Slow heart rate with argument/excitement. Why?

[is_something_wrong]

I have a problem - my fiance and my parents don't get along so well. This is a problem to me, and it often causes heavy discussions. I love both my parents and my fiance, so this isn't funny :( One of them took place yesterday before I was going to bed.

I noticed some "skipped" / premature beats, which I expect when my adrenaline levels are high, so that's not a problem. The strange thing was my heart rate, when talking loud for some time, it ended up in the 50s. I would really expect the opposite.

I checked my blood pressure, I thought it was sky high and that my low heart rate was some kind of "reflex bradycardia". Turns out it wasn't, it was actually lower, 105/60, against 115-120/65-70 which it usually is at night, especially after eating a meal with lots of salt, which I did yesterday. The reduced pulse pressure (my pulse pressure is usually 50-55 due to a high stroke volume, I have a really strong heart which pumps 110-120 ml pr beat), and the fact that my jugular veins were quite noticeable when lying in bed is something I interpret as both lower stroke volume and slower heart rate, = a vagal reaction.

Is my ANS system wired the wrong way, so my body reacts opposite towards stress? :p My HR increases as it should with physical activity or anxiety, just not when I'm talking loud, I guess. Anyone else that experience this?

[merileegal]

Last night I was researching the vagal nerve trying to find the relationship between acid reflux, which I have, and the heart. I came across some interesting info in Wikipedia about the hr lowering in stressful situations causing fainting, which you didn't, but your hr did fall.

"Excessive activation of the vagal nerve during emotional stress, which is a parasympathetic overcompensation of a strong sympathetic nervous system response associated with stress, can also cause vasovagal syncope because of a sudden drop in blood pressure and heart rate"

The more I think about what my cardio said, it was something like reverse vasomotor...vagal.... response.... or something like that. From what I understand, if the vagal nerve is stimulated, for me it was the caffeine, the heart rate slows down. If this is the case, you could faint. When are you getting married? Are you going to be one of those guys who faints at the alter? LOL

[is_something_wrong]

Merileegal: It would be interesting to know what name your cardiologist had for this condition.

itdood: Yes, I thought it was caused by constricted blood vessels, but if that was the case, the blood pressure would be high. Mine was low, which was a bit strange.

Not easy to understand :(

[itdood]

I'm wondering if it has something to do with vasodilation or vasoconstirction.

[merileegal]

I read  this the other day and decided I couldn't comment on it because my hr has never gone down during stress, always the opposite. Then it occurred to me this morning that I had a similiar thing happen due to too much caffeine. When I was wearing my event monitor to capture a SVT episode I told me cardio that I would do everything possible, all the things that normally trigger it, so I would get one. So I drank 2 diet cola drinks and 2 green teas in a 6 hour period. I expected my heart to go flying off, but instead it felt like it was hardly beating and I felt lethargic. I recorded this on the event monitor just because I thought it was so odd. I asked my cardio when I saw him about it and he had a name for it but I forgot what it was. Reverse something or other. It's been 3 months since I've seen him. I don't have a copy of my event recorder but I think I'll ask for it. I almsot forgot about that and I'm still curious as to what happened. Don't know if this helps at all.  

[achillea]

That you were emotionally affected does make the response strange, paradoxical, actually.  You do not sound like the rare personality type whose heart rate naturally and predictably slows in violent situations.  And generally, talking does itself raise blood pressure, to say nothing of emotional talking:

http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum09/blood_pressure.html

Is it possible that this is a learned response--something you have had to develop to deal with extremely stressful events?  

[is_something_wrong]

Thanks a lot guys. Yes, I believe this is a vagal response to talking, but it should somehow be eliminated by the emotions. Maybe it isn't.

Achillea: Yes, I was emotionally affected. That's why I think this is weird.

[rilesnic]

I don't have an answer, but we seem to share similar symptoms in certain instances.

Ten years ago, my Mom was dying from cancer, I was completing my Bachelor's degree, my girls were little, and life was just terribly stressful. My brother came to my house and we got into an argument and I began yelling loudly. I remember becoming sooo lightheaded. I had palpitations and actually remember telling him "oh my God, my heart"...but I felt like I was not getting any oxygen to my brain, like I may pass out.

Well last week, my BEAUTIFUL, blue-eyed, blonde, 18 year-old, walked in with a tattoo(that I told her she could not have)....no offense to anyone who has one...I think they are a person's choice to have as long as that person is not my daughter...anyway...I did it again...only this time I yelled at my husband, (because somehow this had to be his fault).... I got really lightheaded again....had to sit down...like no oxygen was going to my brain again...of course the adrenaline was pumping and I felt the palps., but my head...my goodness, was awful. I just felt like my head was rushing...whoosh, whoosh.

I got into a wreck last Thursday (not my fault, and yes, last week was a week I'd really like to forget), and my heart was palpitating like crazy after the wreck and that evening...PVC's and PAC's every few beats. I have also noticed when I laugh really hard, I will get this lightheadedness and palps. It really feels like super low BP. I also seem to get these feelings when I stand quickly. I know it has to be a vagal response in my case.

My brother actually was passing out from coughing which the doctors determined was a vagal response. He is on BP meds now and has not had a problem since. I don't know if it still is, but his resting HR used to be in the 90's. I take a beta blocker for tachy, but the symptoms remain for me. The laughing, yelling, and coughing all seem to be the same type of event, so is there a connection?

[achillea]

Did you perceive yourself to be emotionally affected--angered or excited--by the discussion during which you 'talked loud'?

What you experienced does not sound like a mis-wiring of the ANS (unless you experience paradoxical falls in BP and so on in other situations as well).  But there are unusual personality types who simply do not show emotional or physical arousal in situations--such as anger--where these responses would be appropriate.