Normal Resting Heart Rates by Age

The normal resting heart rate varies by age. In adults, any number between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm) is considered a good resting heart rate. Babies and young children have higher resting heart rates than older kids, teens, and adults.

Resting heart rate is your heart rate while at rest. It serves as an indication of your general fitness. A lower resting heart rate generally indicates a higher degree of fitness. Even so, certain medical conditions can cause an abnormally low or high resting heart rate.

This article explains what the resting heart rate should be for different age groups, how it is measured, and what low or high resting heart rates say about your health.

What Is Resting Heart Rate?

Resting heart rate describes the number of times your heart beats each minute while you are at rest. A higher-than-normal heart rate could be a sign of a health problem, but other things can also affect your heart rate. For example:

• How fit you are
• Stress or anxiety
• Hormones
• Medication

If you have a resting heart rate that is consistently outside the range of what is considered normal, your healthcare provider may want to evaluate you to find out the cause.

Is Resting Heart Rate a Good Indicator of Health?

A heart that beats faster than normal is under more stress than a heart that beats at a normal rate. If you have a consistently higher-than-normal resting heart rate, it can signal a problem with your heart or another medical condition. A heart rate that is regularly higher than 100 beats per minute is called tachycardia.

In someone who is very fit, a slow heart rate is usually considered normal. A slow heart rate in a person who is not a trained athlete, however, could point to a health problem. When you have a consistently slower-than-normal heart rate, your body's organs may not be getting enough oxygen from your blood. A heart rate that is consistently below 60 beats per minute is called bradycardia.

Normal Resting Heart Rate by Age

From birth to adulthood, the resting heart rate varies. In babies and children, the rate is generally higher, mainly because their hearts are smaller. The rate will gradually decrease until age 10 when the expected range of values will stabilize through adulthood.

The resting heart rate range, measured in bpm, is the expected range of values seen in 95% of people in that age group.

Resting Heart Rate in Older Adults

The normal resting heart rate for people over 10 years of age, including older adults, is between 60 and 100 beats bpm. If the rate is significantly higher or lower, it usually indicates that your functional status is poor.

Functional status, also known as performance status, refers to your ability to perform everyday tasks, to remain mobile, and to live independently at home.

A 2016 study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal suggests that the resting heart rate alone—independent of sex, medications, and cardiovascular risk factors—influences whether your functional status is good or poor for your age.

To this end, you need to follow the physical activity guidelines issued by the Department of Health and Human Services whether you are a younger or older adult. If you can't manage the recommended 150 minutes of activity each week, be as physically active as your abilities allow.

If you are living with a chronic condition such as heart disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), speak with your healthcare provider first to determine what is the most appropriate plan based on your current functional status.

With time and persistence, your functional status—along with your resting heart rate—should improve.

How to Measure Your Heart Rate

Though there are smartwatches and heart rate monitors able to measure your heart rate automatically, all you need is a watch with a second hand. To get an accurate resting heart rate reading, you need to be at rest.

To measure your heart rate, place a finger over your radial artery or carotid artery. The radial artery is found at the base of the wrist on the side of the thumb. The carotid artery is found on the neck to the side of the windpipe, just under the jaw.

Once you have located the artery, place your index and middle fingers over it and count the number of pulses you feel in one minute. (A quicker method is to count the number of beats over 15 seconds and multiply this by four to determine beats per minute.)

What Causes a Low Resting Heart Rate?

Having a low heart rate is not necessarily a bad thing. Performance athletes like long-distance runners, for example, can have a resting heart rate in the low 40s and still be considered healthy.

However, for most people, a low heart rate may be a sign of a problem, especially when accompanied by:

• Lightheadedness, dizziness, or fainting
• Weakness
• Fatigue
• Shortness of breath
• Confusion

There are many different causes of bradycardia, including:

• A congenital heart defect
• Heart block (caused by problems with the heart's electrical system)
• Heart damage caused by a heart attack or heart disease
• Hypercalcemia (abnormally high blood calcium)
  
• Hyperkalemia (abnormally high blood potassium)
• Hyperparathyroidism (overactive parathyroid gland)
• Hyponatremia (low blood sodium)
  
• Hypothermia (low body temperature due to exposure to cold)
• Hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid)
• Intracranial pressure (increased pressure under the skull)
• Lupus (an inflammatory autoimmune disease)
• Myocarditis (heart muscle inflammation)
• Obstructive sleep apnea (gaps in breathing during sleep)
• Sick sinus syndrome (a heart rhythm problem common in adults over 70)
• Certain medications like sedatives, opioid drugs, beta-blockers, and calcium channel blockers
  

What Causes a High Resting Heart Rate?

Aside from recent exercise, many medical conditions are associated with tachycardia, including:

• Anemia (low red blood cells)
  
• Being overweight or having obesity
• Dehydration
• Fever
• Heavy alcohol use or alcohol withdrawal
• Heart failure (where the heart is less able to pump blood)
• High levels of anxiety
• Hypocalcemia (abnormally low blood calcium)
• Hypokalemia (abnormally low blood potassium)
• Hypoparathyroidism (underactive parathyroid gland)
• Hypotension (low blood pressure)
• Hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid)
  
• Smoking tobacco
  
• Stimulations like caffeine, nicotine, cocaine, and crystal methamphetamine
  

How to Lower Your Resting Heart Rate

You can lower your resting heart rate by improving your physical fitness and making some lifestyle changes. Regular cardio exercise (like running, swimming, or biking) trains the heart to become more efficient over time.

In addition to exercise, other lifestyle modifications may improve your resting heart rate, including:

• Quitting cigarettes
• Cutting back on alcohol
• Reducing your caffeine intake
• Getting plenty of sleep
• Losing weight if you have obesity
• Managing stress with meditation, yoga, or breathing exercises
  

The aim is to improve what is known as your target heart rate zone. This is your heart rate during moderate-intensity activities (defined as 50% to 85% of your maximum heart rate).

The target heart rate zone and maximum heart rate vary by a person's age.

When to See Your Healthcare Provider

See your healthcare provider if you have a resting heart rate that is consistently higher than 100 beats per minute. You should also see a healthcare provider if your heart rate is consistently lower than 60 beats per minute and you are not an athlete.

Other symptoms can occur along with a heart rate that is too high or low. These symptoms are also an indication that you should see your healthcare provider:

• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness or fainting
  

Summary

Your resting heart rate is an indicator of your general fitness, with lower values associated with better health outcomes. For most adults, the normal resting heart rate is 60–100 bpm. It can be even lower in athletes or people who regularly engage in strenuous physical activity.

People can improve their resting heart rate by routinely exercising, quitting smoking, reducing alcohol and caffeine intake, and managing stress.