What is a normal standing heart rate

What is a normal standing heart rate

What should you know about your heart rate?

Even if you’re not an athlete, knowledge about your heart rate can help you monitor your fitness level — and it might even help you spot developing health problems.

Your heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. Normal heart rate varies from person to person. Knowing yours can be an important heart-health gauge.

As you age, changes in the rate and regularity of your pulse can change and may signify a heart condition or other condition that needs to be addressed.

Where is it and what is a normal heart rate?

The best places to find your pulse are the:

  • wrists
  • inside of your elbow
  • side of your neck
  • top of the foot

To get the most accurate reading, put your finger over your pulse and count the number of beats in 60 seconds.

Your resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because you’re not exercising. If you’re sitting or lying and you’re calm, relaxed and aren’t ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 (beats per minute) and 100 (beats per minute).

But a heart rate lower than 60 doesn’t necessarily signal a medical problem. It could be the result of taking a drug such as a beta blocker. A lower heart rate is also common for people who get a lot of physical activity or are very athletic. Active people often have a lower resting heart rate (as low as 40) because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesn’t need to work as hard to maintain a steady beat. A low or moderate amount of physical activity doesn’t usually change the resting pulse much. 

How Other Factors Affect Heart Rate

  • Air temperature: When temperatures (and the humidity) soar, the heart pumps a little more blood, so your pulse rate may increase, but usually no more than five to 10 beats a minute.
  • Body position: Resting, sitting or standing, your pulse is usually the same. Sometimes as you stand for the first 15 to 20 seconds, your pulse may go up a little bit, but after a couple of minutes it should settle down.
  • Emotions: If you’re stressed, anxious or “extraordinarily happy or sad” your emotions can raise your pulse. 
  • Body size: Body size usually doesn’t change pulse. If you’re very obese, you might see a higher resting pulse than normal, but usually not more than 100. 
  • Medication use: Meds that block your adrenaline (beta blockers) tend to slow your pulse, while too much thyroid medication or too high of a dosage will raise it.

When To Call Your Doctor

If you’re on a beta blocker to decrease your heart rate (and lower blood pressure) or to control an abnormal rhythm (arrhythmia), your doctor may ask you to monitor and log your heart rate. Keeping tabs on your heart rate can help your doctor determine whether to change the dosage or switch to a different medication.

If your pulse is very low or if you have frequent episodes of unexplained fast heart rates, especially if they cause you to feel weak or dizzy or faint, tell your doctor, who can decide if it’s an emergency. Your pulse is one tool to help get a picture of your health.

Learn more:

  • Blood Pressure Vs. Heart Rate
  • Target Heart Rate
  • Arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms)

Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.

One of the vital signs a nurse checks when you visit the doctor is your heart rate, along with temperature, blood pressure and respiratory rate. Your heart rate, which is measured by your pulse, is an important indicator of your overall health and fitness level. It can signal certain medical conditions or a need to adjust lifestyle habits that elevate your heart rate above the normal range determined by your age.

The normal resting heart rate (when not exercising) for people age 15 and up is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). 

However, your heart rate may vary slightly from the norm due to several factors, including regular exercise, a medical condition, stress and use of some over-the-counter medications.

What Is Resting Heart Rate?

Resting heart rate refers to when your heart pumps the lowest amount of blood your body needs when you’re not exercising. Your resting heart rate is measured by your pulse when you’re calm, relaxed, sitting or lying down and not ill.

Why Does Resting Heart Rate Matter?

A heart rate that’s too high or low—especially a rate that’s higher or lower than your usual resting heart rate—could be a sign of medical issues or other health conditions.

A high resting heart rate could signal an abnormal hormone level, an overactive thyroid, anemia or another potential health issue, such as a heart rhythm abnormality, says Hailu Tilahun, M.D., a cardiologist at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington. Meanwhile, a resting heart rate that’s too low could cause dizziness, lightheadedness, fatigue or even fainting, which is dangerous and should not be ignored.

“Different levels of heart rate might reflect certain medical conditions,” says Dr. Tilahun. “However, it doesn’t always necessarily mean there’s something going on. And that’s why heart rate is important—because it can be a hint to at least consider exploring those possibilities.”

Normal heart rate varies, according to your age. Below is the normal heart rate by age, according to the National Institutes of Health.

It’s also important to know the normal “maximum” heart rate during vigorous activity and the “target” heart rate for your age.

To find your normal maximum heart rate, subtract your age from 220.

Meanwhile, your target heart rate should be about 50% to 70% of your maximum heart rate during moderate-intensity activity like walking. During more intense activity, such as exercising, running or working out with weights, your target heart rate should be about 70% to 85% of your maximum heart rate.

As a general guide, below are the average maximum heart rates and target heart rate zones by age for adults, according to the American Heart Association.

