Information About Heart Rate
Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats (or contracts) per minute. Your heart rate will speed up with activity and slow down with rest. Your heart rate during exertion and during inactivity, and the time it takes to slow down after exercise, all can help paint a picture of your heart health. Heart rate is different from blood pressure, which is the force of blood on the walls of your blood vessels. You can easily measure your own heart rate, and, if you have any kind of heart condition, keeping track of your various heart rates can be an important part of your health regimen.
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Resting Heart Rate
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Your resting heart rate (resting HR) is the number of times your heart contracts when you are at rest, not having exercised for at least 30 minutes. Your resting HR is a sign of your fitness level, so while the average person might have a resting HR of between 60 and 100 beats per minute, a top athlete could have a resting HR of around 40 to 50 beats per minute. That's because an athlete's heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump blood throughout the body.
Measuring Heart Rate
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Your heart rate can be measured in several places throughout the body, such as the radial artery in the wrist, the carotid artery in the neck, the temple, the groin (the femoral artery), behind the knee and in the crux of the elbow. To measure your own heart rate, hold your middle or index finger against an artery where the heart rate can be felt, but don't press too hard. Count the number of beats in 15 seconds and then multiply by four. Take the measurement twice to get an accurate reading.
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Target Heart Rate
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Your target heart rate should be between 50 and 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is the most number of times your heart can beat in a minute, but it is often a number that must be estimated. The American Heart Association guidelines suggest using an average maximum heart rate for your age by subtracting your age from 220. With that figure in mind, determine your target heart rate and try to sustain that for 30 to 40 minutes while exercising, pausing once in awhile to measure your heart rate and see if you are in that target range.
Recovery Heart Rate
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Your recovery heart rate is the rate your heart returns to after exercising. If you've been exercising for 30 minutes, stop and wait 2 minutes before checking your recovery heart rate. If your heart rate during exercise was 150 and 2 minutes after stopping it was 90, that would be considered a healthy recovery heart rate. Several studies have shown a strong link between a slow recovery heart rate time and carotid artery disease, so if it takes several minutes for your heart rate during exercise to start returning to your resting HR, you should notify your doctor.
Improving Your Heart Rate
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Exercise and weight loss (if you are overweight) are the best ways to begin improving your heart health and lowering your heart rate. If you can work out regularly and get your heart to its target level (generally somewhere between being able to hold a normal conversation while exercising and being out of breath quickly) you should start to see improvements in your resting, recovery and target heart rates. Brisk walking, jogging, swimming, bicycling and aerobic exercise can all help you improve your heart rate.
Warning
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If your resting heart rate appears too high (well above 100 beats per minute), you should have your cardiac health screened, according to the American Heart Association, because it could be a sign of heart disease. In particular, a heart rhythm problem (tachycardia) could be responsible for an unhealthy heart rate. And certain drugs, both prescribed and illicit, could cause your heart to race as well. Also, if you notice that there is little difference between your resting heart rate and your heart rate during exercise, you should share this information with your doctor. A healthier heart quickly speeds up during exercise and quickly returns to a slower rate after activity ends.
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