What is a normal resting heart rate?
Answered by the AskDoc Medical Team · Medically reviewed under our Medical Director, MBBS
For most adults, 60 to 100 beats per minute at rest is the normal range. Fit people often sit in the 50s, and very trained athletes lower still.
A resting rate that has drifted upward over months can reflect stress, poor sleep, deconditioning, anemia, thyroid problems or fever. A persistently fast rate above 100 at rest deserves a check.
Measure after sitting quietly for five minutes, not after coffee or stairs. The trend across weeks says more than one reading.
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If you are buying a fitness tracker
Step count and resting heart rate are the two numbers that matter, and any major-brand band tracks both well. You do not need the expensive model to walk more.
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