<s>[INST] Doctor, I am 72 years old, I have spinal stenosis, I had Thyroid Cancer, and I take lots of drugs. In the last several months I have been very sleepy during the day. If I sit down in a chair, if I am at a meeting, during Church service, I can t keep my eyes open, I have to fight to stay awake. I have a home BP monitor (a good one) and I have taken several reading in the last few days the reading have been 107 over 70, and 105 over 66 most times. This machine can also tell me that I have an irregular heart beat, sometimes it s 58 Bpm and oter times it s 68 Bpm, should I be concerned? [/INST] Hi, Thanks for writing in. Heart rate is the number of times the heat pumps in a minute. The normal range is 60 to 100 times per minute with a mean of 72 beats per minute. If your heart beat is above 60 on most occasions then it is normal. However, the rhythm is to be carefully studied. The heart rhythm is known by looking at the EKG. This is a recording of the heart beats on a strip of paper and tells if there is any abnormal rhythm. Heart rate fluctuates with time of the day and activity in a person. After rest the heart rate slows down and when doing any activity it will increase. Heart rate is usually recorded at rest. Therefore, if your heart rate changes with activity then it is normal. However, if there is an abnormal rhythm in EKG then you have to discuss with your doctor. Please do not worry. </s>