What is a Good Resting Heart Rate?

It was the soft thump-thump drumbeat that few of us thought about until health tech became ubiquitous. For years, noting our resting heart rate was left to medical professionals who pressed two fingers on the inside of our wrists to count the number of times the heart beat per minute. These days, getting that number is as easy as tapping the screen of any wearable.

Then and now, our resting heart rate (RHR) remains a window into our cardiovascular health as well as a measure of our overall physical fitness. “It informs us about potential problems,” says Alex Velasquez, M.D., a cardiologist who specializes in cardiac electrophysiology at the University of Miami Health System. “It’s a snapshot of how efficiently your heart is working when you’re at rest.”

Your resting heart rate quantifies your heart beats per minute while you’re sitting or lying down.

Most of us will typically score within the 60–100 bpm range, but that can vary quite a bit depending on gender, age, overall health, overtraining, and even mood. In fact, normal RHR can differ by as much as 70 bpm from one person to another.

Women, for example, tend to have a higher RHR than men — an estimated two to seven beats per minute faster. That’s because women usually have smaller hearts that must beat more often to circulate the same amount of blood around the body. What’s more, hormonal fluctuations — think menstrual cycle and perimenopause — can increase their heart rates.

Children have higher RHR — about 100–160 bpm — also because their hearts are smaller.

And while RHR slows with age, the elderly may see an uptick because of age-related changes to their autonomic nervous system (which controls such functions as breathing) and reduced heart efficiency.

As anyone with a smartwatch knows, a person’s own resting heart rate can vary, “It’s continually changing for each person,” Dr. Velasquez explains. “It’s actually a range, not a fixed point.” (Knowing your baseline is more important because it helps you spot any unusual variations.)

In a healthy person, the resting heart rate will clock in lower at night and higher during the day, he added. It can also depend on many variables, from the position of one’s body when the measurement is taken to how active the person has been minutes earlier. Lifestyle factors influence the number as well: medications, stress, poor sleep, dehydration, and a variety of chronic conditions from diabetes to hypertension.

An individual’s fitness level also plays a huge part. Athletes, especially those who participate in endurance sports, can have an RHR as low as 30 to 40 bpm. A 2024 study comparing elite endurance athletes to healthy non-athletes found that the lower RHR was due to the athletes’ enlarged cardiac chambers and increased stroke volume. These changes to the heart allow it to pump more effectively with fewer beats per minute.

While such a low RHR may be commonplace among athletes, it can mean something quite different for the average Joe or Jane.

In fact, a low RHR, as well as a high RHR, can be a symptom of a health problem. If you lead a sedentary lifestyle and your RHR is consistently below 50 or 60 bpm, it could be the result of a condition called bradycardia. But it could also serve as a tipoff to sleep apnea, hypothyroidism and other heart issues.

A consistently high number, on the other hand, may be a clue not only to poor cardiovascular health, but anemia, hyperthyroidism, lung disease, or a current/ chronic infection as well. Numerous studies have linked high RHR to an increased risk of stroke, heart disease, and early mortality. Dr. Velasquez suggests you consult your physician, particularly if you’re feeling short of breath, chest discomfort, dizziness or palpitations.

Just the same, Dr. Velasquez says that for most healthy individuals who fall withing the normal range, RHR isn’t something to stress about. “Yes, you should be conscious of it, but I don’t see it as a mark to reach for,” he says. “It’s just a data point.”

RHR is one of several variables — including blood pressure, cholesterol levels, waist circumference, and V02 Max (maximum oxygen your body uses during exercise — that help a doctor determine heart health.

If you want to improve your cardiovascular health and make your heart function more efficient, Dr. Velasquez suggests eating a balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough sleep, and prioritizing exercise by getting the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate movement.

 “That’s what we should be aiming for,” he adds. “They’re the foundation of good health.”

Written by Ana Veciana-Suárez, a regular contributor to the University of Miami Health System. She is an acclaimed author and journalist who has worked for The Miami Herald, The Miami News, and The Palm Beach Post.

Tags: Cardiovascular health monitoring, Dr. Alex Vasquez, Heart rate and physical fitness, Heart rate variability, Resting heart rate significance