What's your heart rate?
Heart rate, also known as pulse, is the number of beats your heart beats per minute. Resting heart rate refers to when your heart is pumping the minimum amount of blood needed when you are not exercising. If you are sitting or lying down and you are calm, relaxed and healthy, your normal heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Other factors that influence heart rate:
Air temperature: Rising temperatures or humidity cause the heart to pump more blood, which can lead to an increase in pulse or heart rate.
Body position: When you move from sitting to standing, your pulse may increase slightly. After a few minutes, your heart rate should return to normal.
Emotions: Stress, anxiety or intense happiness can cause an increase in heart rate.
Body size: Body size does not usually affect heart rate. However, obese people may have a higher resting heart rate.
Medication use: drugs that block adrenaline can decrease heart rate, while thyroid medications can increase heart rate.
The importance of heart rate
Cardiovascular exercise, also known as cardio or aerobics, is essential for keeping your heart and body healthy. This type of exercise increases heart rate and speeds up the heartbeat for a few minutes, helping to strengthen the heart. A stronger heart pumps blood more efficiently and improves blood flow to all parts of the body. Cardiovascular exercise also raises HDL ('good') cholesterol levels and lowers LDL ('bad') cholesterol levels, which can reduce the formation of plaque in the arteries.
What is your target heart rate?
The target heart rate is the minimum heart rate that you need to maintain over a period of time to ensure an effective heart workout. The first step in determining your target heart rate is to calculate your maximum heart rate.
Your maximum heart rate is calculated as 220 minus your age. The target heart rate for moderate to intense exercise is between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate.
Mean heart rate values by age:
- 20 years: 100-170 beats per minute
- 30 years: 95-162 beats per minute
- 35 years: 93-157 beats per minute
- 40 years: 90-153 beats per minute
- 45 years: 88-149 beats per minute
- 50 years: 85-145 beats per minute
- 55 years: 83-140 beats per minute
- 60 years: 80-136 beats per minute
- 65 years: 78-132 beats per minute
- 70 years: 75-128 beats per minute
What you can do:
- Start slowly: If you're starting an exercise program, aim for the lower end of your optimal heart rate zone and gradually increase the intensity.
- Try interval training: This type of training, which includes short periods of intense exercise (15-60 seconds) alternating with periods of less intense exercise, effectively improves cardiovascular fitness. Consult the Elytis Hospital medical team before starting this type of training, but it is generally safe for people with heart disease or type 2 diabetes.
- Use the "talking" test: If you can carry on a conversation in short sentences while exercising, you're probably in the moderate intensity zone. You'll breathe faster, sweat lightly, and feel slight muscle tension. If the exercise is very intense, you won't be able to say more than a few words without letting your breath out. If you can sing while exercising, you may be in the low intensity zone and should increase the intensity.
Abnormal heart rhythm
If you notice irregular heartbeats, such as a fast, slow heartbeat or a feeling of irregular beating in your chest, you may have a heart arrhythmia. Rhythm or heartbeat problems occur when the electrical impulses that coordinate the heartbeat don't work properly, causing the heart to beat too fast, too slow or irregularly. Consult the Elytis Hospital medical team if you have concerns about your heart rhythm.
Next steps
- Follow Elytis Hospital doctors' advice
- Find out when a heart health check is needed.
- Discover the difference between heart rate and heart rhythm.
- Find a heart care specialist near you.
Latest medical review:
18.12.2024, Dr. Anca Rezmires – Medic Specialist Cardiologie