What Is Heart Rate?
Your heart rate, also called your pulse, is the measurement of how fast your heart is beating.
Measuring your heart rate, or heartbeat, gives a glimpse of your overall health and could help you spot some potential health problems. Your heart rate changes throughout the day though. It goes faster when you exercise or are nervous, for example. It usually slows down when you’re relaxed or sitting still.
What Is Resting Heart Rate?
Your heart rate is usually measured by how many beats there are in one minute while you are resting.
A resting heart rate varies from person to person. For adults, the normal range is 60 to 100 beats per minute. It depends on things such as:
- Fitness
- Health conditions
- Medications
- Body size
Even emotions, temperature, and humidity outside can affect your pulse rate.
Why Should You Lower Your Heart Rate?
A lower resting heart rate is usually better when it comes to your health. It’s typically a sign your heart is working well. When it's lower, your heart pumps more blood with each contraction and easily keeps a regular beat.
On the flip side, a high resting heart rate may mean your heart works extra hard to pump blood. If your pulse is consistently more than 100 beats per minute at rest, it’s a good idea to see your doctor. Over time, a high resting heart rate may affect how your heart works. A high rate can also raise your chances of cardiovascular disease.
A slower-than-normal pulse is common in people who are physically fit. If your resting heart rate is regularly below 60 beats per minute but you’re not active, see your doctor, especially if you feel dizzy or short of breath.
Normal Heart Rate by Age
While there is no resting heart rate difference by age, your target heart rate can vary.
Target heart rate is a range that shows how fast your heart should be beating when you're exercising. It's considered an ideal zone for getting the most out of your workout without overworking.
According to the American Heart Association, the average target heart rate range by age is:
| 20 years old | 100-170 beats per minute |
| 30 years old | 95-162 beats per minute |
| 35 years old | 93-157 beats per minute |
| 40 years old | 90-153 beats per minute |
| 45 years old | 88-149 beats per minute |
| 50 years old | 85-145 beats per minute |
| 55 years old | 83-140 beats per minute |
| 60 years old | 80-136 beats per minute |
| 65 years old | 78-132 beats per minute |
| 70 years old | 75-128 beats per minute |
How to Measure Your Heart Rate
The best time to take your resting heart rate is, literally, when you’re rested. So, this means check your pulse when you’re relaxed and have been sitting calmly for a while. Wait at least an hour or two before measuring your heart rate if you’ve:
- Been exercising or experiencing something stressful
- Consumed caffeine
- Been standing for a long period
It’s important not to rely just on a one-time pulse check. Check your pulse a few times over a week at different times of the day.
There are a few places on your body that you can use to check your heart rate. To feel for a pulse, you use your second and third fingers. If you are taking someone else’s pulse, be sure not to use your thumb because you can feel your own pulse with it.
The most common places to feel your pulse are your wrist (radial pulse) or your neck (carotid pulse). Be sure you have a watch or clock with a second hand within sight.
To check your pulse using your wrist. Gently place your two fingers on the inside of the opposite wrist, just below the base of your thumb. You may need to move your fingers a little bit until you find the right spot. Do not press hard. You should start feeling a beating sensation with your fingers.
To check your pulse on your neck. Place your fingers on the side of your neck toward the front, just below your jawbone. The pulse is usually stronger there.
Using a watch, count the number of beats you feel over 15 seconds and then multiply that by 4. This gives you your heart rate over 1 minute.
There are more ways to check your pulse. If you wear a smartwatch, it may have a tracker that monitors your heart rate. These types of trackers are fairly accurate, especially for resting heart rates. The advantage to using a device like this is your watch monitors you throughout the day (and night if you wear it when you sleep) and you can get an overall picture of your pulse. You can also tell your watch to check your pulse whenever you want it to.
Now, even smart rings are becoming more popular and can check your heart rate. Some smartphones have apps that monitor pulse. They use your phone’s camera lens to detect the beat.
