For a 40-year-old, that's 90 to 126 beats per minute. The general formula for calculating a maximum heart rate is 220 minus one's age, and many people measure their workout intensity by how close they come to the maximum.ĭuring moderate-intensity exercise, a person's target heart rate is about 50% to 70% of their maximum heart rate. Many people focus on their heart rate as an indication of how effectively they're exercising. Then if you find something out of range, that's a red flag." Stevens recommends checking heart rate and blood pressure every month "so you know what's normal for you. Too fast could indicate an overactive thyroid or atrial fibrillation, an irregular heart rhythm that can lead to stroke, heart failure and other complications. He said a low heart rate can result in fatigue or lack of stamina, and might even require a pacemaker. If someone is at either extreme, it's worth getting checked out." "Too fast or too slow can be a sign of abnormality or disease," said Ellinor, who likened it to the story of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears." Still, a number outside the norm can be a warning sign. It can't beat stronger, so it compensates by beating faster." On the other hand, I've got a young patient whose heart muscle is so weak, their heart rate is 130. "An athlete may need just 40 beats per minute, and that's fine because it's so efficient. "Our heart gives us what we need by beating stronger or faster," Stevens said. Generally, athletes and people in good shape tend to have lower resting heart rates. That's your body responding to what's going on around you." Don't be worried if it's 60 and then it's 80. "With our normal day in America, we're not going to have a steady 70 beats a minute," she said. Figure in exertion, stress, work, even watching the news, she said, and nobody's number always stays the same. It's important to know there is a wide range of normal."įor most adults, a normal heart at rest generally beats between 60 and 100 times per minute, Stevens said, with many factors affecting individual numbers. Patrick Ellinor, director of the Cardiac Arrhythmia Service at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, called heart rates a measurement "that can be checked occasionally but should not be obsessed over. "Heart rate is just a piece of the whole picture," she said.ĭr. But Stevens said she is far more focused on high blood pressure, obesity, smoking and other risk factors for heart disease. People shouldn't put "too much emphasis on a number."Ī 2013 study published in the journal Heart of nearly 3,000 men in Denmark showed the risk of death increased by 16% for every 10 beats per minute increase in resting heart rate. "They'll push too hard on their carotid arteries to check their pulse, which instigates a reflex that drops their blood pressure, and they pass out," Stevens said. "They take a hand off their treadmill and shoot right off the back and fall off."Įven without a monitor, the preoccupation can have consequences. "I've had people suffer significant injuries when they're trying to check their heart rate while exercising," she said. Tracy Stevens, a cardiologist at Saint Luke's Mid America Heart Institute in Kansas City, Missouri. That's one drawback of the increasing popularity of wearable devices that constantly monitor heart rates, said Dr. Keeping track of your heart rate is probably a good thing. National Hypertension Control Initiative.
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