Healthy Heart Rate

Understanding the recommended range of healthy heart rate is very crucial to remain sound and fit. The healthy heart rates for an individual measured during resting and exercising are discussed in this article.

Heart rate refers the number of times that your heart beats per unit time. In general, it is measured as beats per second, represented as bpm. The optimal heart rate of an individual differs significantly when measured at different times of the day. And this variance in heart rate corresponds to the amount of oxygen required by the body at that particular moment. Also known as pulse, heart rate is a vital sign medically helpful for quick evaluation of an individual's general health. Before jumping to the topic of our discussion 'healthy heart rate', let's take a brief look at measurement of heart rate.

How to Measure Heart Rate?

Measurement of heart rate is done by finding and examining the pulse, a point where an artery's pulsation can be felt in the skin. Common sites for measuring pulse heart rate are wrist (radial artery), neck (carotid artery), temple, back of knees (popliteal artery) and groin (femoral artery). The index finger and middle finger are pressed against the pulse to measure the number of beats for a stipulated time period, say for a minute. Another way to examine pulse is by using commercially available heart rate monitors. A more accurate technique of measuring heart rate is by implementing electrocardiograph or ECG.

What is Healthy Heart Rate?

As mentioned already, the heart rate value is used by medical experts to simply check the overall health or identify any underlying ailments. Other than this, athletes and regular people prefer monitoring heart rate while exercising, so as to know about the efficiency of training and their fitness levels. There are recommended range of normal heart rate or ideal heart rate, which are used for referencing purposes. Any deviation from these prescribed values is an indication of medical problems, which may be mild to severe.

Speaking about healthy heart rate, there are basically two types, based on when you measure it. The first is resting heart rate (at rest) and working heart rate (during physical activities). Other criteria according to which heart rate differs are age and gender. Thus, when healthy heart rates by age are studied, kids and children younger than 10 years have a lower heart rate (70 - 120 bpm) in comparison to that of adults. Likewise, women have a slightly higher value when compared with healthy heart rate for men. Discussed below are healthy heart rates measured during resting and exercising:

Healthy Resting Heart Rate

As the expression signifies, resting heart rate is measured when a person is lying down at rest. Needless to say, the oxygen needed during resting is relatively low, as compared to the required amount during body exertion. Eventually, resting heart rate is comparatively lower than that of the pulse rate measured during exercise. The healthy resting heart rate for an adult is 60 - 80 bpm. Those falling below 60 bpm is medically termed as bradycardia ; whereas people with resting heart rate higher than 100 bpm is called trachycardia. Know more on slow heart rate and high heart rate.

Healthy Heart Rate During Exercise

Healthy heart rate during exercise differs from one person to another, depending upon the type of workouts and age of the person. Physical exertion is safe and beneficial to a certain extent, but exercising very hard that makes your heart rate falls beyond the healthy limit is dangerous. While determining healthy heart rate during exercise, first you have to calculate the maximal heart rate. To get this value, simply subtract your age from 220. For example; if your are 40 years old, the maximal heart rate is 180 bpm.

Now, let's find out your target heart rate for performing aerobic exercise. If you are a beginner, your average heart rate during exercise should fall between 50 - 60 percent of the maximal value. Thus, for the said example with maximal value 180, the healthy heart rate is 90 - 110 bpm. At this intensity, you will burn calories, but at a slow pace. Once you are comfortable with this level, try to increase your heart rate to about 70 - 80 percent of the maximal value. This way, you can gradually increase pulse rate and build endurance.

You may prefer to read more on:

Ideal Heart Rate to Burn Fat

How to Determine Your Target Heart Rate

How to Lower Heart Rate Naturally

In any case of abnormal heart rate or fluctuations from the healthy heart rate, it is imperative to check the condition checked by a qualified physician. According to cardiologists, heart beat rate or pulse rate is a prime indicator for heart attacks. Also, irregular heat beats is a subject of concern that should be addressed as soon as possible. Timely diagnosis will surely help to identify the underlying cause and treat it with therapeutic intervention.