How To Prep For Measuring Your Resting Heart Rate
When you make the baseline measurements for your resting heart rate, dont do any strenuous training leading up to the measurement and make sure youre fully recovered from any activity.
Its best to measure your resting heart rate in the morning, right after you wake up. You can do it the old-fashioned way with a timer and a finger on your pulse, but for an accurate and easy way, consider using a heart rate monitor.
Before you go to bed, make sure you have your heart rate monitor handy.
When you wake up, its OK to go to the bathroom before the measurement if it helps you to relax. Clear away all distractions, like music, and do not speak or be spoken to during the measurement.
Its best to measure your resting heart rate in the morning, right after you wake up.
You should do the measurement more than once, preferably on consecutive mornings so that you get a baseline for your resting heart rate.
How To Measure Resting Heart Rate
To determine your resting heart rate the old-school way, simply count how many times your heart beats in a minute. Your reading will be more accurate if you measure it in the morning before you get out of bed. To measure your resting heart rate, follow these steps:
- Choose a location at which you can feel your pulse. The best places to find your pulse are on your wrists, the insides of your elbows, the tops of your feet and the side of your neck, just under your jaw.
- Place two fingers on the pulse location, and count the number of beats you feel in 60 seconds.
Use a stopwatch during this process because it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to count both the pulse and the seconds in your head. Counting for a full 60 seconds will provide the most accurate result, but you can also count for 30 seconds and then multiply that number by two.
For example, if I count 30 pulses in 30 seconds, I’d multiply that by two to get 60 for my resting heart rate.
A Higher Resting Heart Rate Can Be Concerning
Several studies have confirmed that the higher your resting heart rate, the greater your risk of death. Most of this risk is due to heart disease, but other causes of death also contribute to the risk. One study showed that a RHR of more than 90 beats per minute was associated with higher heart disease death rates .
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What Is A Good Resting Heart Rate By Age
Normal resting heart rate values can range from anywhere between 60-100 beats per minute . As cardiovascular fitness increases, the resting heart rate value decreases. Resting heart rate is the number of beats per minute the heart takes while a person is fully rested. It is an indicator of both fitness and general health.
The below tables provide appropriate charts for RHR as per age and sex.
Table 1. Resting heart rate values for men
Resting heart rate values for men
Calculating Maximum Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate or MHR is the number of heartbeats per minute when your heart is working at its maximum capacity. It is the highest heart rate that can be achieved by a person while performing strenuous activities. Its important to find out your maximum heart rate as your target heart ratethe optimum heart rate level for achieving your goals is calculated using MHR.
A max heart rate calculation can be made using the Maximum Heart Rate Formula: 206.9 .
Subtracting your age from the number 220 is an easy way to calculate your MHR. But since MHR actually decreases as we age, this can give your reading that may be up to 12 beats per minute up or down. Its hard to get an exact MHR is affected by many factors. A variety of MHR values can be found among people of the same age, size, and gender.
- Size: smaller people end to have higher MHR than larger people.
- Gender: Probably because of the size difference, women tend to have higher MHR than men.
- Age: MHR can decline with increasing age.
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What Is Maximum Heart Rate
Your maximum heart rate is, on average, the highest your pulse can get. One way to get a rough estimate of your predicted maximum is to subtract your age from the number 220.
For example, a 40-year-old’s predicted maximum heart rate is about 180 beats per minute.
You can learn your actual maximum heart rate with a graded exercise test. If youâre taking medicines or have a medical condition such as heart disease, high blood pressure, or diabetes, ask your doctor whether you should adjust your exercise plan to keep your heart rate under a specific number.
How Do I Take My Heart Rate
There are a few places on your body where itâs easier to take your pulse:
- The insides of your wrists
- The insides of your elbows
- The sides of your neck
- The tops of your feet
Put the tips of your index and middle fingers on your skin. Press lightly until you feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers. You may need to move your fingers around until you feel it.
Count the beats you feel for 10 seconds. Multiply this number by six to get your heart rate per minute
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Why Is This Blog About How Does Apple Health Calculate Resting Heart Rate Important
Knowing how does apple health calculate heart rate might seem important to many users because they would like to keep monitoring their heart rate for health purposes. However, remember that the readings may not be accurate and there are several factors that could have influenced it. If you have concerns, always consult with a physician or health professional about it.
Moreover, avoid googling a certain reading because it might alarm you more than it really should. Remember that the reading may vary from one person to another and it doesnt mean there is something wrong with them.
