Why is checking your heart rate important

During consistent, uninterrupted sleep, the body rests, repairs and recovers. Poor or inconsistent sleep can be a large contributor to elevated RHR, putting stress on the heart. A balanced diet full of healthy fats and low sodium keeps arteries clear, leading to lower RHR and less work for the heart.

Both short and long-term, stress has a significant impact on the heart by increasing RHR. As with most body metrics, Resting Heart Rate offers insights into your overall health, indicating general wellbeing as well as potential health risks which can inform your daily lifestyle choices. Spikes in RHR can indicate when overtraining has occurred and an athlete should take a rest day, something else in a training regiment is amiss, or can even indicate an oncoming cold or illness. If your RHR is high, these are the first factors to assess.

Beyond the basic lifestyle factors, a few other steps can be taken to significantly lower RHR:. If you want to get the most bang for your buck when you exercise, knowing your target heart rate will help.

It not only helps you maximize your workout, but also move you closer to your weight-loss goals. Your target heart rate has everything to do with how effective your body is at burning fat — aka, a great workout tool. Maybe you need to run a little faster, squat a little lower or make your routine a little longer. All of this, of course, is to make you more efficient at burning fat, strengthening your heart and managing your overall health.

You are commenting using your Twitter account. You are commenting using your Facebook account. Notify me of new comments via email. Notify me of new posts via email. Skip to content Did you know? According to the National Institute of Health, the average resting heart rate: For children 10 years and older, and adults including seniors is 60 — beats per minute For well-trained athletes is 40 — 60 beats per minute.

Air temperature: When temperatures and the humidity soar, the heart pumps a little more blood, so your pulse rate may increase, but usually no more than 5 to 10 beats a minute. Normal heart rate A normal heart rate is usually stated as 60 to beats per minute. Slow heart rate Among healthy people, a slow heart rate may be due to: being physically fit a medication, such as propranolol or metoprolol sleep though heart rate may rise during the REM stage of sleep.

On the other hand, a slow heart rate can be a sign of disease, such as: heart attack or other heart disease such as "sick sinus syndrome" certain infections including Lyme disease or typhoid fever high levels of potassium in the blood hyperkalemia an underactive thyroid gland.

Fast heart rate Healthy people can have a fast heart rate because they are exercising, especially if it's rigorous or associated with dehydration nervous or excited — while a heart rate over might be considered "abnormal," it is entirely expected if a tiger is headed toward you using a stimulant, such as caffeine or cocaine pregnant. Diseases associated with a fast heart rate include: most infections or just about any cause of fever heart problems, for example cardiomyopathy in which the pumping function of the heart is reduced , atrial fibrillation, or ventricular tachycardia certain medications such as an EpiPen low levels of potassium in the blood hypokalemia an overactive thyroid gland or too much thyroid medication anemia asthma or other breathing trouble.

Heart rate and exercise Exercise guidelines often suggest moderate to rigorous exercise for 20 to 30 minutes per day, but how do you know if your particular exercise qualifies?

When should you worry about your heart rate? Common symptoms of a slow heart rate include: fatigue dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting confusion an inability to exercise. Common symptoms of a fast heart rate include: fatigue dizziness, lightheadedness, fainting or near-fainting palpitations, or a pounding or fluttering sensation in the chest feeling your heart racing shortness of breath chest pain or tightness. Print This Page Click to Print. Heart Health.

Free Healthbeat Signup Get the latest in health news delivered to your inbox! Sign Up. Close Thanks for visiting. The Best Diets for Cognitive Fitness , is yours absolutely FREE when you sign up to receive Health Alerts from Harvard Medical School Sign up to get tips for living a healthy lifestyle, with ways to fight inflammation and improve cognitive health , plus the latest advances in preventative medicine, diet and exercise , pain relief, blood pressure and cholesterol management, and more.

I want to get healthier.