Other devices that can check your heart rate include:
- Blood pressure machines
- Pulse oximeters, which you place on the tip of your finger to measure your blood oxygen level
- Chest-band devices, which detect the electrical activity of your heart
Tips to Lower Your Heart Rate
If your resting heart rate is high, there are some steps that may help you lower your pulse:
Stay active
Becoming more active or simply moving around more can help your heart overall. Your pulse does go up with physical activity, but the goal is to strengthen your heart and that’s what physical activity can do. Physical activity trains your heart to be more efficient so it doesn’t work as hard when you’re at rest. You can start slowly — such as taking a walk, bicycle ride, or yoga class — they can all help. If you feel you’d like more active exercise, you can try joining an exercise class or running. Here are some other ideas:
- If you sit most of the day, take regular “stand-up” breaks. Get up, walk around your office, down the hall, or wherever you can get moving a bit.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Park farther away from the entrance of the building.
- Get off one bus or subway stop early.
Keep cool
Hot environments can raise your resting heart rate because your body has to work harder to cool down. Staying in cooler areas can keep your body from working so hard.
Quit smoking and other forms of tobacco
Smoking and other tobacco products cause your arteries and veins to get smaller. This can lead to a higher heart rate because your heart has to pump harder to get the blood circulating throughout your body. Eliminating tobacco products can help bring your pulse down to a healthier level.
Work on your mental health
We know that stress and anxiety can raise your resting heart rate, but so can other mental health conditions, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and schizophrenia. If you are experiencing stress, try to find ways to lower it, which in turn would lower your heart rate. This could mean taking a yoga class or doing meditation, for example. If your anxiety is too strong to handle on your own, speak to your doctor. You might benefit from counseling or medications. If you have another mental illness, you may need treatment from a psychiatrist.
Focus on your diet
A healthy diet is the cornerstone of heart health. Heart-healthy foods include:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Whole grains, such as oatmeal, brown rice
- Fat-free or low-fat dairy products
- Protein-rich foods, such as fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids (salmon, tuna, trout)
- Lean meats
- Eggs
- Nuts and seeds
- Tofu
- Legumes, such as lentils and kidney beans
Oils that are high in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats are healthier as well. These include canola oil, corn oil, olive oil, and sesame oil, among others.
Control caffeine intake
Your coffee habit or other beverages with caffeine could be increasing your resting heart rate. Caffeine encourages your body to release hormones such as adrenaline, which can raise both pulse and blood pressure. If you feel you can’t cut out your morning coffee or other drinks completely, try reducing your intake.
Drink more water
If you’re dehydrated, your heart rate rises because there is less fluid for your blood to push through your body. Be sure to drink fluids not only when you’re thirsty but throughout the day. The rule of thumb is to drink about eight glasses of water a day, but there are times when you may need more fluids than usual, such as during exercise, hot weather, or when you’re sick, pregnant, or nursing.
Keep in mind that you can also get fluids in other ways. About 20% of your daily intake of fluid comes from foods. If you enjoy having soup for a meal or other food with liquids, that counts, as do other drinks, such as a cup of tea or a glass of milk. But avoid sugary drinks, such as sodas or energy drinks.
Limit alcohol
Although alcohol may help you feel relaxed, it actually raises your resting heart rate. If your resting pulse is too fast and you do drink alcohol, try cutting back, or stopping completely.
Maintain a healthy weight
People who are not at a healthy weight tend to have faster resting heart rates, but they may find it difficult to lose weight or stay at a healthy weight. Becoming more active and switching to a heart-healthy diet may help.
Get more sleep
Sometimes, this is easier said than done, but getting more restful sleep may help lower your resting heart rate. Waking up a lot or having poor sleep not only can speed up your heart, but it can also cause heart palpitations.
Control your diabetes
If you have diabetes, you may have noticed that your heart rate rises when your blood glucose levels are high. Elevated blood sugar does affect your heart rate, so by keeping your A1c levels as low as your doctor recommends, you have a better chance of lowering your resting heart rate.
