To ask why my resting heart rate is so high??

[Sundayscaries]

I wouldn’t say I am SUPER fit but I at least go for about an hour long walk every day (would go more than once if we were allowed!!) and before gyms were closed I used to to to spin class a few times a week etc. I have a corporate job (now wfh!) so don’t move a lot while working but I make an effort to keep moving during the day. I’m also towards the lower end of healthy BMI (although don’t regularly weigh myself but know I haven’t put on weight since I last checked, if anything I’ve lost weight)

I am 32, generally healthy. I can run 5k and be tired but not totally dying.

Yet, my resting heart rate (according to my Fitbit) seems to remain between about 72 and 78BPM which seems really high?!?

The only time it was lower (about 68!) was when I didn’t move for about 2 weeks as I was ill with covid!

Is it just that my Fitbit is wrong? Or is that relatively normal??

I can’t help thinking for someone who’s probably fitter than a lot of people, that seems really high and I’m not sure what to do or if I should be worried.

@MinnieJackson

Mines always in the high 90s. I had an ecg and nothing abnormal there, just always been high 🤔 they said I have tachycardia but I think that just means fast heart

Mine likewise, though it seems to be more often in the mid 80s now. Maybe that's age.

My mum always had a high pulse rate, and one of my daughters has a rate that's in the high 90s-100. And she's the fit sporty one!

I had some tests too, and the cardiologist said it was 'normal for me' and reassured me that I wouldn't run out of heartbeats!

Isn't resting heart rate largely genetic? I thought it was the time taken for a heart rate to return to normal after exercise that indicated fitness.

My heart rate is low. I'm not at all fit.

Mine used to be in the 70s, but is now in the high 50s after losing weight and running regularly. As long as it’s in the healthy range I wouldn’t worry too much. I’m not sure how accurate fitness trackers are either.

I'm a bit concerned now! My resting heart rate is 49-52 (according to my Fitbit). I'm 46, run 5-10km 3 times per week and do a couple of intensive strength/cardio workouts. I also always do over 10K steps in day - outside of lockdown more like 18k-30k in a day, with running, school runs, (brisk) dog walks etc. I have a BMI of 28-29, so am classed as overweight, although my fitness levels are clearly good. Everything I can find suggests that unless you're an athlete normal ranges begin at 60! Maybe I am fitter than I realise, and I don't have any symptoms of bradycardia... but this thread has made me a bit

Fitbit can be a bit skewed on accuracy. Check your own pulse when you wake up before you get out of bed. Take it from the wrist as its easier - count how many beats over 20 seconds then time by 3. My manual resting heart rate is lower than the fit bits which has me at 71. Im on a health kick and one of my motivations is to get my resting hr to be in the 60s

Hi OP,
How do you feel in yourself? Stress can lead to elevated HR. Have you ever tried mindfulness? I can recommend the headspace app, parts of it are free and it’s a good way to access the ‘rest and digest’ parasympathetic mode which can help HR settle a bit. Another way to access it is breath in for 4 (via nose) and out for 8 counts (via pursed lips) try a few breaths like this a few times per day and see how you feel and how your HR responds. So much stress around us at the moment.

It’s within the normal range, but I can understand why it can seem high due to your fitness.

Stress, caffeine etc might be pushing it up.

I’m super fit these days, so my resting heart rate hovers around 50 or so. Tends to freak out the doctor.

I'm a bit concerned now!
I less you have symptoms of constant lighheadness and fainting, there is nothing to be concerned about. I'm in my 50s, similar regime to you and my rhr is exactly as yours.

I did get referred because I was experiencing the above symptoms and had overnight monitored fitted. My HR went down to 39 at night but still the consultant had no concerned. He advised cutting all caffeine and drinking at least 2l a day. That did the trick.

Fitbit can be a bit skewed on accuracy
It's actually incredibly accurate (at least for me). The hospital heart rate monitor I kept for 5 days showed exactly the sane result.

Mine has just dropped to 58-I’m doing dry January. Highest is about 67 when I’m been eating and drinking. I’m fitter than I was but still overweight. It’s genetics.

It might be high because tilting your neck forwards far enough to gaze into your navel puts pressure on your arteries.

I'm 46, run 5-10km 3 times per week and do a couple of intensive strength/cardio workouts

This means you are fitter than average, and do actually achieve the minimum recommended guidelines - most people don't, you have something like 50% less risk of dying than the rest of people who don't.

