You’re sitting on the couch, maybe scrolling through your phone, and your smartwatch buzzed. You look down. Your resting pulse rate 85 is staring back at you in bright green numbers. It feels high. Or maybe it doesn't feel like anything at all, which is almost more annoying because you don't know if you should be worried.
Is it fine? Technically, yeah. Most doctors will tell you that the "normal" range for an adult is anywhere between 60 and 100 beats per minute (BPM).
But honestly, "normal" is a pretty big bucket.
Think about it this way. If 60 is the gold standard for an athlete and 100 is the edge of tachycardia, 85 is kind of sitting in that awkward middle ground. It’s not an emergency. You aren't about to keel over. But it’s also not exactly "optimal" for most people. If your heart is beating 85 times every single minute while you’re doing absolutely nothing, it’s working harder than it probably needs to. Over a lifetime, those extra beats add up.
The Gap Between "Normal" and "Healthy"
We have to talk about the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines versus real-world longevity studies. While the AHA keeps that 60–100 range as the baseline, researchers have been looking closer at the higher end of that spectrum for years.
Take the Copenhagen City Heart Study. They tracked thousands of people for decades. What they found was a bit of a wake-up call for the "I'm under 100 so I'm fine" crowd. People with a resting heart rate between 81 and 90 BPM had a significantly higher risk of mortality compared to those under 60. Specifically, the risk of death was about 25% higher.
That sounds scary. It’s not meant to be. It’s just data.
A resting pulse rate 85 is essentially a signal. It’s your body's check-engine light, but the one that comes on for a low-priority sensor, not because the transmission is falling out. It’s telling you that your autonomic nervous system—the thing that runs your body on autopilot—is leaning a bit more toward "fight or flight" than "rest and digest."
Why is your heart working this hard?
There are a million reasons why you might see 85 on your screen.
Dehydration is a massive one. When you’re low on fluids, your blood volume actually drops. To keep your blood pressure stable and get oxygen to your brain, your heart has to pump faster. It’s simple physics. If you haven't had a glass of water in four hours and you see an 85, go drink sixteen ounces and check again in thirty minutes. You’ll probably see it drop.
Stress is the other obvious culprit. And I don’t just mean "I have a deadline" stress. I mean the low-grade, constant hum of modern life. Your sympathetic nervous system is sensitive. If you’re worried about a text message, or you just finished a stressful video game, or you’re thinking about your mortgage, your heart rate reflects that.
Then there’s the stuff we don’t like to talk about. Caffeine. Alcohol. Nicotine.
If you had a double espresso two hours ago, your resting pulse rate 85 is completely expected. Caffeine blocks adenosine receptors, which normally help calm things down. Without that "brake," your heart speeds up. Alcohol is even weirder. Even though it’s a depressant, it actually tends to raise your heart rate for hours after you drink it because of how it affects the nervous system during the metabolic process.
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When Should You Actually Worry?
Context is everything.
If you are a 25-year-old marathon runner and your resting heart rate is 85, something is wrong. You might be overtraining, or you might have an underlying thyroid issue. Hyperthyroidism—when your thyroid is overactive—essentially puts your metabolism into overdrive. Your heart rate is often the first thing to jump.
On the other hand, if you’re a 55-year-old who mostly walks the dog for exercise and drinks three cups of coffee a day, 85 is pretty much par for the course.
The Tachycardia Threshold
Medical professionals call anything over 100 BPM "tachycardia."
At 85, you are 15 beats away from that clinical definition. It's a cushion, but it’s a thin one. If you notice that your heart rate jumps from 85 to 110 just by standing up to walk to the kitchen, you might be looking at something like POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) or just general deconditioning.
Conditioning matters.
The heart is a muscle. If you don't train it, it gets "floppy" and inefficient. An inefficient heart has to beat more often to move the same amount of blood. This is why high-level athletes often have resting heart rates in the 40s or 50s. Their heart is so strong that one single pump moves a massive amount of oxygenated blood. Your heart at 85 is basically doing double the work of a pro cyclist’s heart.
