Why Resting Heart Rate Matters For Your Health: An Age-By-Age Guide
Heart rate is one of the key indicators of your general health, particularly your cardiovascular health. It refers to the number of times your heart beats per minute and measures how much work your heart is doing. For a healthy adult at rest, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). However, if your heart rate is abnormally faster or slower than this range, it can indicate a health problem.
It is important to know that resting heart rate changes with age due to a number of factors. To know more about it, we spoke to Dr Tanmai Yermal (Jain), Consultant Cardiologist, Manipal Hospital, Kharadi, Pune, who also listed the normal resting heart rate according to different age groups.
Why Resting Heart Rate Changes With Age?
A resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when your body is at rest, meaning during relaxation or sleep. According to Dr Yermal, it is an important indication of cardiovascular condition since it shows how well the heart pumps blood.
“RHR (resting heart rate) monitoring aids in determining fitness levels and identifying potential health concerns early, such as heart diseases or conditions related to stress. Regular monitoring can provide important details about general health and how lifestyle modifications affect heart health,” he said.
The doctor further explained that due to variations in heart size and metabolic requirements, resting heart rates change considerably between age groups. Due to their smaller hearts' need for more frequent beats, infants commonly have higher RHRs, whereas the RHR steadily drops as kids get older. In healthy adults, RHR stabilises, reflecting overall fitness levels. However, in older adults, factors like lower physical activity, medications, or age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels may influence RHR.
How Does A Normal Resting Heart Rate Differ By Age Group?
Infants (0-1 year):
Range: 100–160 bpm
Infants have smaller hearts and higher metabolic demands, requiring a faster heart rate.
Children (1-12 years):
Range: 70–130 bpm
As children grow, their heart and cardiovascular system develop, leading to a slower, more efficient heart rate.
Healthy Adults (18-60 years):
Range: 60–100 bpm
The heart is fully developed, and the resting rate reflects overall health and fitness.
Athletes: Often lower, between 40–60 bpm, due to superior cardiac efficiency.
Older Adults (60+ years):
Range: 60–100 bpm
Similar to adults, but individual rates may vary due to ageing, medication, or chronic health conditions.
Regardless of age, those with exceptional cardiovascular fitness, particularly athletes, may have RHRs as low as 40-60 bpm due to enhanced cardiac efficiency.
Also Read: Apple Watch's Timely AFib Alert Saves Delhi Woman's Life: Here's How Wearable Tech Help in Modern Healthcare
What Does An Abnormal Resting Heart Rate Indicate?
There are two ways your resting heart rate can go: it can either increase or decrease beyond the normal range. Dr Yermal said, "Tachycardia, or an increased resting heart rate, may signal cardiac problems, stress, dehydration, or anemia." Bradycardia, on the other hand, is a low resting heart rate that could point to heart block, thyroid issues, or exceptional physical fitness."
"Chronic irregularities in resting heart rate, particularly when accompanied by symptoms like exhaustion, lightheadedness, or fainting, may indicate underlying medical conditions that require medical evaluation. Monitoring your resting heart rate over time can provide valuable insights into your cardiovascular health," he added.
How To Manage Resting Heart Rate?
Additionally, a balanced diet, stress management, drinking plenty of water, and getting enough sleep are some instances of healthy lifestyle practices that help sustain ideal heart rate values.
A high RHR, on the other hand, can arise from smoking, prolonged stress, or sedentary behaviour, which is why making healthy lifestyle choices over time can have a major positive impact on general well-being and heart health, Dr Yermal added.
Lastly, ensure that you consult a doctor if there are sudden or unexplained changes in resting heart rate that continue, particularly if measurements regularly range from the normal range.
When these changes occur, symptoms like shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, or chest pain may be signs of major health issues that need to be addressed right away. Keeping an eye on long-term RHR changes can help spot possible cardiovascular or systemic health problems that could require medical evaluation, Dr Yermal concluded.
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