VITALWhat’s a normal resting heart rate
The British Heart Foundation says a normal resting heart rate for adults is usually between 60 and 100 beats a minute, and the NHS gives the same range. The BHF adds that some people fall outside it.
A slower rate can be normal for people who are very fit, such as athletes. So the most useful comparison is often with your own usual, rather than with a chart or another person.
What can change it
Your heart rate responds to what’s going on in your body and around you. The British Heart Foundation lists exercise, smoking, alcohol, some medicines (including certain asthma medicines and beta blockers), infection or fever, anxiety and stress, high temperatures, dehydration, anaemia and an overactive thyroid among the things that can affect it.
So a resting rate that’s a few beats above your usual for a day or two can follow a cold, a hot spell, a stressful week or a few drinks.
How to measure it
You can feel your pulse at your wrist or your neck. For an accurate reading, the British Heart Foundation suggests sitting or lying down for five minutes first, not smoking or having caffeine beforehand, and checking at the same time each day so your readings are comparable.
A watch makes this easier. Apple Watch uses green LED lights and light-sensitive sensors to detect the blood flowing through your wrist, and it shows your resting heart rate alongside your walking and workout heart rates. Apple notes that occasional readings can be abnormally high or low. The BHF says heart rate monitors can be useful for tracking your health, but they can’t diagnose a condition.
Look at your trend
A single reading tells you very little. What’s more useful is how your resting heart rate compares with your usual over days and weeks. A figure that stays above your usual for several days is worth noticing, especially if you also feel run down or unwell.
When to speak to a GP
The British Heart Foundation says a resting heart rate above 100 beats a minute is too fast for most people, and one below 60 is too slow for most people, although it can be normal if you’re very fit.
It advises making an appointment with your GP if you have a fast resting heart rate, or a fast heart rate with symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, tiredness or a pounding or fluttering feeling in your chest. It also advises seeing a GP if you have a slow heart rate with symptoms such as fainting or tiredness.
The NHS advises calling 999 if you have a fast heartbeat with shortness of breath, chest pain or feeling faint.
In Vital
The Heart page shows your resting heart rate from your watch, through Apple Health, and says whether today’s reading is above, near or below your usual. A chart shows your recent days with your usual level marked. The page also shows your walking and daytime heart rate. Readiness compares your resting heart rate with your usual as part of each day’s score. Vital only reads these readings with your permission.
Vital for iPhone shows your resting heart rate against your own usual, next to your HRV and sleep.
Get Vital for iPhoneVital gives general information about fitness and wellbeing. It is not medical advice, and it does not diagnose or treat any condition.