resting heart beat...

SoldierDad

What is a good resting heart beat for an adult male? Thanks and God bless!!

Tamishumate

you can google it, I am not sure what it is for a male , it also goes by age. and then it breaks it down for you. Best time to take it is 10 mins after you wake up but are still in bed.

I am proud to say that mine is 58!

lulabellewoowoo

Best time to take it is 10 mins after you wake up but are still in bed.

I think I roll out of bed before I actually wake up. Ooops.

geekyjen

generally, 60-80
below 60 we call bradycardia. usually runners have a hr below 60 and it's just because they have a strong heart, but it can mean that they need a pacemaker later in life
above 100 is tachycardia, and something is happening to make your heart race and not a good sign.
so you're considered healthy between 60-100, but i would say 60-80 is a healthy range.

fivefatcats

I have always had a reasonably low resting heart rate - in the 60s, but since I started running I think its even lower, in the low 50s or maybe even high 40s.

What a previous posted said about needing a pacemaker later in life may be true. I have a very mild case of orthostatic hypotension - my blood pressure drops when I get up or stand up fast - enough that I get dizzy and have to wait for my heart to catch up and get more O2 to the brain!

Perhaps that is the price of being more fit?

firegirlred

generally, 60-80
below 60 we call bradycardia. usually runners have a hr below 60 and it's just because they have a strong heart, but it can mean that they need a pacemaker later in life
above 100 is tachycardia, and something is happening to make your heart race and not a good sign.
so you're considered healthy between 60-100, but i would say 60-80 is a healthy range.

Runners and other athletes that train to the point of lowering their resting heart rate do so by raising the body's tolerance to cellular waste and by "working out" the heart muscle. Like tolerance to caffeine and alcohol, if the stimulus that provides the tolerance is removed, the tolerance will wane. Having a slow resting heart rate now does not mean that will have a slow resting heart rate in twenty, thirty or even forty years. Having a slow resting heart rate because you are an athlete does NOT mean you will need a pacer later in life. It means you tend to have healthy habits that make you less likely to need a pacemaker later in life. Pacemakers are usually inserted for two reasons. First, because certain electrical pathways in the heart have been destroyed by tissue death (heart attack, etc) or second because the heart rate does not respond appropriately to stimulus. Athletes do not typically have either of these conditions. Congenital defects are a totally different story.

As a provider of emergency medicine, I do agree that 60-100 is healthy. However there are many situations where the heart rate can be appropriately outside of that range. I can maintain my heart rate at 170 for hours at a time during runs.

My resting heart rate runs around 45-50. It just depends on how much water I've had. Lance Armstrong is in the 30's I've heard.

DaveyGravy

Mine is 68 BPM, I think that's healthy - feels it anyway!

exermom

generally, 60-80
below 60 we call bradycardia. usually runners have a hr below 60 and it's just because they have a strong heart, but it can mean that they need a pacemaker later in life
above 100 is tachycardia, and something is happening to make your heart race and not a good sign.
so you're considered healthy between 60-100, but i would say 60-80 is a healthy range.

Runners and other athletes that train to the point of lowering their resting heart rate do so by raising the body's tolerance to cellular waste and by "working out" the heart muscle. Like tolerance to caffeine and alcohol, if the stimulus that provides the tolerance is removed, the tolerance will wane. Having a slow resting heart rate now does not mean that will have a slow resting heart rate in twenty, thirty or even forty years. Having a slow resting heart rate because you are an athlete does NOT mean you will need a pacer later in life. It means you tend to have healthy habits that make you less likely to need a pacemaker later in life. Pacemakers are usually inserted for two reasons. First, because certain electrical pathways in the heart have been destroyed by tissue death (heart attack, etc) or second because the heart rate does not respond appropriately to stimulus. Athletes do not typically have either of these conditions. Congenital defects are a totally different story.

