Normal Resting Heart Rate

What is a Heart Rate?

Heart Rate or HR is simply the number of times your heart beats in a unit time or a minute. Normally, a person’s resting rate must be in between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Alternatively known as pulse, heart rate differs from people to people, depending on their age, genetics, lifestyle, and fitness levels. In other words, heart rate is determined by a number of factors such as activity level, emotions, body size, temperature, and body positions. Likewise, based on the varying situations, the heart rate may be either too fast or too slow. For instance, throughout the day it is not necessary that you must have a steady heart rate. Different types of heart rates include exercise heart rate, fat burning heart rate, maximum heart rate, resting heart rate, and target heart rate. Since it helps to determine different levels in your routine, heart rate is considered an effective way to assess one’s personal fitness and stamina.

Blood Pressure and Heart Rates

Blood is transported from the heart to the different parts of the body in vessels known as arteries, and blood pressure or BP is the force of the blood pushing against the arteries’ walls. When the heart beats each time, it pumps blood into the arteries. In fact, blood pressure and heart rates have close relationships. Blood pressure is on the basis of two factors like the quantity of blood pumped by the heart’s left ventricle into the arteries and the resistance to the blood’s flow due to the walls of the small arteries. Blood pressure includes systolic pressure – a condition in which the blood pressure will be high when your heart contracts to pump blood into the body, and diastolic pressure – which is a condition in which your blood pressure becomes low when the heart relaxes in between the beats.

Just as the heart rate varies from time to time, blood pressure also varies depending on the age, lifestyle, and situation of a person. When blood pressure level is 140/90 mmHg or even higher, it is a condition of high BP or hypertension, which in turn is dangerous and may lead to heart problems including heart attack and heart failure, as your heart and arteries have to work harder to pump and carry blood. Further, hypertension may prove dangerous to other body organs such as kidney and brains. Above all, high BP may be cause for such serious conditions as diabetes, cholesterol, and obesity. Hence, it is important to maintain a normal blood pressure level of 120/80 mmHg, in order to ensure the healthy working of heart as well as other organs of the body.

What is an Adults Normal Resting Heart Rate?

The resting heart rate (RHR) is simply the number of times your heart beats in a minute when your body is completely at rest. The resting heart rate is determined on the basis of a continuum of factors such as age, genetics, sex, anxiety, and certain drugs or medications. Resting heart rate serves an excellent indicator for health as well as fitness levels. But, normal resting heart rate varies from people to people. In case of an adult man, normal resting heart rate would be 70 bpm (beats per minute), and for an adult woman, it would be 75 beats per minute. However, as per standard deviation, heart beat between 60 and 80 is also regarded as normal for an adult.

What is a Childs Normal Resting Heart Rate?

Child Normal resting heart rate differs depending upon the different stages and age of children. For instance, when newborn infants’ normal resting heart rate is 100-160 beats per minute, it would be 70-120 beats per minute in the case of children from 1 to 10 years. Likewise, the normal resting heart rate for children of 10 and more would be 60 – 100 beats per minute.

What is an Resting Athletes Heart Rate

For athletes, resting heart rate serves as a yardstick to determine their training target heart rate. As per the studies, it is considered that an athlete’s heart beats more accurately and efficiently. A well-trained athlete usually has a heart rate lower than 60 beats per minute, mostly in between 40 and 60 beats per minute.

How to Calculate Heart Rate?

Heart rate or pulse can be easily calculated without using any specific equipment. One of the most popular methods is by placing your opposite hand’s index as well as middle fingers on your wrist, about one inch beneath your hand’s base. Then count each beat for 10 beats – the number which you get should be multiplied by six. This in turn will give you a minute’s heart rate. For instance, if you count 10 beats within 10 seconds, then multiply it as 10 x 6 = 60. This indicates that your heart rate would be 60 bps. Also, a prominent way of calculating heart rate is via carotid pulse, which is especially effective when you are doing exercise.

How can I impove Resting Heart Rate?

One of the best ways to improve your resting heart rate is via staying hydrated, ie, drinking lot of water, which aids blood in flowing through veins, apart from proving beneficial for your skin as well as digestive systems. Taking rest through sufficient sleep is another better way to improve your heart rate, as it can improve your health and fitness. Also, a great way beneficial for your resting heart rate is getting a massage in a relaxed state or an effective hour long reflexology treatment. Above all, perhaps the best way to improve your resting heart rate would be through proper exercises such as aerobic training, running, swimming, and biking.