Normal resting heart rate: what the BHF and NHS say, and how to check yours

What is a normal resting heart rate?

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats in a minute. The BHF says it is the same thing as your pulse rate: you can feel each beat as a pulse at the wrist or the neck.¹

For adults, the BHF gives a normal resting heart rate of usually between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). It adds that some people have a rate outside that range, and that what is normal depends on age, health and whether you are male or female.¹ Your lifestyle matters too. The BHF names smoking, exercise and alcohol as things that change it.¹

So the range is a starting point, not a pass mark. The number that matters most is your own usual figure, taken the same way on several mornings, and how it moves over time.

What does a reading above or below the range mean?

A slow heart rate

A rate below 60 at rest is too slow for most people, according to the BHF, but it can be normal if you are very fit.¹ The BHF also lists sleep and some medicines among the reasons it can be fine.² The signs that change the picture are fainting, tiredness and dizziness.¹²

A fast heart rate

Above 100 at rest is too fast for most people.¹ During exercise it is expected: the BHF notes that your heart rate rising over 100 while you exercise is fine because your body needs more oxygen.² The concern is a fast rate when you are sitting still with no obvious cause.

Do women and men differ?

The BHF says women have a slightly higher resting heart rate than men, because women's hearts tend to be slightly smaller and pump less blood per beat, so they need to beat more often.¹ The page does not give separate numbers for women and men, so this guide does not either.

How do you check your resting heart rate at home?

The BHF explains how to take a pulse by hand. The easiest places are the inside of the wrist at the base of the thumb, and the side of the neck just below the jaw.² At the wrist, use the pads of your first two fingers and press lightly. Press a little harder if you cannot feel anything.²

Before you start, sit or lie down for five minutes, and do not smoke or drink caffeine first.² Count the beats for 60 seconds, or count for 30 seconds and double the figure.² For a reading you can compare, the BHF suggests checking at the same time every day.²

A worked example

Suppose you count 36 beats in 30 seconds. Doubling gives 36 x 2 = 72 bpm, inside the usual adult range. If you instead count for a full minute and reach 74, the two figures differ by 2, which is ordinary variation between counts. The numbers here are invented to show the arithmetic, not typical values.

Now suppose a week of morning counts gives 70, 72, 74, 71, 73, 72 and 72. They add up to 504, and 504 divided by 7 is 72. That average is your own baseline. A single morning of 82 would be 10 above it, which is worth noticing but, on its own, not a cause for alarm: the BHF says heart rate can change from day to day with stress, sleep and hydration.³

To keep a log, write the date, the time, the count method and anything that could push the figure up, such as a poor night, a coffee, a cold or a hard run the day before.

What can change your resting heart rate?

A resting rate is not fixed. The BHF names several things that move it:

• Exercise, smoking and alcohol. Alcohol can temporarily raise your heart rate and make it feel as if your heart is pounding or fluttering.¹
• Infection or fever. It is common for heart rate to increase when you have an infection, a fever or a virus such as flu or Covid-19.¹
• Medicines. Some asthma medicines can speed the heart up, and beta blockers can slow it.¹ Speak to your doctor if you notice a change in your heart rate after starting a medicine.¹
• Stress, poor sleep and dehydration, which the BHF says can all shift the figure from day to day.³

The NHS adds that heart palpitations are common and not usually a sign of anything serious. Common causes include strenuous exercise, lack of sleep, stress and anxiety, some medicines, and alcohol, caffeine and nicotine.⁴

If you take medicine that changes your heart rate, ask your GP or pharmacist what your normal range should look like. The BHF says that if you have a heart condition your doctor can tell you what your normal heart rate should be.¹

What can a wrist band tell you about your resting heart rate?

The BHF describes a heart rate monitor as a device that shows how fast your heart is beating, and says wearables can track your heart rate through the day and during sleep.³ It also says a monitor is only a guide, and that readings can change for reasons that have nothing to do with your heart, such as how tightly the device fits, movement, sweat, temperature or lighting.³

Wrist devices use light sensors to measure blood flow, which the BHF says makes them convenient but less accurate during some activities. Chest straps, which pick up the heart's electrical activity, are generally the most accurate type.³

What a band can do

• Show your resting rate through the night, when you are still, so the figure is less affected by movement.
• Build a personal average, so a change of several beats stands out.
• Save you counting by hand every day.

What a band cannot do

• Tell you whether you have a heart problem. The BHF says monitors cannot diagnose a heart problem or give a full picture of your heart health.³
• Replace clinic equipment. Most are designed for general health and fitness, not for use in clinics or hospitals.³
• Settle a worry. The BHF advises speaking to your GP if a monitor leaves you worried about your heart rate, rather than trying to interpret it yourself.³

A hand count remains a useful check on whatever your band shows. If the two disagree by a lot, count again after five minutes of rest.

When should you speak to a GP, call 111 or call 999?

The BHF's advice is to speak to your GP if your heart rate is consistently fast, slow or irregular, especially if you also feel faint or dizzy. Your doctor can check your heart rate and arrange further tests if needed.¹

The NHS gives a clear split for palpitations. See a GP if they keep coming back or are happening more often, last longer than a few minutes, or if you have a heart condition or a family history of heart problems.⁴ Call 999 or go to A&E if you have palpitations that do not go away, or you also have chest pain, shortness of breath, or feel faint or like fainting.⁴

If those symptoms have stopped, the NHS says to ask your GP surgery for an urgent appointment, call 111 or use 111 online.⁴ Do not drive yourself to A&E: ask someone to drive you or call 999 and ask for an ambulance, and bring your medicines.⁴

Frequently asked questions