You’re familiar with the feeling of your heart pounding in your chest, your blood pulsing through your veins with increasing frequency when you’re scared, stressed, or sweating it out at the gym. Perhaps you even monitor your heart rate in those moments in support of keeping your physical fitness high and your stress low. But how often do you take note of your resting heart rate?
As its name suggests, your resting heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you’re at rest. (Not to be confused with blood pressure, the force with which your blood circulates.) It’s also a vital sign that provides a window into your heart and overall health—especially as you age, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
Resting heart rate isn’t a one-size-fits-all metric. In addition to age, factors including stress, hormones, anxiety, medication, and physical activity contribute to what may be considered a healthy rate for you. On average, though, the AHA says a resting heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm) is “normal” for most adults. Athletes or very active individuals may have a resting rate as low as 40 bpm; at the peak of his swimming career, Olympian Michael Phelps famously maintained 38 bpm at rest.
The harder your heart has to work to pump blood throughout your body while you’re not exerting yourself, the higher your resting heart rate. That’s why a lower resting heart rate is indicative of a healthier, more efficient muscle. Research has shown higher resting heart rate to be associated with higher body weight, higher blood pressure, and lower physical fitness, the AHA notes. Other studies have demonstrated a link between lower resting heart rate and longevity.
Resting heart rate is related to a person’s cardiovascular training, says Dr. Joseph Ebinger, director of the coronary intensive care unit at the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“The more exercise and regular cardiovascular exertion that you have, the lower your resting heart rate will be,” Ebinger tells Fortune. “That’s a reflection of a healthy cardiovascular system, one where the heart is able to beat strongly with each individual beat and not have to beat more frequently to get blood out to the body that’s needed for the organs to do all of their jobs.”
How to check your pulse
Smartwatches and other fitness trackers are great for people seeking detailed,…
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