help restore a normal heartbeat.

It included 1,517 patients who received their first pacemaker for bradycardia (slow or irregular heart rhythm) between 2003 and 2007. Patients were followed for an average of 5.8 years. The researchers found survival rates of 93%, 81%, 69% and 61% after one, three, five and seven years, respectively.

What precautions should I take with my pacemaker or ICD?

• It is generally safe to go through airport or other security detectors.
• Avoid magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines or other large magnetic fields.
• Avoid diathermy.
• Turn off large motors, such as cars or boats, when working on them.