It's important to know what heart rate is healthy and normal for every age in your life. Your heart rate, or pulse, can guide you to discover dangerous health conditions that need expert care, such as some heart problems. But your normal resting heart rate changes throughout your life as you age. Read this guide to learn more about your pulse through every step of your life. Show
How to Take Your Heart RateYou can measure your resting heart rate by finding your pulse. The pulsating rhythm of your blood—your pulse—matches the movements of your heart and indicates your resting heart rate. Using your middle and index finger, press firmly in an area of your body that has a pulse. One of the most common places to take your pulse is on the inside of your wrist. Other body parts that reveal your pulse include:
Once you locate your pulse, using a stopwatch, begin counting each beat for 60 seconds. Alternatively, you can count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply your results by 4. This measurement indicates your approximate resting heart rate. What Is a Healthy Resting Heart Rate for an Adult?A normal heart rate for adults lies somewhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM), and varies based on age group and gender. Women's heart rates are about 2-7 BPM faster than men's on average. Generally speaking, you want to keep your resting heart rate as low as possible. One large, long-term study compared men with heart rates above 90 and those below 80. The men with higher average heart rates were associated with triple the risk of death. People with lower heart rates tend to be more active and get more exercise than others. A young, highly-trained athlete's healthy resting heart rate may be as low as 40 BPM. What Is a Healthy Resting Heart Rate for a Child?When you are young, your healthy heart rate can be much faster than when you get older. Here are several good heart rate ranges for children according to their age:
What Causes Elevated Resting Heart Rates?There are many possible causes for elevated heart rate in adults, also known as tachycardia. Some causes that result from daily life include:
Some daily causes can develop into medical emergencies. For example, heavy binge drinking can lead to an emergency medical condition known as atrial fibrillation. There are several other medical causes as well. Medical causes of elevated heart rate include:
Sometimes the heart rate rises for no known reason, often following a bout with a serious illness. This is called "inappropriate sinus tachycardia," and is more common in women in their 20s and 30s. How Can I Lower My Resting Heart Rate?If you have a high resting heart rate with no medical causes, regular exercise is a great way to lower it long term. Typically speaking, people who exercise regularly have lower resting heart rates than others. The CDC recommends that adults exercise at least 150 minutes each week, using a mixture of both strength building and aerobic exercises. How Do I Know If My Heart Rate Is Normal? ChartWhat is considered a “normal” resting heart rate depends on how old you are and the amount of physical activity and work you do. As a result, normal heart rates will differ from person to person based on these factors. The accompanying chart shows normal resting heart rate ranges by age. Chart: Normal Resting Heart Rate Values for Adult Men*Are you in great shape? Here's one way to find out. Using this chart of resting heart rate averages by men, you can compare your resting heart rate with others in your age group. *NOTE: Women's heart rates are faster than these listed by an average of 2-7 BPM. Resting heart rate values for men (beats per minute)Age (in years) 18-25 26-35
Athlete 40-52 44-50 47-53 49-54 51-56 52-55 Excellent 56-61
58-63 57-61
Good 62-65 62-65 63-66 64-67 62-67 62-65 Above Average 66-69 66-70 67-70 68-71 68-71 66-69 Average 70-73 71-74 71-75 72-76 72-75 70-73 Below Average 74-81 75-81
Poor 82+ 82+ 83+
Fitness Chart: What Is Your Target Heart Rate ZoneExercise is necessary for good health, but you don't want to overdo it and waste your fitness potential. Knowing your estimated maximum heart rate based on your age group can help you maintain an ideal workout pace. That's because your workout would be over in a few exhausted minutes at your maximum heart rate. Beyond Exercise: Lifestyle Changes to Reduce Resting Heart RateWhile exercise is the most important tool for reducing your daily resting heart rate, there are other ways you can take control of your health and reduce your heart rate. These include: What is a good resting heart rate by age?Normal Heart Rate by Age Chart. What is a normal woman's resting heart rate?What is the normal heart rate for a woman? The average heart rate for adult women is 78 to 82 beats per minute, though the “normal” range is between 60 to 100 beats per minute. Multiple factors such as hormones, exercise and lifestyle choices can affect your heart rate.
Is 72 a healthy resting heart rate?The normal range is between 50 and 100 beats per minute. If your resting heart rate is above 100, it's called tachycardia; below 60, and it's called bradycardia. Increasingly, experts pin an ideal resting heart rate at between 50 to 70 beats per minute.
What is a too high resting heart rate?The usual range for resting heart rate is anywhere between 60 and 90 beats per minute. Above 90 is considered high. Many factors influence your resting heart rate.
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