What Your Resting Heart Rate Says About You
One minute and two fingers are all you need for a number that reflects a good deal about your heart. What matters is measuring it at the right moment.
But · 4 min read · Sep 5, 2026
Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in a minute when your body is completely relaxed. It is one of the easiest numbers to measure, and yet it says a good deal about the health of your heart, and about how much stress you are carrying.
How to measure it properly
- Measure it just after you wake up, still lying in bed, before you get out from under the covers
- If you measure during the day, sit quietly and rest for 5 minutes first
- Place two fingers on your wrist below the thumb, count the beats over 30 seconds and double it
- Do not measure straight after coffee, a cigarette, exercise, or while you are anxious
Electronic blood pressure monitors and smartwatches also give a useful reference number, as long as you measure under the same conditions each time.
What is commonly seen
In healthy adults, the resting heart rate usually falls between 60–100 beats a minute. People who have trained regularly for many years may be lower, because a strong heart pushes out more blood with each squeeze.
What matters is not a single reading, but your own trend. If your familiar baseline is around 68 and it is now steadily 85 for weeks on end, that is a change worth taking to your doctor.
What makes your heart rate change
- Fever, dehydration, anaemia
- Stress, anxiety, lack of sleep
- Coffee, strong tea, alcohol, tobacco
- Thyroid disease
- Some medicines, including over-the-counter cold and flu remedies
When to see a doctor
See a doctor if your resting heart rate is regularly above 100 or below 50 and you are not someone who trains a great deal, or if you feel your heart skip, drop a beat, race in bursts, or beat irregularly.
Go to a medical facility immediately if a fast heartbeat comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, heavy sweating, dizziness or fainting. That can be a sign of a rhythm disorder that needs treating early.
Recording your heart rate a few times a week helps your doctor see a trend rather than one lonely number. This information is for general reference only and does not replace advice from your doctor.
