For most adults, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. People who do a lot of endurance training often sit lower, at roughly 40 to 60, and for them that is usually a sign of fitness rather than a problem. What matters more than any single reading is your own usual number, and whether it changes without an obvious reason.
The ranges below come from the US National Library of Medicine's MedlinePlus guide to pulse. They describe what is typical, not a target, and a reading outside them is a reason to ask a question rather than a diagnosis.
What is a normal resting heart rate by age?
| Age group | Typical resting heart rate (beats per minute) |
|---|---|
| Newborns up to 1 month | 70–190 |
| Infants 1 to 11 months | 80–160 |
| Children 1 to 2 years | 80–130 |
| Children 3 to 4 years | 80–120 |
| Children 5 to 6 years | 75–115 |
| Children 7 to 9 years | 70–110 |
| Age 10 through adulthood, including older adults | 60–100 |
| Well-trained athletes | 40–60 |
Two things stand out. Children's hearts beat considerably faster than adults', and the adult range is wide. Two healthy adults can sit 30 beats apart and both be entirely normal, which is why comparing your number with a friend's tells you very little.
How do you measure your resting heart rate properly?
Resting has to mean resting. MedlinePlus advises resting for at least 10 minutes before taking a resting reading, because anything from climbing the stairs to a tense phone call will still be showing in your pulse.
- Sit or lie down and stay still for at least 10 minutes.
- Find your pulse on the thumb side of your inner wrist, pressing lightly with your index and middle fingers.
- Count the beats for a full 60 seconds. Counting for 30 seconds and doubling also works, but a full minute gives a steadier figure.
- Repeat on a few different days at the same time of day, and use the typical value rather than the lowest or highest.
First thing in the morning, before coffee, is the easiest time to get a consistent number. Watches and fitness trackers estimate the same thing overnight. Any single reading can be off, but they are useful for spotting a trend over weeks.
Is a low resting heart rate a good sign?
Often, but not always. MedlinePlus puts well-trained athletes at 40 to 60 beats per minute, below the standard adult range. In someone who exercises regularly and feels well, a reading in the 50s is usually just what fitness looks like.
The picture changes when a low rate comes with symptoms. A slow pulse alongside dizziness, fainting, unusual breathlessness or new tiredness is a different thing from a slow pulse in someone who feels fine, and it is worth having checked. MedlinePlus advises talking to a health care provider about a resting rate below the normal range.
Some medicines slow the heart deliberately. The NHS describes beta blockers as working by slowing down your heartbeat, and they are commonly prescribed for high blood pressure, angina and some heart rhythm problems. If your resting number drops after starting a new prescription, mention it to whoever prescribed it. Our guide to what to know about blood pressure medication covers other questions worth asking.
What makes your resting heart rate go up?
A resting rate is not a fixed number. It moves from day to day, and most of that movement has ordinary explanations. The NHS lists these as common triggers of heart palpitations, the feeling of a heart pounding or racing:
- strenuous exercise
- lack of sleep
- stress and anxiety
- alcohol, caffeine, nicotine and recreational drugs
- some medicines
MedlinePlus adds that a fast pulse may signal an infection or dehydration. So a higher morning number during a cold, after a poor night or the day after a few drinks has a likely explanation, and it is the reading that stays high once those have passed that deserves attention. Our article on what caffeine actually does covers that side of it.
Can you lower your resting heart rate?
Regular exercise is the best-studied way. A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis of 191 controlled studies in healthy people found that all the types of exercise studied lowered resting heart rate, but only endurance training and yoga did so significantly in both men and women. The drops were modest, a few beats per minute on average, and they were larger in people who started with a higher resting rate.
That makes resting heart rate a slow-moving measure. It tends to shift over months of consistent activity rather than after one good week. Our guide to how much exercise you actually need sets out the weekly targets, and movement snacks are a way in if that feels like a lot.
When should you see a doctor about your heart rate?
MedlinePlus advises talking to a health care provider if your resting rate is consistently above or below the normal range, and notes that an irregular pulse can also indicate a problem. The NHS advises seeing a GP about palpitations that keep coming back or happen more often, that last longer than a few minutes, or if you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems.
Get urgent help if your heart is racing or pounding and it does not settle, especially with chest pain, shortness of breath or feeling faint. In the UK the NHS advises calling 999 in that situation. Do not drive yourself to hospital.
If you exercise and want to know how hard to work, our target heart rate calculator turns your age into light, moderate and vigorous zones. Your resting number is useful context alongside it, but it does not change the zones themselves.