How to Take Your Heart Rate

You can check your heart rate easily by using smartwatches and other fitness tracking wearables, but it’s also simple to check your heart rate manually.

To find your heart rate, place your index and middle fingers gently against the underside of your wrist on the side just below the base of your thumb until you can feel the pulse. You can also measure heart rate by placing two fingers on one of the carotid arteries located on each side of your neck.

Other places where you can check your heart rate include:

  • Groin
  • Temple
  • Back of the knees
  • Top or inside of the foot

After you locate your pulse, count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds, then multiply that number by four. Alternatively, count the beats for 30 seconds, then multiply by two. If checking your resting heart rate, count the beats when you haven’t been exercising or physically active for at least 10 minutes.

There’s no best time of day to check your resting heart rate. “You can do it in the morning or in the evening, but you really can check the heart rate at any time,” says Dr. Tilahun. “After activity, the heart rate might still be high. Also, you don’t want to check your heart rate after resting or meditating for a very long time since that’s also not going to be truly reflective.”

Hospital-Grade Pulse Oximetry For Everyone

Experience unparalleled accuracy for reliable oxygen saturation, perfusion index, and heartbeats per minute metrics every time.

What If I Can’t Locate My Pulse?

If you can’t locate your pulse in your wrist, try finding your pulse on your carotid artery or the other parts of your body where the pulse may be stronger. Be careful checking on your neck, though.

“When checking the pulse on the carotid, we have to be a little bit cautious because if it’s pressed too hard, it can cause a reflex that leads to lightheadedness and dizziness or may even cause fainting,” says Dr. Tilahun.

Causes of Elevated Resting Heart Rate

Research indicates that a higher resting heart rate is linked with higher blood pressure and body weight, along with lower physical fitness[1]Target Heart Rates Chart. American Heart Association. Accessed 4/7/2022. . In addition to medical conditions, such as anemia, high thyroid or hormone levels and blood clots, certain lifestyle factors can cause an elevated resting heart rate, says Dr. Tilahun.

Additional possible causes of a high heart rate include:

  • Fever
  • Pain
  • Infection (including bacterial, viral and rarely fungal infections)
  • Dehydration
  • Poor or disrupted sleep
  • Caffeine, alcohol or nicotine intake or withdrawal
  • Stress and anxiety
  • Smoking
  • Use of over-the-counter decongestants
  • Poor physical condition

Keep Your Heart Healthy

Sourced from high-quality ingredients, Nature Made's Extra Strength Omega 3 from Fish Oil helps support a healthy heart and may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Shop Now

How To Lower Your Resting Heart Rate

When your resting heart rate is in the normal heart rate range for your age, your heart muscle doesn’t have to work as hard to pump enough blood to keep a steady beat.

If someone notices an increase in their heart rate within a certain period—after not being physically active for a year or two, for example—but other things haven’t changed much with their health, the elevated heart rate could indicate they may need to be more active to lower the heart rate, says Dr. Tilahun.

If your resting heart rate is higher than the normal adult heart rate of 60 to 100 beats per minute, regular activity is key to bringing the heart rate down. “That activity could be exercise, but it doesn’t have to be dedicated exercise. It could be walking, gardening, mowing the lawn or other regular activities,” says Tilahun.

“When you’re doing the activity, the heart rate is going to be higher, and people sometimes get worried. But that’s not an issue—it’s what’s supposed to happen. Over time, regular activity will lower the heart rate for most people,” he adds.

When to See a Doctor About Your Heart Rate

If a higher heart rate is a result of being under stress or consuming a lot of alcohol or caffeine, that’s not typically a cause for alarm. However, these situations still warrant a discussion with your clinician, as they can discuss with you how to best address any necessary lifestyle changes.

Meanwhile, adults without an acute condition that might cause an elevated heart rate may also want to contact their doctor if their resting heart rate remains above 100 beats per minute for a few days, says Dr. Tilahun.

“If the heart rate is persistently elevated for more than a few days and there is absence of a clear thing that can explain it, that should be a time to talk to your doctor,” he says.

What is a normal heart rate when standing?

A person's heart rate is usually about 70 to 80 beats per minute when resting. Normally, the heart rate increases by 10 to 15 beats per minute when standing up, and then it settles down again.

What standing heart rate is too high?

You should visit your doctor if your heart rate is consistently above 100 beats per minute or below 60 beats per minute (and you're not an athlete), or you're also experiencing: shortness of breath. fainting spells. lightheadedness or dizziness.

Is 110 bpm normal for standing?

Normally, your heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute when you're not active. When your heart beats more than 100 times a minute at rest, that's tachycardia. Because your heart beats too often, it doesn't have the time it needs to fill with blood between beats.

What is a good standing heart rate by age?

Normal Heart Rate by Age Chart.