The Stealth Killers of a Low Heart Rate
Poor sleep.
It’s the thing everyone ignores. If you aren't getting into deep, restorative REM sleep, your body never fully resets its stress hormones. Cortisol stays high. Adrenaline stays slightly elevated. You wake up, and your resting pulse rate 85 is already there waiting for you before you even get out of bed.
Anemia is another "hidden" cause. If your blood doesn't have enough iron, it can't carry oxygen effectively. Your heart tries to compensate by circulating the "weak" blood faster. It’s a clever workaround by your body, but it’s exhausting in the long run.
Then there’s the temperature. If your house is too hot, or if you’re slightly feverish, your heart rate climbs. Your body pumps more blood to the skin to try and dump heat.
How to measure it correctly
Most people check their pulse wrong.
They check it after walking up the stairs. Or while they’re talking. Or right after a meal. Digestion actually takes a lot of energy—your heart rate naturally goes up after you eat a big meal because your body is diverting blood flow to your gut.
To get a true reading of your resting pulse rate 85, you need to:
- Sit still for at least 10 minutes.
- Don't talk.
- Don't look at stressful news.
- Keep your feet flat on the floor.
- Ensure you haven't had caffeine in the last two hours.
If it’s still 85 after all that? Okay, that's your baseline.
Moving the Needle: How to Lower It
You aren't stuck at 85. Not by a long shot.
The most effective way to lower a resting heart rate is through Zone 2 cardio. This is the kind of exercise where you can still hold a conversation but you're definitely working. Think brisk walking or a slow jog. When you do this for 30–40 minutes a few times a week, you're essentially teaching your heart to be more efficient. You’re thickening the walls of the left ventricle and increasing the stroke volume.
Basically, you’re upgrading your engine so it can run at lower RPMs.
Magnesium supplementation is another thing people swear by, and for good reason. Magnesium is involved in over 300 biochemical reactions in the body, including the electrical signals that tell your heart to beat. Many people are chronically deficient. Checking with a doctor before starting supplements is smart, but for many, getting their electrolytes in balance is the quickest path away from a resting pulse rate 85.
The Psychology of the Number
Don't let the tracker ruin your life.
Health anxiety is a real thing. If you keep checking your pulse every five minutes, you are going to trigger a stress response that keeps the number high. It’s a feedback loop. Your heart rate is 85 because you’re worried it’s 85.
Break the cycle.
Take the watch off for a day. Focus on how you feel. Are you dizzy? Short of breath? Do you have chest pain? If the answer is no, then 85 is just a number on a screen. It’s a metric to improve, not a death sentence to fear.
Actionable Steps for Today
If you want to see that number move into the 70s or 60s, you need a plan that isn't just "worrying more."
First, track your hydration for 24 hours. Aim for about 3 liters if you’re an average-sized adult. You might find that your heart rate drops 5–10 beats just by being properly hydrated.
Second, look at your "sleep hygiene." Turn off the screens an hour before bed. Keep your room cool—ideally around 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. A cooler body temperature naturally leads to a lower resting heart rate during sleep, which often carries over into the morning.
Third, incorporate "box breathing." Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4. Do this for two minutes. This directly stimulates the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is like the "off switch" for your stress response. It’s one of the few ways you can manually override your heart rate in real-time.
Finally, get some blood work done. Ask for a full iron panel and a TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) test. If your resting pulse rate 85 is caused by a physiological imbalance, no amount of deep breathing will fix it as well as addressing the root cause.
Your heart is a resilient, incredible machine. It’s going to beat about 2.5 billion times in your life. If it’s clicking along at 85 right now, it’s just asking for a little bit of maintenance. Give it what it needs—water, movement, and a little less stress—and it’ll likely settle back down into a more relaxed rhythm. Don't ignore the data, but don't let it keep you up at night either. Just start making the small shifts that lead to a stronger, slower, and more efficient heart.