You’re sitting on the couch, maybe scrolling through your phone, when you feel that rhythmic thumping in your chest or a slight vibration on your wrist from a smartwatch. That’s your heart doing its job. But have you ever stopped to wonder if it's working too hard or maybe not hard enough while you’re just hanging out? Understanding what is the resting heart rate—and more importantly, what your specific number says about your cardiovascular health—is a lot more nuanced than just checking a box during a physical.
It’s personal.
Most people think of 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) as the "gold standard" for a healthy heart. That’s what the American Heart Association (AHA) has cited for decades. But honestly, that range is massive. It’s a wide net. A resting heart rate of 98 bpm is technically "normal," yet it’s worlds apart from the 45 bpm of a marathon runner or the 65 bpm of a healthy office worker. If you’re at the higher end of that spectrum, your heart is beating nearly 50,000 more times per day than someone at the lower end. That’s a lot of extra wear and tear on the ticker.
The Science of the "Basal" Pulse
Basically, your resting heart rate (RHR) is the minimum amount of blood your heart needs to pump to keep your body functioning while you are at complete rest. Think of it like your car’s idle speed. When you're parked at a red light, the engine is still humming. If that idle is too high, you’re burning fuel for no reason. If it’s too low, the engine might stall.
Your heart is a muscle, and like any muscle, it gets more efficient with training. When you exercise, the heart’s chambers (specifically the left ventricle) get stronger and can push out more blood with every single contraction. This is called stroke volume. Because more blood moves per beat, the heart doesn't have to beat as often. This is why elite athletes, like cyclist Miguel Induráin—who famously had a resting heart rate of 28 bpm—can survive with a pulse that would put a normal person in the emergency room.
But don’t go comparing yourself to a Tour de France winner just yet.
For the rest of us, RHR is influenced by a messy cocktail of genetics, age, stress levels, and even the temperature of the room you're in. Even your hydration status matters. If you're dehydrated, your blood volume drops, making the blood thicker and harder to pump. Your heart responds by kicking up the tempo to compensate. It’s a delicate balance.
Why "Normal" Isn't Always "Optimal"
Let's get into the weeds of the numbers. While 60-100 bpm is the clinical "normal," researchers have been finding that the lower end of that range is usually a much better predictor of longevity. A landmark study published in the journal Heart tracked about 3,000 men for 16 years. The findings were pretty startling: those with a resting heart rate between 81 and 90 bpm had double the risk of death compared to those with a rate under 50 bpm.
If your RHR is consistently over 90, the risk tripled.
This brings up the concept of tachycardia. Usually, doctors define tachycardia as a resting heart rate over 100 bpm. It can be caused by anything from anemia and thyroid issues to high levels of stress or too much caffeine. On the flip side, you have bradycardia, which is a rate below 60. While bradycardia is often a sign of high-level fitness, in non-athletes, it might signal that the heart's natural pacemaker isn't sending electrical signals correctly.
The Influence of Your Autonomic Nervous System
Your heart rate isn't just about the heart itself; it’s a direct window into your nervous system. Specifically, the interplay between your sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest) systems.
If you are constantly stressed, your sympathetic nervous system is stuck in the "on" position. It floods your body with cortisol and adrenaline. Your heart rate stays elevated because your brain thinks you’re about to be chased by a predator, even if you’re just stressed about an email from your boss. This chronic elevation is what leads to long-term issues like hypertension and arterial stiffness.
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Tracking It the Right Way
You’ve probably got a Fitbit, an Apple Watch, or a Garmin. These devices are great, but they aren’t infallible. They use photoplethysmography (PPG)—basically using green light to track blood flow through your skin. While PPG is fairly accurate for what is the resting heart rate during sleep, it can get wonky if the watch is loose or if you have darker skin tones, which can sometimes interfere with the light absorption.
The most accurate way to find your true RHR? Use your fingers.
- Timing is everything. Check it the second you wake up, before you even get out of bed.
- Don't have that coffee yet. Caffeine is a stimulant that can artificially bump your rate by 5-10 beats.
- Find your radial pulse. Place two fingers on the thumb side of your wrist.