@dontdisturbmenow thank you. I guess I am pretty fit, and have none of the symptoms (other than low RHR). I genuinely wasn't concerned until this thread prompted me to google healthy RHR 😳

@sirfredfredgeorge 👍🏻

It wil be no consolation to you to know that my fitbit resting heart rate is generally around 55 and I am much older and less fit than you. I’m pretty sure a lot of it is genetics, if you’re in the right range (which you are) that’s fine. But I do agree, booze pushes it up a few points overnight.

It's maybe slightly high for your age. It goes up if you sleep badly or if you've recently given blood. I'm 43, and my Garmin has me at RHR of 55. At your age my RHR was measured at my health check as 42. Was was told that wasn't necessarily good. I do high intensity exercise twice a week (maintaining hr at 160 for 20 mins) but otherwise plod around jogging etc. It is genetic mostly, unless you have other issues I wouldn't worry.

It's normal. Mines ranging from 110 to 140 at the moment because of some weird pregnancy symptom and I'm on meds. I feel rubbish and get out of puff so quickly. 70 I'd perfectly normal.

@sirfredfredgeorge

It's within the range of normal for a mostly sedentary adult who does a bit of exercise now and then.

Getting fitter would be a good idea, unless your walks are particularly strenuous and get you breathless (ie are hard uphill) you do not appear to meet the government guidelines for exercise. So I'd try to find ways to fit more exercise in.

Did you not read the post? She does regular spin classes also and is generally fit. And no, her rate is not normal for a 'sedentary' adult. It is in the normal range for adults across the board.

I would say that your heart rate is normal but that isn't the same as optimal
for the health of your cardiovascular system the lower the better... Generally speaking

you can improve your cardio fitness, but whilst walking is good exercise it won't really increase your cardio fitness. Try exercise that increases your heart rate and gets you breathing hard, 20 minutes daily running or aerobics or interval training would help.

you could talk to your gp about this first though, as no one here knows how fit you are to start with and for all we know you may have an underlying condition that is effecting your rhr, so a chat with a doctor maybe in order first

RHR measures, as you know, the number of times your heart beats in a minute. Generally, the fitter you are, the lower your RHR. However, there is an ENORMOUS range within what is considered normal. 60-100 is a HUGE range. So much comes into it beyond fitness. One person with a RHR of 60 has no relation to another person with the same. It depends on your ejection fraction, ( what % of blood is pushed out with each beat), the overall SIZE of your heart and its chambers and your metabolic rate. Your heart beats faster when your body demands more oxygen. If you have a smaller heart and a lower ejection fraction, your heart will need to beat more per minute than a replica you with a big heart and a large ejection fraction. If YOU with your heart eyes and EF get fitter, YOUR RHR will come down relative to what it currently is. If you were to stop exercising and eat shit and generally lose fitness, YOUR RHR would increase. No point worrying about the RHR of other people on here. It's irrelevant.

Resting heart rate confuses me

I'm aged 46, and mine is 48. So apparently I'm Olympic Athlete level fitness.

Except I'm not. I do a fair bit of exercise - running and cycling but I'm talking 3-4 hours a week in the winter, much more in summer with cycling but I am definitely not an Olympian.

I often wonder if it is not just exercise related but dietary related. I eat a completely no processed food diet (no sugar or refined carbohydrate, everything natural) which has resulted in me having really good other markers (BP, cholesterol, HBA1c of 32!) and surely that just puts less stress on your heart in general?

A low resting heart rate is probably necessary to be an elite athlete.... but not sufficient obvs!

@hamstersarse

Resting heart rate confuses me

I'm aged 46, and mine is 48. So apparently I'm Olympic Athlete level fitness.

Except I'm not. I do a fair bit of exercise - running and cycling but I'm talking 3-4 hours a week in the winter, much more in summer with cycling but I am definitely not an Olympian.

I often wonder if it is not just exercise related but dietary related. I eat a completely no processed food diet (no sugar or refined carbohydrate, everything natural) which has resulted in me having really good other markers (BP, cholesterol, HBA1c of 32!) and surely that just puts less stress on your heart in general?

Did you read my post just before yours? It explains what you ask.

OP you know you can exercise/go outside as many times a day as you want?

Seems pretty average heart rate, you sound fit and healthy so i wouldn't worry too much.