Normal Resting Heart Rate: What Is Normal and What Changes Mean

A normal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm), according to the NHS and the British Heart Foundation. Very fit people can sit below 60 quite normally. What matters most is your own usual number: a rise that lasts for days, or a rate that is consistently fast, slow or irregular, is worth noticing.

Below you will find the official ranges, what counts as a good resting heart rate, why two healthy people can differ by a surprising amount, what pushes resting heart rate up or down, how to measure it properly and when to speak to your GP.

What is a normal resting heart rate?

Your resting heart rate is how many times your heart beats per minute when you are relaxed and not moving. The NHS states that a normal resting heart rate is 60 to 100 bpm, and the British Heart Foundation gives the same range for adults.

Resting heart rate	What the BHF says	What it can mean
Below 60 bpm	Too slow for most people	Can be normal in very fit people and athletes. Also called bradycardia.
60 to 100 bpm	Normal for adults	The usual range for healthy adults at rest.
Above 100 bpm	Too fast for most people	Also called tachycardia. Worth checking if it keeps happening at rest.

These are broad population ranges. They tell you whether a number is unusual for adults in general. They cannot tell you whether a number is unusual for you.

What is a good resting heart rate?

A good resting heart rate for most adults is one that sits within the normal range of 60 to 100 bpm, stays fairly steady for you from week to week and comes with no symptoms. Within that range, lower is generally better when it comes from fitness: the BHF says a rate below 60 can be normal in athletes who are very fit.

There is no official "good" number. The NHS and BHF publish a normal range, not a target. Population research does point one way, though. In the meta-analysis of 46 studies covered further down, people with a resting heart rate of 60 to 80 bpm had a 12% higher relative risk of death from any cause than the reference level of 45 bpm used in the analysis, and people above 80 bpm a 45% higher relative risk. Those are averages across more than a million people, so they describe a trend, not your personal risk.

A practical way to read your own number:

Resting heart rate	How to read it
Below 60 bpm	Can be normal, especially if you train regularly and feel well. If you feel dizzy, faint, breathless or unusually tired, see your GP. Some medicines, such as beta blockers, also lower it.
60 to 80 bpm	Normal and common. Regular aerobic exercise, enough sleep and less alcohol tend to bring it down gradually.
80 to 100 bpm	Still inside the normal range, but large studies link persistently higher rates with higher long-term risk. Worth looking at fitness, sleep, alcohol, smoking and stress.
Above 100 bpm at rest	Too fast for most people, according to the BHF. See your GP if it keeps happening.

The best sign of all is your own trend. A resting heart rate that is stable, or drifting slowly down as you get fitter, is a good one. A rise of several beats that lasts for days tells you more than where you sit in the range.

Normal resting heart rate by age and sex

For adults, the official normal range does not change with age: it is 60 to 100 bpm whether you are 25 or 75. Children have higher resting rates, and their normal ranges are different.

Within the adult range, there are patterns. A study that tracked daily resting heart rate in 92,457 adults wearing wrist trackers for up to two years found that:

• The average daily resting heart rate was 65 bpm, but individuals ranged from 40 to 109 bpm.
• Average resting heart rate rose until about age 50 and then began to fall.
• Women had a higher resting heart rate than men in every age bracket.
• People who slept 7 to 7.5 hours a night on average had the lowest resting heart rate.
• Resting heart rate followed the seasons, peaking in the first week of January and reaching its lowest point at the end of July.

Why your personal normal matters more than the range

The most useful finding from that study is this: an individual's normal resting heart rate can differ from another person's by as much as 70 bpm, yet within each person it is fairly steady. Sex, age, body mass index and sleep duration together explained no more than 10% of the differences between people.

So a resting heart rate of 58 might be perfectly normal for one person and a sign of a problem for another. The same goes for 78. If your usual overnight resting heart rate is 52 and it sits at 60 for four days, that is a meaningful change, even though 60 is inside the normal range.

The study also found that about 20% of people had at least one week where their resting heart rate moved by 10 bpm or more. Short-lived changes happen. Sustained ones are what to watch.

Resting heart rate works alongside heart rate variability, which measures the variation between beats rather than their number. If you want to understand both, read our guide to what a good HRV is and how it changes with age.

What makes your resting heart rate go up?

Many everyday things lift resting heart rate for a night or a few days:

• Infection, fever or a virus. The BHF notes it is common for your heart rate to increase when you are unwell.
• Alcohol. In a real-world study of 4,098 people, heart rate during the first hours of sleep rose by an average of 1.4 bpm after a low alcohol intake, 4.0 bpm after a moderate intake and 8.7 bpm after a high intake, compared with their alcohol-free nights.
• Smoking and some medicines, both named by the BHF as things that change heart rate.
• Stress, anxiety, caffeine and lack of sleep, which the NHS lists among common triggers of heart palpitations.
• Hard training without enough recovery. Sports scientists use resting and exercise heart rate to monitor fatigue, and a review by Martin Buchheit argues these measures are most useful when read against each person's own normal day-to-day variation.

