 Show Your pulse, both at rest and during exercise, can reveal your risk for heart attack and your aerobic capacity. Your grandmother may have referred to your heart as "your ticker," but that nickname has proved to be a misnomer. A healthy heart doesn't beat with the regularity of clockwork. It speeds up and slows down to accommodate your changing need for oxygen as your activities vary throughout the day. What is a "normal" heart rate varies from person to person. However, an unusually high resting heart rate or low maximum heart rate may signify an increased risk of heart attack and death. One simple thing people can do is to check their resting heart rate. It's a fairly easy to do and having the information can help down the road. It's a good idea to take your pulse occasionally to get a sense of what's normal for you and to identify unusual changes in rate or regularity that may warrant medical attention. Your resting heart rateWhen you are at rest, your heart is pumping the lowest amount of blood to supply the oxygen your body's needs. For most healthy adult women and men, resting heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute. However, a 2010 report from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) indicated that a resting heart rate at the low end of that spectrum may offer some protection against heart attacks. When WHI researchers examined data on 129,135 postmenopausal women, they found that those with the highest resting heart rates—more than 76 beats per minute—were 26% more likely to have a heart attack or die from one than those with the lowest resting heart rates—62 beats per minute or less. If your resting heart rate is consistently above 80 beats per minute, you might want to talk to your doctor about how your heart rate and other personal factors influence your risk for cardiovascular disease. Your maximum heart rateThe rate at which your heart is beating when it is working its hardest to meet your body's oxygen needs is your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate plays a major role in setting your aerobic capacity—the amount of oxygen you are able to consume. Several large observational studies have indicated that a high aerobic capacity is associated with a lower risk of heart attack and death. And a small controlled trial demonstrated that men and women with mild cognitive impairment who raised their aerobic capacity also improved their performance on tests of memory and reasoning. The role of exerciseVigorous exercise is the best way to both lower your resting heart rate and increase your maximum heart rate and aerobic capacity. Because it's impossible to maintain a maximum heart rate for more than a few minutes, physiologists have advised setting a percentage of your maximum heart rate as a target during exercise. If you're starting an exercise program, you may want to set your target rate at 50% of maximum and gradually increase the intensity of your workout until you reach 70% to 80%. However, if you don't exercise regularly, you should check with your doctor before you set a target heart rate. Some medications—particularly beta blockers—can lower your heart rate. Your doctor can help you set realistic goals.
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One of the vital signs a nurse checks when you visit the doctor is your heart rate, along with temperature, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Your heart rate, which is measured by your pulse, is an important indicator of your overall health and fitness level. It can signal certain medical conditions or a need to adjust lifestyle habits that elevate your heart rate above the normal range determined by your age. The normal resting heart rate (when not exercising) for people age 15 and up is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). However, your heart rate may vary slightly from the norm due to several factors, including regular exercise, a medical condition, stress and use of some over-the-counter medications.
Resting heart rate refers to when your heart pumps the lowest amount of blood your body needs when you’re not exercising. Your resting heart rate is measured by your pulse when you’re calm, relaxed, sitting or lying down and not ill. Why Does Resting Heart Rate Matter?A heart rate that’s too high or low—especially a rate that’s higher or lower than your usual resting heart rate—could be a sign of medical issues or other health conditions. A high resting heart rate could signal an abnormal hormone level, an overactive thyroid, anemia or another potential health issue, such as a heart rhythm abnormality, says Hailu Tilahun, M.D., a cardiologist at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington. Meanwhile, a resting heart rate that’s too low could cause dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue or even fainting, which is dangerous and should not be ignored. “Different levels of heart rate might reflect certain medical conditions,” says Dr. Tilahun. “However, it doesn’t always necessarily mean there’s something going on. And that’s why heart rate is important—because it can be a hint to at least consider exploring those possibilities.”
Normal heart rate varies, according to your age. Below is the normal heart rate by age, according to the National Institutes of Health. It’s also important to know the normal “maximum” heart rate during vigorous activity and the “target” heart rate for your age. To find your normal maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. Meanwhile, your target heart rate should be about 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate during moderate-intensity activity like walking. During more intense activity, such as exercising, running or working out with weights, your target heart rate should be about 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate. As a general guide, below are the average maximum heart rates and target heart rate zones by age for adults, according to the American Heart Association.
You can check your heart rate easily by using smartwatches and other fitness tracking wearables, but it’s also simple to check your heart rate manually. To find your heart rate, place your index and middle fingers gently against the underside of your wrist on the side just below the base of your thumb until you can feel the pulse. You can also measure heart rate by placing two fingers on one of the carotid arteries located on each side of your neck. Other places where you can check your heart rate include:
After you locate your pulse, count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds, then multiply that number by four. Alternatively, count the beats for 30 seconds, then multiply by two. If checking your resting heart rate, count the beats when you haven’t been exercising or physically active for at least 10 minutes. There’s no best time of day to check your resting heart rate. “You can do it in the morning or in the evening, but you really can check the heart rate at any time,” says Dr. Tilahun. “After activity, the heart rate might still be high. Also, you don’t want to check your heart rate after resting or meditating for a very long time since that’s also not going to be truly reflective.”
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If you can’t locate your pulse in your wrist, try finding your pulse on your carotid artery or the other parts of your body where the pulse may be stronger. Be careful checking on your neck, though. “When checking the pulse on the carotid, we have to be a little bit cautious because if it’s pressed too hard, it can cause a reflex that leads to lightheadedness and dizziness or may even cause fainting,” says Dr. Tilahun.
Research indicates that a higher resting heart rate is linked with higher blood pressure and body weight, along with lower physical fitness. In addition to medical conditions, such as anemia, high thyroid or hormone levels and blood clots, certain lifestyle factors can cause an elevated resting heart rate, says Dr. Tilahun. Additional possible causes of a high heart rate include:
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When your resting heart rate is in the normal heart rate range for your age, your heart muscle doesn’t have to work as hard to pump enough blood to keep a steady beat. If someone notices an increase in their heart rate within a certain period—after not being physically active for a year or two, for example—but other things haven’t changed much with their health, the elevated heart rate could indicate they may need to be more active to lower the heart rate, says Dr. Tilahun. If your resting heart rate is higher than the normal adult heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute, regular activity is key to bringing the heart rate down. “That activity could be exercise, but it doesn’t have to be dedicated exercise. It could be walking, gardening, mowing the lawn or other regular activities,” says Tilahun. “When you’re doing the activity, the heart rate is going to be higher, and people sometimes get worried. But that’s not an issue—it’s what’s supposed to happen. Over time, regular activity will lower the heart rate for most people,” he adds.
If a higher heart rate is a result of being under stress or consuming a lot of alcohol or caffeine, that’s not typically a cause for alarm. However, these situations still warrant a discussion with your clinician, as they can discuss with you how to best address any necessary lifestyle changes. Meanwhile, adults without an acute condition that might cause an elevated heart rate may also want to contact their doctor if their resting heart rate remains above 100 beats per minute for a few days, says Dr. Tilahun. “If the heart rate is persistently elevated for more than a few days and there is absence of a clear thing that can explain it, that should be a time to talk to your doctor,” he says. |
What is considered the adult normal range for pulse?
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