What Do You Need to Know About Beta Blockers and Exercise? A Cardiologist Explains
Key takeaways:
Beta blockers are among the most commonly prescribed heart medications. They work to lower your heart rate and blood pressure.
Your body goes through changes during exercise to help keep up with the increased need for energy.
Some medications, including beta blockers, can change how the body responds to exercise.
Table of contents
Many changes happen in the body during exercise, mostly related to the heart and blood vessels. When muscles contract, they need extra oxygen and nutrients to keep moving. To help keep up with the extra demands, your heart rate and breathing get faster. And your blood pressure goes up to help blood move through the body’s arteries. Your muscles even get better at getting oxygen from the blood.
If you’re taking a beta blocker, you may know that beta blockers affect your heart rate and blood pressure. So what does this mean for your heart during exercise? Here’s what you need to know about beta blockers’ effects on your body while you’re active.
How do beta blockers work?
Beta blockers get in the way of certain receptors in the body that control the body’s “fight-or-flight” response. Most of these receptors are in the heart, and some are in the blood vessels. When adrenaline activates them, they increase your heart rate and prepare your body for activity. So some of the adrenaline effects are dulled when the receptors are blocked.
Because beta blockers slow down the heart and relax the blood vessels, they also lower blood pressure. And they decrease the amount of work the heart is doing. This can be helpful for people with heart rhythm problems and abnormal heart-pump function. They may also be prescribed for other medical problems, such as glaucoma, essential tremor, and migraine prevention.
Medications and exercise: Beta blockers aren’t the only meds that can affect your workouts. Here are other medications you should know about.
Learn about side effects. It’s important to know about possible side effects with any medications. Learn about the side effects of beta blockers and when to call your healthcare professional about them.
Creating an exercise plan: Most people know exercise has health benefits, but making it a habit isn’t always easy. Here’s how to make an exercise plan that actually sticks.
How do beta blockers affect exercise?
The way a beta blocker influences exercise can vary greatly depending on several factors. The type of beta blocker you’re prescribed, the dose, and the reason you’re taking it can all be factors. But in general, you can expect some of the following things to happen:
Because beta blockers decrease your overall heart rate, they limit how high your heart rate goes during exercise.
Beta blockers decrease cardiac output, which is the amount of blood pumped by the heart in one heartbeat.
An increase in blood pressure is normal during exercise. But beta blockers will cause blood pressure to be more stable with activity.
Because of how beta blockers affect the cardiovascular system, you may feel more fatigued during exercise.
Beta blockers can limit how intensely your heart is pumping during exercise. But you can still benefit from physical activity. Here are some ways you can monitor how a beta blocker is affecting you:
Heart rate monitoring: While home heart rate monitors aren’t perfect, they can give you an idea of what your heart rate is while you exercise. You may need to adjust your target exercise heart rate to be lower if you’re on a beta blocker (your cardiologist can help you with this).
Perceived exertion: You can monitor how hard you feel you’re working while doing certain exercises compared with others.
Exercise test: In some cases, your cardiologist may want to do a test to see how your heart responds to exercise.
Is it safe to exercise while taking beta blockers?
Yes. It’s safe to exercise while taking a beta blocker, and regular physical activity is encouraged. Beta blockers may be prescribed to people with some cardiac conditions to help them exercise more safely. This is because they’re thought to reduce the stress on the heart during vigorous activity. Of course, you should always talk with your primary care provider or cardiologist about how to exercise safely. And ask if you have questions about your medication.
The American Heart Association recommends at least 150 minutes of exercise per week. With any exercise program, it’s important to start slowly and gradually build up your activity. Listen to your body, and rest if you have concerning symptoms. Remember to warm up and cool down, especially with strenuous activity. Take it easy in extreme weather.
Are there things I should watch out for?
While most of the effects of beta blockers are not dangerous, there are some side effects to consider with exercise.
Airway spasm: Some beta blockers can also act on receptors in the airway. For this reason, they’re generally avoided in people with severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), or a history of anaphylaxis. This is not an issue for people without airway disease.
Low blood sugar: Beta blockers may mask symptoms of low blood sugar in people who use insulin to control their blood sugar. So it’s important to be aware of your blood sugar trends and symptoms that can mean your sugar is too low. In adults without blood sugar issues, beta blockers shouldn’t affect blood sugar.
Dizziness, lightheadedness, or confusion: These could mean your blood pressure or heart rate is too low.
Read more like this
Explore these related articles, suggested for readers like you.
Is there a heart rate that’s too low while exercising on beta blockers?
A heart rate is generally considered normal if it beats between 60 and 100 times every minute. The heart rate can be slower when taking a beta blocker, in conditioned athletes, or during rest (sleep). And what’s low for one person might be normal for another person.
A low heart rate, between 40 and 60 beats per minute, is called bradycardia and is usually not dangerous. However, if you have symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, weakness, or fainting with a low heart rate, talk with your healthcare professional. They can evaluate your symptoms and adjust your medication as needed.
What exercise adjustments should I make if I take a beta blocker?
Bethany Runkel, MD, a pediatric cardiologist, said that some of the effects of beta blocker on exercise are intentional. But these effects can make you feel tired earlier than you expect when you start taking the medication.
“Make sure you’re well-hydrated before you exercise and go at your own pace,” Runkel said. “If you begin to feel lightheaded, fatigued, or dizzy, you should start by decreasing your intensity.” Be patient as you adjust to your new medication.
If your symptoms don’t get better when you stop exercising, ask for help and talk to your cardiologist. You can also consider exercising with a friend while you’re adjusting to your medication so they can help you watch for symptoms.
Should I stop taking my beta blocker when I exercise?
It’s important to continue taking your beta blocker as scheduled, even when you exercise. Stopping the medication suddenly can be dangerous, especially if you’ve been taking beta blockers for a long time. Your body adjusts over time to the medication, so there’s an increased risk of chest pain or abnormal heart rhythms if you stop it abruptly. Always talk with your healthcare professional before stopping any medication.
Can you still be an athlete if you take beta blockers?
Yes. Exercise training has many benefits, even at a slower heart rate. It helps build muscle, promotes strong bones, and even helps to manage blood sugar and blood pressure. And beta blockers don’t seem to disrupt these benefits. Researchers are still figuring out exactly how beta blockers affect exercise performance, but experts agree that exercise is important for heart health.
As always, follow your healthcare professional’s guidance about what exercise is safe for you. Some types of exercise may not be safe for people with certain heart conditions.
The bottom line
Beta blockers have many uses and can treat many different medical conditions. They’re safe if used in proper doses and can even help protect the heart. Some of the ways that beta blockers work can also influence how you feel and how much you can do when you exercise. Exercise is one of the best things you can do to improve and maintain your heart health. So, even if you’re on a beta blocker, try to get the recommended amount of physical activity every week if you can. Start slow and note how you feel when you’re exercising and taking a beta blocker. If you have concerns about any medication, talk with your healthcare professional.
Why trust our experts?
References
American Heart Association. (2024). American Heart Association recommendations for physical activity in adults and kids.
American Heart Association. (2024). Warm up, cool down.
Farzam, K. (2023). Beta blockers. StatPearls.
Mellett, L. H., et al. (2013). Heart-healthy exercise. Circulation.
Priel, E., et al. (2021). The impact of beta blockade on the cardio-respiratory system and symptoms during exercise. Current Research in Physiology.
Westhoff, T. H., et al. (2007). Beta-blockers do not impair the cardiovascular benefits of endurance training in hypertensives. Journal of Human Hypertension.