Please feel free to leave any comments or thoughts about the content of this article!
Side Note: I have tried and tested various products and services to help with my anxiety and depression. See my top recommendations here, as well as a full list of all products and services our team has tested for various mental health conditions and general wellness.
How To Take Your Heart Rate
You can measure your heart rate by finding your pulse. The pulsating rhythm of your bloodyour pulsematches the movements of your heart and indicates your 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:
- The side of your neck
- The pit opposite your elbow
- The base of your toe
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.
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What Is A Good Resting Heart Rate
Well, thats the tricky part done youve provided the heart rate calculator with all of the information that it needs, and now youre ready to reap the rewards. First up is a quick analysis of your resting heart rate. We know that a lot of people want to answer the question What is a good resting heart rate?, which is what we aim to do here. The general rule is that, the lower your heart rate, the better. This is because your heart is stronger and needs fewer beats to push the same amount of blood around your body.
Take this measurement with a pinch of salt though! While it generally holds that the lower your heart rate, the better, recent studies suggest that there is enormous variability in the average resting heart rate from person to person. This means that you shouldnt worry too much if you are far from the average resting heart rate of 65.6 ±7.7 bpm, as long as youre living a healthy life, full of exercise, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and enough sleep.
This doesnt mean there arent resting heart rates to worry about. The healthy range is 60 100 bpm. If you are above this range and havent done any exercise in an hour or recently taken any drugs or medicine, like alcohol and nicotine, consult a doctor immediately. The same is true if your heart rate is below 60 bpm, except if you lead a very athletic lifestyle. Repeat the measurements first, as errors can be made. Our calculator will tell you this automatically.
Target Heart Rate For Different Exercises
For an effective cardio workout, it is important to exercise at a certain level of intensity. Your target heart rate is a zone at which you can attain the level of exertion necessary for improving your cardiovascular fitness. Depending on your age, sex, level of fitness, the target heart rate zone will vary from 50 to 90 percent of your maximum heart rate. Here is the breakdown for understanding heart rate zones:
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Heart Rate Zone Calculator
The heart rate zone calculator finds your five HR zones, which can be used to estimate the intensity of your training. In the article below, you will find information about all the heart rate training zones and a guide on how to measure resting heart rate. You will also get to know the Karvonen formula, which we use to determine target heart rate training zones.
- If you are interested in weight loss , check out our fat burning zone calculator and
- In case you are a keen cyclist , have a look at our cycling heart rate zone calculator.
We try our best to make our Omni Calculators as precise and reliable as possible. However, this tool can never replace professional medical advice. If you are concerned about your health, please consult a physician.
Activity Tracker Or Smartwatch
Activity trackers are easily the most convenient way to measure your heart rate. They’re relatively inexpensive, they don’t take up a lot of space and they have a substantial battery life. Best of all, activity trackers are comfortable enough to wear for long periods of time to get a very accurate measure of your heart rate.
Wearing a Fitbit, Apple Watch, Garmin or other tracker allows you to measure your heart rate at all times of day: when you’re sleeping, during typical daily activities and during exercise. They then present this data to you in an easy-to-digest way. Activity trackers and smartwatches use optical technology to read the pulse in your wrist. With optical technology, your tracker sends light into your skin and reads the light that bounces back.
The Apple Watch Series 5 can even generate a PDF of your heart rhythm that you can share with your doctor.
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Tips That Can Help You Slow Things Down
Whats in an impulse? Your heart rate rises and falls, depending on what you are doing, how you feel and what is happening around you.
But your resting heart rate is the baseline. Its a measure of how fast your heart beats when youre completely at rest sitting, sleep -, Party-watching your favorite sitcom.
Resting heart rate may vary from person to person and from day to day. However, a high resting heart rate can be a red flag, says cardiologist, Tamanna Singh, MD. Its usually a sign that something else is going on in the body.
Heres what you need to know about lowering your resting heart rate.
What If I Am Concerned About Some Of The Readings
Remember that your Apple Watch is not meant to help diagnose any medical conditions. However, we know how frequent it is to get alarmed by a reading we considered to be too high or too low and the best thing we do at that moment is google our heart rate. However, we strongly recommend to avoid doing that and instead, seek medical advice.
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What Is An Irregular Pulse
An irregular pulse is when the heart doesn’t beat in a regular, steady rhythm. This is also called an irregular heart rate or an arrhythmia.