What makes your resting heart rate go down?

Regular aerobic exercise is the most common reason for a lower resting heart rate. As your heart gets fitter it can pump more blood with each beat, so it needs fewer beats at rest. This is why the BHF says a slow heart rate can be normal in athletes who are very fit.

Some medicines lower heart rate on purpose. Beta blockers, for example, are used to control heart rate in conditions such as atrial fibrillation. If you take one, your resting heart rate may be lower than the general range, and your GP or pharmacist can tell you what to expect.

Is a high resting heart rate bad for you?

Over the long term, a higher resting heart rate is associated with higher health risk. A meta-analysis of 46 studies involving more than 1.2 million people found that every 10 bpm increase in resting heart rate was linked with a 9% higher relative risk of death from any cause. People with a resting heart rate above 80 bpm had a 45% higher relative risk than those in the lowest category.

That is an association across large populations, not a prediction for any one person, and it does not mean a reading of 82 is dangerous. It does suggest that bringing a persistently high resting heart rate down through fitness, sleep, less alcohol and not smoking is worthwhile.

How to measure your resting heart rate properly

The most reliable time is when you are fully at rest, such as first thing in the morning before you get up, or overnight while asleep.

1. Sit or lie quietly for a few minutes first. Avoid caffeine, exercise and cigarettes beforehand.
2. Place your index and middle fingers on the inside of your wrist, at the base of your thumb. Do not use your thumb, as it has its own pulse.
3. Count the beats for a full 60 seconds.
4. Note whether the rhythm feels steady or irregular.
5. Repeat on several mornings. A single reading is less useful than an average.

A wearable can do this for you every night. Because it measures while you sleep, it avoids the things that nudge a daytime reading up, such as moving about, talking or a cup of coffee. The value is in the trend: several nights above your normal range deserve attention, one night rarely does.

When should you see a GP about your heart rate?

The BHF advises speaking to your GP if your heart rate is consistently fast, slow or irregular, especially if you also feel faint or dizzy. NHS guidance adds that you should see a GP if:

• you keep getting a fast heartbeat
• you have palpitations that keep coming back, are happening more often or last longer than a few minutes
• you have palpitations and a heart condition, or a family history of heart problems
• you notice an irregular pulse, which can be a sign of atrial fibrillation

Call 999 if you have a fast or irregular heartbeat together with chest pain, shortness of breath, or feeling faint or fainting. If those symptoms have stopped, the NHS advises contacting your GP surgery for an urgent appointment or calling 111.

A wearable can prompt a conversation with your GP, but it cannot diagnose a heart rhythm problem. If you have questions about what the ring measures, our PulseRing FAQs are a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions

What is a normal resting heart rate for adults?

The NHS and the British Heart Foundation both say a normal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 beats per minute. Very fit people and athletes can have a resting rate below 60 without it being a problem. Your own usual rate, measured the same way over time, is the most useful point of comparison.

What is a good resting heart rate?

For most adults, a good resting heart rate sits within the normal range of 60 to 100 bpm, stays steady for you and comes with no symptoms. Lower within that range is generally better when it comes from fitness, and very fit people can sit below 60. Large studies link persistently higher rates, especially above 80 bpm, with higher long-term risk.

Is a resting heart rate of 50 normal?

It can be. The BHF says a heart rate below 60 is too slow for most people but can be normal in athletes who are very fit. If you exercise regularly and feel well, 50 may simply be your normal. If you feel dizzy, faint, breathless or unusually tired, speak to your GP.

Is a resting heart rate of 90 bad?

A resting heart rate of 90 is within the normal adult range of 60 to 100. However, large studies link a persistently higher resting heart rate with higher long-term health risk. If 90 is unusual for you, look for causes such as illness, stress, poor sleep or alcohol, and see your GP if it stays high.

Why is my resting heart rate higher than usual?

Common reasons include an infection or fever, alcohol the night before, a short or broken night's sleep, stress, caffeine and hard training without enough recovery. A rise that settles within a day or two is usually nothing to worry about. A rate that stays high for weeks, or comes with symptoms, is worth discussing with your GP.

Does resting heart rate change with age?

The normal adult range stays the same at 60 to 100 bpm. In a study of more than 92,000 adults, average resting heart rate rose slightly until around age 50 and then began to fall. Women had a higher average resting heart rate than men across every age group.

This article is for general information and is not medical advice. PulseRing Pro is a wellness device, not a medical device, and does not diagnose or treat any condition. If you are worried about your health, speak to your GP or a qualified clinician.