A healthy heart doesn't beat like clockwork. It accelerates and slows right down to meet your changing oxygen needs as your activities vary throughout the day. A “normal” heart rate varies from individual to individual. However, an abnormally high resting heart rate or low maximum heart rate can indicate an increased risk of heart disease or other medical conditions.
Your resting heart rate
When you might be at rest, your heart is pumping the smallest amount of blood to produce the oxygen your body needs. Although the official resting heart rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute, the range for many healthy adults is between 55 and 85 beats per minute.
However, other aspects can affect your resting heart rate, e.g
- Stress
- restlessness
- Hormones
- Treatment
- physical activity level.
How to take your pulse
One easy thing people can do is check their resting heart rate. It's fairly easy to do, and having information can assist along the way in which. It's an excellent idea to take your pulse periodically to get a way of what's normal for you and to identify any unusual changes in rate or regularity which will warrant medical attention. 
The best time to get your resting heart rate is very first thing within the morning, even before you get off the bed. |
What is an excellent resting heart rate?
There isn't any particularly good resting heart rate. A well-trained athlete can put up numbers within the 40s. But a heartbeat that's slow to the typical person could be concerning and will call your doctor's office, especially in case you feel weak, light-headed, or wanting breath.
At the opposite end of the dimensions, a resting heart rate that's consistently over 90 beats per minute can be something your doctor should pay attention to. While this continues to be formally normal, it might be an indication of something flawed, but not necessarily a major problem.
Your maximum heart rate
The speed at which your heart is thrashing when it's working hardest to fulfill your body's oxygen needs is your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate plays a vital role in setting your aerobic capability – the quantity of oxygen you need to use.
Several large observational studies have indicated that higher aerobic capability is related to a lower risk of heart attack and death. And a small controlled trial showed that men and girls with mild cognitive impairment who increased their aerobic capability also improved their performance on tests of memory and reasoning.
Like resting heart rate, your maximum heart rate relies on a lot of aspects. As people age, the typical maximum heart rate falls. A commonly used formula to find out your maximum heart rate is 220 minus your age in years.
How Exercise Affects Heart Rate
Vigorous exercise is an amazing technique to lower your resting heart rate and increase your maximum heart rate and aerobic capability. Because it's unimaginable to keep up a maximum heart rate for greater than just a few minutes, physiologists recommend setting a goal percentage of your maximum heart rate during exercise.
If you're just starting an exercise program, you could need to set your goal rate at 50% of your maximum, and regularly increase your exercise intensity until you reach 70 to 80%. Do not reach %.
However, in case you don't exercise often, it is best to seek the advice of your doctor before setting a goal heart rate. Some medications – especially beta blockers – can slow your heart rate. Your doctor can make it easier to set realistic goals.
Photo: Peera_Sathawirawong/Getty Images