What is a normal heart rate?

Every beat of your heart is a quiet reminder that your body is hard at work, even when you’re not thinking about it. When your heart rhythm speeds up or slows down too much, it can be a sign of trouble. Paying attention to changes can help protect your health.

Understanding heart rates

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. One way to estimate your heart rate is through your pulse. You can learn how to take your pulse to find your rate.

Your heart rate will vary throughout the day depending on what you’re doing. A normal resting heart rate for adults is between 60and 100 beats per minute (bpm). However, this rate can be affected by many factors, including:

• stress
• anxiety
• hormones
• medication

Normal heart rates by age

Younger children have faster heart rates because their hearts are smaller. Heart rates slow as children grow and stabilize in adulthood. General ranges include:

• infants 80-140 bpm
• toddlers 80-130 bpm
• school-age kids 70-100 bpm
• pre-teen and teens 60-100 bpm
• adults 60-100 bpm

What is a low heart rate?

Athletes and people taking certain medications, like beta blockers, often have lower heart rates. It is also more common for older adults. A low heart rate below 60 bpm is called bradycardia.

Bradycardia can also be caused by:

• heart-related conditions
• electrolyte imbalance
• sleep apnea

Over time, if left untreated, certain types of low heart rate can lead to complications, including confusion, dizziness, fainting or fatigue.

What is a high heart rate?

A faster heart rate during or right after exercise is normal. It becomes a concern when it stays high while you are resting. A resting heart rate above 100 bpm is called tachycardia.

Tachycardia can be caused by:

• underlying health conditions, including anemia, thyroid issues or pregnancy
• fever
• electrolyte imbalance
• too much caffeine or alcohol
• smoking or tobacco use

If left untreated, certain types of high heart rate can lead to complications, including heart damage, stroke and organ failure.

When is a high or low heart rate an emergency?

A high (over 100 bpm) or low (below 40 bpm) resting heart rate becomes an emergency when it comes with symptoms such as:

• chest pain
• dizziness
• fainting
• shortness of breath
• confusion

Call 911 for sudden, concerning changes with these symptoms, especially if your pulse feels irregular or you experience heart attack signs or stroke symptoms. 

Heart rate and exercise

Knowing your heart rate during workouts can help guide your efforts to achieve goals. Two important numbers are:

• Maximum heart rate: The fastest your heart can safely beat during intense activity.
• Target heart rate: The range where you get the most out of exercise.

How to calculate your target heart rate

Exercising within your target heart rate ensures you're working hard enough to achieve cardiovascular benefits.

Your target heart rate can be calculated in a few steps:

1. Subtract your age from 220 to find your maximum heart rate.
2. Multiply that number by 0.50 to find the low end of your target range.
3. Multiply it by 0.85 to find the high end of your target range.

For example, a 50-year-old man would subtract his age from 220 to find his maximum heart rate of 170. He would then use 170 to find his target range:

• Low end: 170 × 0.50 = 85 bpm
• High end: 170 × 0.85 = 144.5 bpm (rounded to 145)

His target heart rate range for exercise would be 85-145 bpm.

Generally, your target heart rate decreases as you age:

• age 20: 100-170 bpm
• age 30: 95-162 bpm
• age 40: 90-153 bpm
• age 50: 85-145 bpm
• age 60: 80-136 bpm
• age 70: 75-128 bpm

Key takeaways