To ask your resting heart rate

[Kate489]

Mine is averaging 55bpm, which Dr Google says is too low unless I'm an athlete. I'm not an athlete. I would manage a 5km in 37 minutes at a push nowadays.

Wondering what yours is?

According to the British Heart Foundation, a normal resting heart rate is between 60 - 100 beats per minute.

Garmin Connect (which includes my night-time rate) says mine is 53, but if you look at daytime only, it's more like 65.

I'm a distance runner (my idea of fit is ready to run a half marathon on no notice) which I hink is a contributory factor to being low. I'm not worried about it being so low because it rises and falls appropriately with exercise. People with low heart rates need to check that is the case for them too - there is a condition known as heart block in which a low heart rate does not rise on exertion, and it's potentially serious (though can be well controlled with a pacemaker)

Mine is similar to the OP's and my 5k time is the same as hers too. So, not athletic but reasonably fit and active, for which 55-60ish seems very normal (at my age - 61 - at any rate).

Thank you for all your replies, it has been an interesting read!

I am early 40s and nowhere near as fit as I used to be. I ran, swam and cycled regularly years ago before having kids. My watch wasn't as smart back then so no clue what my normal was. I have always had low BP though.

It's amazing what we can track on our devices now, but sometimes I wonder if the knowledge creates needless worry. Although to the poster who had sepsis, what a catch that was!

Having read a bit more, my suspicion is that the 'normal' range is somewhat arbitrary and overdue for revision.

Measurements in the past have likely mostly been done in clinical settings rather than now when our watches can give a true 'vegging on the sofa' resting value, for one thing.

I found this paper which indicates that indicates that if you don't have an arrhythmia, lower RHRs aren't a problem - see the section on bradycardia. My Apple Watch always shows normal sinus rhythm, and I've got good heart rate variability so I'm pretty sure I'm fine.

www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.HYP.33.2.622

108 around 80 when asleep (AI illness).

Mine's around 55 according to my fitbit, although looking at the graph that's while sleeping. It's about 65-70 when I'm awake but sat down.

70 despite being a runner and doing a lot of walking. Mine has been flagged up as being too high previously but various tests said it was fine.

I've had my watch to off several times to tell me I have an abnormal heart rate (100+) when I'm sat doing absolutely nothing. It went off loads during my weeks holiday and most of the time when it happened I was sat on a sun lounger.

73-ish but I take stimulant medication for ADHD, which increases heart rate. I also have a condition called POTS, which sends my heart rate haywire when I stand up/walk.

It goes from 60/70 when sitting to 120 when I stand up, and it stays above 100 until I sit down again. I think that probably skews my average.

Mine's usually 55-60 but it's been lower. I'm definitely not even close to being an athlete! I'm overweight and currently not exercising regularly. When I was at my most fit (still not an athlete though!) it was 50-52 most of the time.

My blood pressure's always been at the lowest end of the normal range, sometimes lower. I don't have any conditions causing this; it's just one of those things and not a problem.

Resting is 49 and it drops as low as 38 while sleeping - it's been investigated but they've just said that's my normal and not to worry...

75-80

Mine is normally just below 50 when totally resting (aged 63). Has always been the same, am still relatively fit / active as I do an average almost 10k steps most days according to my phone (when much of the working day my phone is on the desk), albeit a little overweight, am no longer the super slim super fit 20/30 year old me!