How to Lower Your Heart Rate Immediately at Home
If your resting heart rate is too fast because you just did some physical activity or you’re stressed or anxious, there are some steps you can take to try and lower your pulse:
- Sit down in a comfortable chair and take a break.
- Focus on your breathing, slow and calm.
- Count to 10 slowly.
- Listen to music.
- Spend some time outside in nature.
- Dream about a place where you’d like to be.
- Meditate.
- Be creative and engage in a relaxing activity, such as knitting or drawing.
Other Ways to Lower Your Heart Rate
Often, your pulse might jump up for a little while and slow down naturally. If your heart rate doesn’t go down though or your rate increases regularly, speak with your doctor as soon as you can.
Some medications cause a rapid pulse, so be sure to tell your doctor about all medications, prescription and over-the-counter (OTC), that you take. Don’t forget to mention any supplements, even natural ones. Your doctor may advise you to stop taking some OTC drugs or supplements or change prescriptions.
Depending on how fast your heart is beating or what is causing your heart to beat so quickly, your doctor may suggest one of the following:
Vagal maneuvers. Vagal maneuvers are physical actions you can do that sometimes reset your heart rate. There are a few ways to perform a vagal maneuver. For example, you can hold your nose and breathe out through your mouth, like when you want to pop your ears when you’re on an airplane. You could also put a cold ice pack on your face, bear down as if you’re going to have a bowel movement, or cough forcefully.
Medication. Your doctor may prescribe a medication to help treat an abnormal heart rate. Drugs such as beta-blockers may help prevent future episodes.
Pacemaker. This small device can sense a rapid heartbeat and be programmed to send an electrical signal to help the heart return to normal. Your doctor would implant it under your skin.
Catheter ablation. Sometimes, the cause of your racing pulse may be an extra electrical pathway in the heart. Your doctor would perform a catheter ablation, which stops the extra circuit from sending signals. It doesn’t require surgery. Usually, this is suggested only when medicines don't work.
Cardioversion. There are two ways to do cardioversion, with electrical shock or medications. Performing a cardioversion is often an emergency, but it can also be planned. To do an electrical cardioversion, your doctor applies paddles or patches to your chest to give your heart a shock. Cardioversion done with medications is called chemical cardioversion. The drugs can be given by mouth or through an IV.
When to Contact the Doctor About Your Heart Rate
Once in a while, if you feel your heart racing while at rest, but it returns to normal quickly, it’s probably not serious. However, if your heart races a lot or takes a long time to slow down, you should see your doctor, especially if you have a history or family history of heart disease, high blood pressure, or a heart attack. You also should mention it to our doctor if you feel faint when your heart races.
If your heart is racing and you have chest pain or other possible symptoms of a heart attack, such as shortness of breath, sweating, nausea, and dizziness, this is a medical emergency. Call 911 right away.
Takeaways
Having a fast resting heart rate is not usually harmful if you’re healthy and it doesn’t happen all the time. Your heart might race because you’ve just exercised or you’re experiencing some anxiety or stress. Much of the time, you can slow it down by resting or doing relaxation techniques like meditation. If your heart races a lot though, and you have trouble slowing it down, you should speak with your doctor to see if it may be a sign of something more serious. If your heart races and you have signs of a heart attack or heart disease, this is a medical emergency, and you should call 911.
Heart Rate FAQs
Why should you lower your heart rate? Your resting heart rate is one indication of your heart health. If it’s higher than usual over a long period, it causes your heart to work harder than it should.
How does age affect the heart rate? The younger you are as a child, the faster your heart rate. Infants, for example, have a usual resting heart rate of 100 to 150 beats per minute. Once you’re an adult, the average is 60 to 100 beats per minute. After that, age doesn’t have an impact on your resting heart rate.
What is a good resting heart rate? The average resting heart rate for a healthy adult is anywhere from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
What is heart rate variability? Heart rate variability (HRV) is the term used to describe the variations in the time intervals between heartbeats. These times are very small, within a fraction of a second.
