Introduction to your Resting Heart Rate
It seems odd that you can calculate your aerobic fitness levels when asleep or doing nothing. But it turns out that you can. If you measure your resting heart rate regularly, you can see both your long-term progress and daily fluctuations. In addition, measuring your resting heart rate can help determine if you are fit for training, too overtrained or stressed.
What is your Resting Heart Rate?
Your resting heart rate is the rate at which your heart beats per minute while asleep. This measurement gives you a clear picture of how your heart muscle functions. Another way that some medical professionals define it is the basal heart rate. Or base measurement.
How do you calculate your Resting Heartbeat?
The best way to measure your Resting Heart Rate is with a heart rate monitor. Over the years, I have used a couple by Polar, which I have liked.
However, now my favorite is my Apple Watch. Not only is it always on my wrist, but it has a lot of functional apps that I relie on. Mostly for fitness and health.
If you don’t have an electronic monitor, you can also measure your heart rate by simply checking your pulse. The two options are:
- Your carotid artery, found in your neck, is to the side of your windpipe.
- Your radial artery is below your thumb on the wrist, between the bone and tendon.
Place your third finger and the index finger on your thumb. Or neck. To calculate beats per minute, count the beats within 15 seconds. Then multiply your number by four.
Do not attempt to measure your resting heartbeat after exercise or stressful activities. If your heart rate is high following a workout, or any other strenuous activity, leave it for at least an hour. Your resting heart rate recovery time should be allowed to occur just like any other part of your body.
The American Heart Association suggests measuring your resting heart rate before getting out of bed in the morning.
Regular resting heart rate
Adults should have a resting heartbeat of 60-100 beats per minute. However, healthy and relaxed people should be lower than 90.
An athlete at the heights of their training will have a resting heartbeat of around 40. If you have a lower resting heart rate, this can signify that you have good cardiovascular fitness and a healthy heart function.
It is a good idea to monitor how your heartbeat changes over time. If your resting pulse rate drops due to training, this is a sign that you have improved your aerobic fitness.
What impacts your resting heartbeat?
Your heartbeat can be affected by many factors. Here are some of the critical factors to keep in mind:
- Your age Your resting heartbeat generally increases with age. Typically due to decreased physical fitness.
- When you last trained: Your nervous system is more active when you recover after exercise than an hour later when you have recovered. If your heart rate is high for hours after training, you might be overtraining.
- State of mind: Different emotions can affect the nervous system. Your heart rate drops when you are calm—your heart rate increases when you are excited. If you can control your emotions, you can manage your heart rate.
- Stress levels: The central nervous system controls the heart and other functions to prepare the body for stress. You may notice an increase in your heartbeat when you are stressed.
- Body Temperature: Higher temperatures cause blood to flow closer to the skin’s surface, allowing blood to cool. When this happens, your heart beats faster. In contrast, if you are in a cooler environment, blood circulation in the peripheral parts of your body decreases, and your heart rate will be lower.
- Genetics: A difference in the rate of beats per minute between two people of the same age and exact fitness levels. Everyone’s different genetics affect your heart rate.
- Dehydration: When you are dehydrated, your blood plasma levels decrease. Your heart must pump more quickly than usual to maintain body temperature and provide nutrients and oxygen to peripheral muscles. Dehydration causes a rise in your resting heart rate.
Resting Heartbeat Increasing
Most people will see an increase in their resting heart rate as they age.
Although you cannot stop the aging process in your body, you can minimize its effects on your cardiovascular system. For example, you can reduce your resting heart rate by exercising in various heart rate zones.
Insufficient sleep can lead to a rise in resting heart rate. Chronic sleep deprivation is a condition where you feel constantly tired. The lack of sleep can lead to fatigue, a slower metabolism, and an increase in your resting heart rate. Ideally, you should get at least seven or eight hours of sleep each night.
Another reason that could cause your heart rate to rise is your body temperature. It could be because your body is trying to cool down. On the other hand, you could also be suffering from dehydration. Drinking water can help lower your resting heart rate.
You may wonder why your resting heart rate has suddenly increased on the hottest days of summer. It could be that your body is dehydrating if you feel extremely thirsty.
It’s essential to pay attention to your mental health and emotional well-being. Long-term stress or anxiety can lead to an increase in your resting heartbeat. Your heart could be under a lot of stress if you are constantly in the ‘fight or flight mode’ in your daily life.
Talk to your doctor about your mental health, and learn relaxation techniques. Meditation, guided breathing, long walks, and reading is excellent ways to calm the mind and body, as is exercise.
What Happens if my Beats per Minute Decreases
A low resting heartbeat is often an indicator of peak physical fitness. However, a low resting heart rate can also cause dizziness or exhaustion. Talk to your doctor if you are experiencing any of these symptoms.
Remember that beta-blockers, which block adrenaline, can slow down your pulse. In addition, be aware of the potential side effects of prescription drugs that could affect your heart rate.
Increases and Decreases
Now that you know, many factors can cause fluctuations in your resting heart rate. Therefore, if you notice a change in your resting heart rate, it is essential to consider all possible causes.
It may be temporary. It is usual for your heartbeat to fluctuate if you change your sleep pattern, are taking medication, are experiencing stress, are changing your training schedule, or are being affected by the heat.
Your heart rate can fluctuate, so it’s not always a sign of trouble.
If your heart rate is over 100 beats per minute, you may have tachycardia, which could be due to a heart rhythm disorder. If you aren’t a professional athlete, your heartbeat is less than 60 beats per minute, and you feel dizzy or short of breath, then you may have bradycardia. It’s essential to consult a doctor if you have these symptoms.
Monitoring your Heart
As I mentioned earlier in this post, I use the Apple Watch to monitor my resting heart rate. To read the Apple Watch data about my heart rate, I use an app called Heartwatch.
The Heartwatch app is a complete heart rate monitor that provides comprehensive monitoring of your heart activity. No matter what you are doing – walking, sitting, exercising, and even sleeping. It will also alert you if your resting heartbeat increases above 100 or below 60.
To read more about the Heartwatch App, see this article.
Read more about your heart; how does this compare with your maximum heart rate?