Health
Your Resting Heart Rate: What to Know
Health Points
- Resting heart rate is a key sign of cardiovascular wellness.
- Exercise helps lower resting heart rate and improves heart efficiency.
- Tracking and managing heart rate supports long-term health.
Your resting heart rate is the number of heartbeats per minute while you’re relaxed and still. Medical experts use this measurement as a window into overall wellness, with most adults experiencing rates between 60 and 80 beats per minute.
“There’s a wide variety of what’s normal from person to person,”
Dr. Pamela Mason, a cardiologist at UVA Health, explains. Factors like anxiety, illness, age, excess weight, and certain medications can influence your resting heart rate. A lower number suggests your heart is pumping efficiently.
Exercise plays a vital role in maintaining a healthy resting heart rate. Very athletic individuals can see their resting rates in the 40s or 50s, but even regular, moderate activity improves heart health and supports lower rates.
A heart rate acts as a “barometer” for your body’s needs, researchers point out. Maintaining a fit heart means your body doesn’t have to work as hard to circulate blood, boosting overall well-being.
“We don’t want to see it taking a long time, where your heart rate is staying up in the 120 range,”
advises Dr. Jennifer Haythe, a cardiologist in New York. When you exercise, it’s ideal for your heart rate to return to normal quickly instead of staying elevated.
Start by monitoring your resting heart rate. This can be accomplished with a fitness tracker or simply by feeling your pulse on your wrist or neck and counting for sixty seconds. To promote heart health, the American Heart Association suggests at least 150 minutes a week of brisk activity, such as walking.
Establishing a regular exercise habit supports a healthier heart rate and overall well-being at any age. Taking small steps today can pave the way for lasting cardiovascular health.
