The normal resting heart rate is the number of times the heart pumps blood into the circulation in a minute while at rest and this is conveyed by the heart beats or pulse beats. The Heart is a muscular organ in the body that carries out the task of pumping blood to all the parts of the organs and tissue of the body including itself. It pumps oxygenated blood from the lungs into the body’s circulatory system and the blood is in turn transported around the body through specialized vessels called artery, veins, and capillaries.
The normal resting heart rate is given in a range of 60 – 100 beats per minute. This is because there is no specific figure for most values in the body as they may easily vary from one person to another due to a number of factors. These factors that are connected with the varying heartbeats are age, gender, room temperature, fitness level, medications, emotions, and the body size or body position. It is highly important to for an individual to know their personal resting heart rate and also know how to maintain it.
Healthy Resting Heart Rate
The healthy resting heart rate of a physiological man that is not an athlete ranges from 60 – 100 beats as earlier discussed but these figures differ for physically active athletes. This is due to the fact that training as developed their hearts to adjust to the stress exercising brings. Which in turn has lowered their resting heart rate to about 40 – 60 heart beats in a minute. With the above understanding, it becomes clear that for professional athletes and highly fit people, the healthy heart rate will be closer to 40, while that of a person who does not participate in physical activities whose normal heart rate will be around 100. They both have healthy heart rates even though the fitter you are the healthier you are, the more efficient the heart becomes in carrying out its function.
Measuring the Normal Heart Rate
Physicians and Nurses are trained to take measurements like this but it can be done by absolutely anybody, all it takes is a watch together with your index and middle finger. While pressing slightly, both can either be placed on the side of your neck where you can feel the beat or just around your wrist right at the base of the thumb. Once, the pulse is felt, count the number of pulses felt for a given time of 15 seconds, you then take this number and multiply it by four to get the heart rate for a minute.
For typical individuals with heart rates higher than 100, it means the individual has tachycardia while for figures below 60 also in people that are not undergoing any form of training, this is termed bradycardia. This is different for highly trained professional athletes, as a heart rate of 60 is still normal but anything below 40 is already too low.
The best time of the day to measure the heart rate is in the morning just after waking up, as far as you were not waking up from a nightmare. Because it is better to wait for one hour or two before taking heart rate measurements after a stressful event or physical activity, or after ingestion of certain medications or even after consumption of coffee.
Make Sure Your Heart Rate Stays Healthy
It is always good to do medical checkup regularly as it may shield one from the sudden realization of ailments that could have been prevented or treated earlier. Same goes for the heart rate, it is good to measure one’s heart rate often as possible as it could help deal with problems that the heart may encounter early enough.
There are sometimes when the heart rate could be lower than normal or higher, there’s usually no cause for alarm. Because most of the time, it may be due to different factors just like the ones mentioned above, like stress, anxiety, circulating hormones, and drugs that work on blood pressure or the ones that are used combat depression. But if one discovers that one’s heart rate is constantly high or low, one should consult with a Doctor for a proper evaluation.
One of the best ways to maintain a good and healthy heart rate is by doing exercises. Even if one has a heart condition, there are specialized forms of exercises suited for individual conditions. Checking the heart rate often helps in preventing high cholesterol levels that may be clogging the blood vessels and it also helps in detecting heart problems on time, giving the physicians a better chance for evaluation and implementation of a treatment regimen.
Another way of staying healthy generally, which also works for maintaining a healthy heart rate is eating a healthy balanced diet with lots of water and fruits. Proper rest also influences the way our heart works and helps in attaining or maintaining a healthy heart rate. The table below illustrates estimated target heart rates for different age categories. The maximum heart rate is about 220 subtracted from your age. Heart rate during moderately intense activities is about 50 – 69% of your maximum heart rate, whereas heart rate during hard physical activity is about 70% to less than 90% of the maximum heart rate.
The figures are averages, so use them as general guidelines.
| Age | Target HR Zone 50-85% | Average Maximum Heart Rate, 100% |
| 20 years | 100-170 beats per minute | 200 beats per minute |
| 30 years | 95-162 beats per minute | 190 beats per minute |
| 35 years | 93-157 beats per minute | 185 beats per minute |
| 40 years | 90-153 beats per minute | 180 beats per minute |
| 45 years | 88-149 beats per minute | 175 beats per minute |
| 50 years | 85-145 beats per minute | 170 beats per minute |
| 55 years | 83-140 beats per minute | 165 beats per minute |
| 60 years | 80-136 beats per minute | 160 beats per minute |
| 65 years | 78-132 beats per minute | 155 beats per minute |
| 70 years | 75-128 beats per minute | 150 beats per minute |
References
Laskowski, E. (2015). 2 easy, accurate ways to measure your heart rate. Mayo Clinic. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979
Solan, M. (2017). Your resting heart rate can reflect your current — and future — health – Harvard Health Blog. Harvard Health Blog. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/resting-heart-rate-can-reflect-current-future-health-201606179806
Target Heart Rates. (2015). Heart.org. Retrieved 29 January 2018, from http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp#.Wm-PpXaWa00