If your heart rate is irregular, you may notice that your pulse:
- seems irregular or is ‘jumping around’
- is racing, even when you’re at rest
- seems unusually slow some or most of the time.
Track Your Heart Rate
Keeping track of your heart rate can give you insight into your fitness level, heart health and emotional health, Dr. Sinha says. Many people are walking around with a resting heart rate that is too high, due to factors such as too much caffeine, dehydration, inactivity and persistent stress. Those extra heart beats over time can be taking years off your life.
Dr. Sinha recommends tracking your heart rate as well as keeping a journal of which activities are causing higher heart rates. Then use that information to make changes, set priorities and move toward a healthier life. If daily stress is raising your resting heart rate, for example, think twice about taking on that extra project at work or school. Consider adding a morning walk or a 10-minute breathing session at lunch.
A final reminder from Dr. Sinha: Get your doctors OK before exercising hard if you have a heart condition or other disorder where exercising may be unsafe. Also keep in mind that certain medications can affect your heart rate, making it a less reliable measurement.
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Why Does My Resting Heart Rate Fluctuate
You now know that there are many factors that can cause resting heart rate fluctuations. Its important to think about all of these if you observe any resting heart rate changes, as its likely to be a short term change. Its relatively normal if your RHR fluctuates a lot and, for example, you are having a varied sleep pattern, experiencing stress, taking medication, changing your training schedule, or are affected by hot weather.
There is a wide range of normal when it comes to your RHR so yours fluctuate, it wont often be cause for concern. However, if your RHR is consistently over 100 beats per minute, then you could have tachycardia, which could be caused by a heart rhythm disorder. Alternatively, if youre not a trained athlete and your RHR is below 60 beats per minute and you are dizzy or short of breath, you could have bradycardia. In either of these cases, its important to speak to a doctor so they can look at why your RHR fluctuates.
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Maximum And Target Heart Rate
Its important to know what your maximum heart rate should be to avoid causing harm to your heart or body. To calculate your maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220. According to the American Heart Association , your target heart rate while doing moderately intense activities should be about 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate. During vigorous exercise, it should be about 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate.
If you exceed your maximum heart rate, you may experience sore joints, sore muscles, or musculoskeletal injuries. Heart rate monitors are great to wear while exercising because they tell you your heart rate in real-time.
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How To Measure Active Heart Rate
People can measure their own heart rate during any given exercise by following the steps below:
- Stop the exercise temporarily and immediately place the index and middle fingers firmly on the artery on the thumb side of the wrist.
- Concentrate on feeling the pulse in the wrist.
- When it is possible to feel the pulse, use a watch or the timer on a smartphone to count the number of times the heart beats in 60 seconds. Alternatively, count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply the number by two.
The number of beats per minute will tell someone their current heart rate, which can help them determine whether they are exercising at the right level of intensity.
People can also monitor their activity level via perceived exertion , which involves noticing physical signs of exertion in the body. For example, a person can consider how fast the heart rate feels and look for other signs of exertion, such as sweating and muscle fatigue.
Anyone experiencing drastic changes in heart rate, physical discomfort, or pain while exercising should stop the exercise and speak with their doctor.
The ideal active heart rate for someone will depend on their age. The following calculations can provide a rough guideline for the average adult.
What Is Resting Heart Rate
With each beat, blood is pumped out from your heart for circulation to different parts of your body. The resting heart rate, also known as RHR, is the speed at which the heart beats while you are resting. If you are physically active or stressed out, your heart rate will increase. A normal resting heart rate for adults varies from 60 to 100 beats per minute . Men have an average reading of 70-72 beats per minute bpm while women usually have a higher RHR of 78-82 bpm. This difference is because women have smaller hearts and lower blood volume circulating in their bodies.
Your resting heart rate can be changed through training, meaning you can improve the RHR count. The fitter or healthier you become, the lower your resting heart rate will become. Well-conditioned athletes usually have a resting heart rate of about 40 to 60 bpm. This means their heart has to do less work and is more efficient!
So when you are training effectively, your RHR should ideally become lower over a period of time. But if, despite your workouts, your RHR is getting higher, it is a clear sign of overtraining. Regardless of your recovery level, there may be some differences in your daily heart rate. A reading of 3 to 4 bpm more than your normal values is not something to get tensed over. But getting a count of over 5 to 7 bpm more than your normal RHR may be an indication that you have not fully recovered from your workout.
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