- Count for a full minute. You can count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, but for the most accurate "resting" state, a full 60-second count is better because it accounts for natural irregularities in rhythm (like sinus arrhythmia, where your heart rate speeds up slightly when you inhale).
Factors That Mess With Your Numbers
It’s easy to panic when you see a high number, but context is king.
Alcohol consumption is a massive, often overlooked factor. Even a single glass of wine can raise your resting heart rate for several hours. Alcohol puts stress on the central nervous system, and your heart has to work harder to process the toxins. If you’ve ever noticed your Oura ring or Apple Watch giving you a "poor recovery" score after a night out, that’s why.
Temperature and Humidity. When it's hot, your body sends more blood to the surface of your skin to help you cool down via sweat. This means there's less blood for the internal organs, so the heart beats faster to keep up with the demand.
Age and Sex. Generally, women tend to have slightly higher resting heart rates than men. This is mostly due to the fact that women typically have smaller hearts, which require more beats to pump the same volume of blood. As we age, our max heart rate drops, but our resting heart rate doesn't necessarily follow a linear path—it’s more of a reflection of our lifestyle choices and cardiovascular maintenance.
When Should You Actually Worry?
One high reading isn't a death sentence. It’s the trend that matters.
If you notice your RHR has climbed from 62 to 75 over the course of a month, and you haven't changed your exercise routine, your body might be trying to tell you something. Maybe you’re overtraining. Maybe you’re fighting off a sub-clinical infection. Maybe your stress levels are hitting a breaking point.
Palpitations are another story. If your heart feels like it’s skipping beats, "flopping" in your chest, or racing uncontrollably while you're sitting still, that’s not just a high RHR. That could be Atrial Fibrillation (AFib) or another arrhythmia. If those sensations are accompanied by dizziness, shortness of breath, or chest pain, you don't wait for a blog post to tell you what to do—you go to the ER.
Real-World Nuance: The Athlete’s Paradox
There is a point where a low heart rate becomes a concern even for fit people. It’s called "Athletic Heart Syndrome." While usually benign, extreme endurance training can actually remodel the heart's structure. While a 35 bpm pulse might be fine for a pro cyclist, if that person starts feeling faint or lethargic during the day, it means the heart has become so "slow" that it’s not providing enough oxygenated blood to the brain during normal movements.
Medical professionals like Dr. Peter Attia often discuss the importance of "Zone 2" training to improve RHR. This is steady-state cardio where you can still hold a conversation. It’s the "sweet spot" for strengthening the heart muscle without the massive systemic inflammation that comes from constant high-intensity intervals.
Actionable Steps to Improve Your Numbers
If you’ve realized your resting heart rate is higher than you’d like, don't just stare at your watch in despair. You can actually move the needle.
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- Prioritize Sleep Hygiene. Your heart rate hits its absolute lowest during deep sleep. If you’re only getting 5 hours of restless shut-eye, your heart never gets its recovery period. Aim for 7-9 hours to allow the parasympathetic nervous system to fully take the reins.
- Magnesium and Hydration. Many people are chronically low in magnesium, a mineral essential for proper muscle and nerve function—including the heart. Proper electrolyte balance ensures the electrical signals in your heart fire correctly.
- Breathwork. It sounds "woo-woo," but it’s pure physiology. Practicing box breathing (inhale for 4, hold for 4, exhale for 4, hold for 4) stimulates the vagus nerve. This sends a signal to your heart to slow down almost instantly.
- Consistent Aerobic Base Building. You don't need to sprint. Walking 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace is often more effective for long-term RHR reduction than a once-a-week brutal gym session.
The Bottom Line
Your resting heart rate is a dynamic metric. It’s a snapshot of your current state of being. Don't obsess over a single beat, but pay attention to the story the numbers are telling you over weeks and months.
If you want to start improving your heart health today, start by tracking your RHR every morning for seven days. Write the numbers down. Look for patterns. If you see a spike on Tuesday, think about what happened Monday night. Did you eat a late, heavy meal? Did you stay up late? This data is the most honest feedback your body can give you. Use it.