What your resting heart rate means
While your resting heart rate should be between 60 and 100 bpm, a normal resting heart rate can vary from person to person, depending on lifestyle factors like whether you drink alcohol or smoke, and other things like how fit and active you are – an athlete heart rate will be lower, for example. There are also heart rate gender differences, with men usually having slightly lower heart rates. Your heart rate can change at different times of day, too. It will be faster when you’re exercising compared with when you’re asleep, for example. Find out more about what affects your heart rate.
How to lower your heart rate if you need to
If your resting heart rate is higher than average for your sex or age – and you’ve taken the test a few times and got the same result – there are a number of steps you can take:
- increase your physical activity. “Your heart is a muscle and like any muscle in your body, it needs exercise to stay fit and healthy,” says Dr. Ann. “Do any activity that gets your heart rate up, such as brisk walking, swimming, or cycling. Over time, exercise then lowers your heart rate”
Regular exercise can also improve your sleep, mood, and energy levels. If you’re new to exercise or returning after some time off, make sure you start slowly and build up safely, and if you have any health problems see a doctor to make sure it’s safe for you to start pushing your heart
Other ways to lower your resting heart rate include:
- losing weight, if you need to
- switching to a healthy, balanced diet
- cutting down or cutting out drinking alcohol
- quitting smoking
- tackling any sources of stress
- talking to your doctor about alternative medication
- getting enough sleep