What Is a Normal Heart Rate? Ranges by Age and Activity
Updated · 4 min read · By Taohidul Islam
Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute (bpm). A normal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 bpm, and children have higher normal ranges the younger they are. Your heart rate rises with activity, stress and illness and falls during rest and sleep, so "normal" always depends on what you were doing when it was measured.
Normal resting heart rate by age
These ranges, from Cleveland Clinic, apply when someone is awake, calm and not exercising:
| Age | Normal resting heart rate (bpm) |
|---|---|
| Newborn (birth to 4 weeks) | 100 - 205 |
| Infant (4 weeks to 1 year) | 100 - 180 |
| Toddler (1 to 3 years) | 98 - 140 |
| Preschool (3 to 5 years) | 80 - 120 |
| School age (5 to 12 years) | 75 - 118 |
| Adolescent (13 to 17 years) | 60 - 100 |
| Adult (18 and over) | 60 - 100 |
Well-trained athletes often have resting rates below 60, sometimes around 40, without any problem. For how your own resting rate changes over time, see resting heart rate trends.
What affects your heart rate?
- Activity - the harder you work, the faster your heart beats to deliver oxygen.
- Fitness - fitter hearts pump more blood per beat, so they need fewer beats at rest.
- Emotions and stress - excitement, fear and anxiety raise heart rate.
- Body position - heart rate can rise briefly when you stand up.
- Temperature and humidity - heat makes the heart work harder.
- Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol
- Illness and fever
- Medications - some raise heart rate, others, such as beta blockers, lower it.
- Age - maximum heart rate falls with age, while resting heart rate changes less.
Heart rate during sleep
Heart rate usually drops during sleep, often below your daytime resting rate, and is typically lowest in deep sleep. It can rise during REM sleep and brief awakenings. Alcohol, late meals, a warm bedroom and hard evening exercise can keep it higher than usual overnight.
Heart rate during exercise
During exercise, heart rate is usually described as a percentage of your maximum heart rate. A common rough estimate of maximum is 220 minus your age. The American Heart Association describes moderate-intensity activity as about 50 to 70 percent of maximum and vigorous activity as about 70 to 85 percent. These are estimates - individuals vary - so use them as a guide alongside how hard the effort feels. For more, see how to estimate maximum heart rate and training zones.
After exercise, heart rate falls back toward resting. A quicker drop in the first minute after stopping is generally associated with better aerobic fitness.
How to check your pulse
- Sit quietly for a few minutes.
- Place two or three fingers (not your thumb) on the inside of your wrist below the base of the thumb, or at the side of your neck beside the windpipe.
- Press gently until you feel the beat.
- Count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by two, or count for a full minute.
Note whether the beat feels regular. An occasional extra or skipped beat is common, but a pulse that is often irregular should be checked by a doctor. Apple Watch can also measure heart rate and save it to Apple Health, along with resting and walking heart rate.
When is a heart rate too high or too low?
A resting rate consistently above 100 bpm is called tachycardia, and one below 60 bpm is called bradycardia. Neither is automatically a problem - a fast rate after climbing stairs is expected, and a slow rate is normal for many athletes - but both are worth discussing with a doctor if they happen at rest without a clear reason.
When to get medical help
- Call emergency services for chest pain, fainting, severe shortness of breath, or a very fast or very slow heartbeat with dizziness or confusion.
- See a doctor if your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 bpm, below 60 bpm without being an athlete, or if you often feel palpitations, fluttering or a pounding heartbeat.
Remember: a wearable heart rate reading is useful context, but it is not a medical test. Symptoms matter more than any number on a screen.
Seeing your heart rate in FitRest
FitRest reads heart rate data from Apple Health - best with Apple Watch - and shows your resting heart rate, walking heart rate, daily heart rate range and HRV, with trends over time. Heart Signals point out readings that are unusual for you so you can look at what changed. Learn more on the heart rate and HRV feature page.
Sources
FitRest is a wellness app, not a medical device. It does not diagnose, treat or prevent any condition. Talk to a qualified health professional about any health concern.