Need an Opinion

I have a resting heart rate between 35-44 during the daytime just sitting around. I have always had a low resting heart having played athletics all through high school and college. My doctor was worried about this during a recent yearly exam and decided to make me wear a holter monitor for 24 hours.  My heart during that time dropped to as low as 26 bpm while sleeping and as high as 180 while jogging.  I lift weights at lunch every day for an hour.  Pushing a max of 285 pounds.  I also run in the evening after work 5-6 days a week a minimum of 3.5 miles. I can do a 5k in the high17's into the low 18 minute range. I am about 6 "1" 190 pounds.  My doctor mentioned that I may be in need of a pace maker. I have no symptoms to speak of. Great energy levels.  My doctor however has told me to stop running for a month to see if my heart rate will go up due to non excersise.  I have been trianing like this for over 10 years.  I am currently 29 years old.

I want to know if it is likely that someones heart can go up in as little as a month through non-cardio trianing? Should I be worried about my heart rate being this low? Is there any underlying causes that anyone knows about that leads to low heart rate?Thanks for any info and Feed back.

[kenkeith]

For most people, a heart rate of 60 to 100 beats a minute while at rest is considered normal. If your heart beats less than 60 times a minute, and apparently your doctor has diagnosed bradycardia.

A slow heart rate is sometimes normal and can be a sign of being very fit. Healthy young adults and athletes often have heart rates of less than 60 beats a minute.

In other people, bradycardia is a sign of a problem with the heart’s electrical system . It means that the heart's natural pacemaker is not working right or that the electrical pathways of the heart are disrupted. The risk in severe forms of bradycardia, the heart beats so slowly that it does not pump enough blood to meet the body's needs. This can be life-threatening. Your doctor wants to rule out pathological bradycardia. and the condition can exist with no symptoms.