{"id":626783,"date":"2024-02-14T13:43:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-14T18:43:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=626783"},"modified":"2024-10-25T10:09:24","modified_gmt":"2024-10-25T14:09:24","slug":"normal-resting-heart-rate-for-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/normal-resting-heart-rate-for-men\/","title":{"rendered":"Normal resting heart rate for men by age"},"content":{"rendered":"

Half of the men in the United States <\/span>have high blood pressure<\/span><\/a>. Men are <\/span>two times more likely<\/span><\/a> than women to suffer heart attacks. <\/span>One out of every four deaths<\/span><\/a> among men in the United States is from heart disease. It’s clear: Men shouldn’t take heart health lightly. And resting heart rate (RHR) is one of the best ways to monitor it. <\/span><\/p>\n

A healthy heart rate—not too fast or too slow—is one telltale sign of a well-functioning heart. Of course, you need to know how to measure it, the factors that can affect it, and how to maintain a healthy number. We’ve got all that info, plus a little more, right here. <\/span><\/p>\n

A normal resting heart rate for men is 60–100 beats per minute<\/span><\/h2>\n

Resting heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times the heart beats per minute (bpm) when a person is kicked back on the couch or sitting at a desk. This number decreases, and your pulse slows as you go from childhood to adulthood. Newborn babies’ hearts may beat from <\/span>100–205 bpm<\/span><\/a>. That slows to 60–100 bpm once they reach adulthood. Although 60–100 bpm is normal for adults, it varies by sex. Most adult men have a resting heart rate between 70–72 beats per minute, according to <\/span>Cleveland Clinic<\/span><\/a>. For people assigned female at birth, it is typically 78–82 beats per minute since their hearts are slightly smaller than men’s and must beat faster to pump the same amount of blood. <\/span><\/p>\n

During adulthood, age doesn’t affect your resting heart rate as much as your activity levels, stress levels, and medications you may be taking. This is in contrast to your maximum heart rate and your target heart rate. Your maximum heart rate is <\/span>the upper limit of what your heart can handle during physical activity<\/span><\/a>. Subtract your age from 220 to get your maximum heart rate. Your target heart rate reflects <\/span>how fast your heart should beat during physical activity<\/span><\/a>. Your target heart rate is typically between 50%–85% of your maximum safe heart rate, but you should consult your doctor for an accurate percentage.<\/span><\/p>\n

During physical activity, the muscles consume more oxygen, and the heart beats faster to deliver it, which is why the heart rate typically increases during exercise. But during rest, the body doesn’t need oxygen delivered quickly, so a high pulse might denote <\/span>other heart issues<\/span><\/a> instead. A low resting heart rate can be healthy—athletes often have fairly low pulses—but it can also indicate health problems, especially in older adults and non-athletes. <\/span><\/p>\n

How to measure resting heart rate<\/span><\/h2>\n

Measuring resting heart rate is easy. It requires no doctors or special equipment—just a minute of spare time. “Measuring your heart rate can be as simple as palpating your radial pulse on your wrist and counting how many pulsations you feel over 1 minute,” says <\/span>Paul Drury, MD<\/span><\/a>, cardiologist and associate medical director of electrophysiology at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, California. However, measuring it on the neck can work just as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

Step-by-step instructions for measuring your resting heart rate<\/span><\/h3>\n

Here’s how to measure your resting heart rate, or pulse, on your wrist and your neck:<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. For the wrist, place the tips of the index and middle fingers just below the base of the thumb. For the neck, take the same two fingers and place them on the soft part of the neck, between the jawline and windpipe. <\/span><\/li>\n
  2. You should feel a gentle pulse. If not, press slightly harder until you feel it well enough to count.<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. Use a clock or watch to count the number of pulses in 30 seconds. <\/span><\/li>\n
  4. Multiply that number by two—that’s the resting heart rate. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    But not everyone prefers to take their pulse manually. Fortunately, “newer wearable devices such as FitBits, Apple Watches, and Kardia Monitors are very accurate ways to measure your heart rate at home,” Dr. Drury says. <\/span>Research shows<\/span><\/a> that these heart rate monitors often work well—plus, they give users plenty of data to track heart rate trends over days, weeks, and months. <\/span><\/p>\n

    Factors that affect resting heart rate in men<\/span><\/h2>\n

    Of course, heart rates aren’t the same all the time. They fluctuate almost constantly, and several factors can influence them in men, including:<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n