As a provider of emergency medicine, I do agree that 60-100 is healthy. However there are many situations where the heart rate can be appropriately outside of that range. I can maintain my heart rate at 170 for hours at a time during runs.

My resting heart rate runs around 45-50. It just depends on how much water I've had. Lance Armstrong is in the 30's I've heard.

I, too, had never heard that a low RHR meant you would need a pacemaker later in life.

How exactly does water afftect the heartrate?

My RHR just went down from 52 to 47. Yea me!

CasperO

Average/normal/healthy for adult men is in the 72'ish area. Exercisers will be lower. I bike regularly and mine runs around 55, and I can meditate it down into the 40's.

firegirlred

I, too, had never heard that a low RHR meant you would need a pacemaker later in life.

How exactly does water afftect the heartrate?

My RHR just went down from 52 to 47. Yea me!

Imagine your blood vessels as a five quart container. Your body loses fluid during the day through sweat, peeing and exhalation. This lowers the amount of fluid in your "container." If you don't replace that volume lost, your heart has to work harder to push blood cells around the system. Therefore, your heart beats faster. If you have replaced what you've lost through drinking fluids, then your "container" is full and your heart doesn't have to beat faster to get the same amount of blood cells through the body. It all comes down to oxygen/waste exchange and how well prepared your body is to handle it (through exercise, rehydration, etc...)

Not filling your "container" can cause headrushes, orthostatic hypotension (a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing up, common, but not a normal condition), dizziness, and in extreme cases, nausea, vomiting and syncope (passing out).

You can thank evolution, but your body is trying to accomplish the most with the least amount of energy. (How slow can the heart beat and maintain a tolerable pH in the blood, how slow can I breathe, what is the minimum amount of calories that HAVE to be expended...)

MamaBear05

I have a RHR in the mid 40's and a pretty low blood pressure. Each time I go to the doctor and they take my vitals they always ask about it before writing it down to make sure it is accurate. Then they always comment that I must be a runner. I am not a runner. Never have been and as a matter of fact I am in pretty poor cardiovascular shape (working on it though). It is a little worrisome for me because when I do work out, my pulse jumps pretty quickly. I always wonder how healthy it is for my heart to quickly jump from a heart rate of 45 to 130.

firegirlred

Mama-if you're worried, then get evaluated by a doctor. I can tell you that from my experience, it takes a VERY short period of time for me to get my heart rate elevated when I run. But you say you aren't a runner. The point is that you CAN get your heart rate up. If you find that the rate responds appropriately to stress, relaxing, exercise and other daily situations, then I wouldn't worry too much. Heart rate is a great indicator of health, but you must take the entire picture to understand it (not just a snapshot), and I'm not a doctor. If you're worried-ask. If not, it sounds like you're on a great track to health.

exermom

I, too, had never heard that a low RHR meant you would need a pacemaker later in life.

How exactly does water afftect the heartrate?

My RHR just went down from 52 to 47. Yea me!

Imagine your blood vessels as a five quart container. Your body loses fluid during the day through sweat, peeing and exhalation. This lowers the amount of fluid in your "container." If you don't replace that volume lost, your heart has to work harder to push blood cells around the system. Therefore, your heart beats faster. If you have replaced what you've lost through drinking fluids, then your "container" is full and your heart doesn't have to beat faster to get the same amount of blood cells through the body. It all comes down to oxygen/waste exchange and how well prepared your body is to handle it (through exercise, rehydration, etc...)

Not filling your "container" can cause headrushes, orthostatic hypotension (a sudden drop in blood pressure upon standing up, common, but not a normal condition), dizziness, and in extreme cases, nausea, vomiting and syncope (passing out).

You can thank evolution, but your body is trying to accomplish the most with the least amount of energy. (How slow can the heart beat and maintain a tolerable pH in the blood, how slow can I breathe, what is the minimum amount of calories that HAVE to be expended...)

Thanks for the answer. Makes a lot of sense. Guess I just never thought of it.