What is Heart Rate? What is Resting Heart Rate?

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Heart rate is one of the most important signs of your overall health. It comes in two key types: Resting Heart Rate, which shows your health baseline, and Heart Rate, which reflects your current state. Knowing both helps you understand your body better.

Resting Heart Rate (RHR): This is how many times your heart beats per minute when you’re awake, calm, and completely relaxed. It’s a stable measure of your heart’s efficiency and overall health. The best time to check it is right after you wake up, before getting out of bed.1

Heart Rate (HR): This is how fast your heart is beating per minute at any given moment. It changes throughout the day depending on your activity, emotions, and your body’s needs. For example, your heart naturally beats faster during exercise, stress, or excitement to deliver enough oxygen to your body.

Healthy ranges:

  • Resting heart rate for most adults: 60–80 bpm is typical. People who exercise regularly or are very fit may have a resting rate as low as 40–60 bpm, which usually means a strong heart.
  • Normal heart rate during the day: 60–100 bpm is common.

The Foundation of Health – Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you’re awake, calm, and fully relaxed. Think of it as your body’s baseline – a simple way to track your heart health, fitness level, and overall recovery.

What it reveals about your heart and fitness

  • Heart efficiency: A lower RHR usually means your heart is working efficiently. Each beat pumps more blood, so your heart doesn’t need to beat as often to supply your body. This is a sign of a strong, healthy heart and a well-functioning cardiovascular system.
  • Fitness level: Regular aerobic exercise – like running, swimming, or cycling – can gradually lower your RHR. Watching how your RHR changes over time is an easy way to track improvements in your fitness.

Warning signs to watch for

  • Consistently high RHR (tachycardia): If your resting heart rate stays above 100 bpm (outside of fever, stress, or exercise), it could indicate potential health issues, such as:
    • Heart problems: High blood pressure, coronary artery disease, and other cardiovascular conditions
    • Anemia: Your heart needs to beat faster to compensate for low oxygen levels
    • Overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism): Excess thyroid hormone speeds up metabolism, raising heart rate
    • Dehydration or electrolyte imbalances
  • Consistently low RHR (bradycardia): For athletes this is normal. For most people, a resting heart rate below 50 bpm combined with symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, chest tightness, shortness of breath, or fainting may indicate an issue with the heart’s electrical system. Medical attention is recommended.

How your RHR reflects stress, sleep, and recovery

  • Stress: Long-term anxiety or tension stimulates your sympathetic nervous system, which can raise your RHR.
  • Sleep quality: Poor or insufficient sleep can interfere with recovery, often showing as a higher RHR in the morning.
  • Recovery indicator: After intense training, your RHR may rise slightly for a day or two as your body repairs itself. If your RHR stays elevated for longer periods, it could signal overtraining – your body may need extra rest to recover.

The Rhythm of Life – Active Heart Rate (or Heart Rate)

If your resting heart rate is your baseline, your active heart rate shows how your body responds and adapts in real time. Think of it like a car’s tachometer – it tells you how your body’s “engine” is running at any given moment.

During Exercise – Your “Workout Intensity Monitor”

Monitoring your heart rate during exercise is key to making your workouts effective and safe. By keeping your heart rate within the right range, you can achieve different fitness goals.

  • Estimate your maximum heart rate: 220 – your age
  • Heart rate zones for training:
    • Moderate-low intensity (60–70% of max): Burns mostly fat, ideal for longer workouts focused on weight loss.
    • Moderate-high intensity (70–80% of max): Best for improving cardiovascular fitness and endurance.
    • High intensity (80%+ of max): Pushes your limits and boosts performance, but should be done for shorter periods.

Post-Exercise Heart Rate Recovery – The “Gold Standard” of Heart Health

Heart rate recovery (HRR) is how quickly your heart slows down after exercise, and it’s a strong indicator of cardiovascular health.

  • What it means: Faster recovery indicates a stronger heart and better autonomic nervous system regulation.
  • Healthy benchmark: A drop of 18–25 bpm or more within the first minute after stopping exercise is generally considered a good sign.

Everyday Heart Rate – Real-Time Feedback on Your Body and Emotions

  • Emotional changes: Stress, excitement, or anxiety can trigger adrenaline surges, causing your heart rate to spike temporarily.
  • Daily activities: Climbing stairs, carrying groceries, or other everyday physical tasks also cause short-term increases in heart rate, ensuring your body gets the oxygen it needs.

Understanding Your Body Through Heart Rate

  • Resting Heart Rate is your body’s baseline rhythm. A steady, lower rhythm means your body is in good shape and recovering well.
  • Active Heart Rate (or Heart Rate) is like your moment-to-moment rhythm tracker – whether you’re exercising, recovering, or just going about your day, it shows how your heart responds to different demands and how quickly it adapts.

Think of it this way: sitting too much can make your heart gradually “lose stamina,” showing up as higher resting heart rate, unusual heart rate response during activity, and slower recovery. This isn’t just a warning sign that your cardiovascular system is under strain – it’s also a window for you to monitor and make changes.

By looking at both resting and active heart rates together, you’re not just seeing a single number anymore. You get a clear picture of your heart health, fitness, stress levels, and daily habits, helping you make smarter choices for your wellbeing.

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References

Barantke, M., Krauss, T., Ortak, J., Lieb, W., Reppel, M., Burgstahler, C., Hombach, V., Marx, N., & Koenig, W. (2008). Effects of gender and age on heart rate variability in a large population-based sample. Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, 19 (9), 939–945.

Agelink, M. W., Malessa, R., Baumann, B., Majewski, T., Akila, F., Zeit, T., & Klieser, E. (2001). Standardized tests of heart rate variability: Normal ranges obtained from 309 healthy humans, and effects of age, gender, and heart rate. Clinical Autonomic Research, 11 (2), 99–108.

Acharya, U. R., Joseph, K. P., Kannathal, N., Lim, C. M., & Suri, J. S. (2006). Heart rate variability: a review. Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing, 44 (12), 1031–1051.

Biswas, S. (2020). A study on resting heart rate and heart rate variability of athletes, non-athletes and cricketers. American Journal of Sports Science, 8 (4), 95-98. doi.org/10.11648/j.ajss.20200804.13

Lindgren, M., Unnarsdóttir, A. B., & Petersson, S. (2024). Resting heart rate in relation to socioeconomic status, medical conditions, and lifestyle factors: Cross-sectional analysis of the Prospective-BioMe biobank cohort. JMIR Formative Research, 8, e60493.