Heart Rate: Just wondering what the... - British Heart Fou...

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Heart Rate

Lawrence78 profile image
11 Replies

Just wondering what the ''good'' range is for heart rate. Online says 60 - 100. Some say 50 -100. What exactly is the range?

My heart rate tends to be high 50's to low 60's (I'm 45). It can range from as low as 54 up to around 63. Sometimes it gets a bit higher towards 67.

Is this okay?

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Lawrence78 profile image
Lawrence78
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11 Replies
Yumz199725 profile image
Yumz199725

Hi Lawrence78My heart rate rests at 80-90 or 99 sometimes which I know is considered normal. Yeah I would say 67 is normal, normal is 60-100. Like Blossominspring says we are very different and what's normal for me is probably not for you. Is it causing an issues when it goes higher maybe talk to your GP 😉.

Smitty1956 profile image
Smitty1956

Hi, Lawrence78,

I will start by stating that I have no medical training. When I saw a cardiologist in May 2022, she stated that 60-100 was a “normal” heart rate. At that time, I was having problems with my heart racing well above 100 bpm whenever I got up and simply walked to the kitchen or to the bathroom. For example, simply walking a few feet might raise my bpm to 138 or higher, and I felt terrible. This was after a HA in late March 2022.

My understanding is that athletes and, possibly, very healthy individuals may have “normal” heart rates below 60 bpm (think 40-50 bpm) when at rest.

Hopefully, your doctor can help you with figuring out what is a “normal” heart rate for you. For example, you may be at one consistent heart rate while resting, but have a completely different rate for exercise such as walking or biking. I know that our heart rates do fluctuate throughout the day depending on weather, stress levels, activity levels, etc

To me (not a medical doctor), your heart rate certainly sounds like it is within a normal range for your age and while resting. A resting heart rate of 45-65 would certainly fall within a healthy range. I hope that helps some, but you may want to discuss heart rates with your doctor.

Take care! 😊

Silvertail profile image
Silvertail

I've always been told 60 -100 is normal. Mine's usually around 65/70. However it has dropped below 50 at times.

MountainGoat52 profile image
MountainGoat52

I've been told several times by clinicians that 60 -100 is the "normal" range, but I agree with TWU that the figures are a little high. The suggested range of 50 - 85 certainly gets my vote.

When I did rehab after my bypass op, those participating were not allowed to leave to go home until their heart rate had dropped to 85 - 90. This might suggest that the course leaders considered the upper "normal" of 100 to be too high. As health professionals in charge of a serious physical activity, I would rather trust their judgement than any generalised parameters.

As to the lower end of the range, I have been told that to get into the 50s you have to be fit. I'm absolutely sure that this is only a general statement as some people I know have resting rates in the 50s, but they are certainly not fit. It all comes down to the fact that we are all different.

Engineer46 profile image
Engineer46

The range 60-100 bpm said to be "normal" will be based on measurements of many healthy people taken by a doctor or nurse in a clinical setting. Due to "White Coat Syndrome ", the figures will probably be higher than the same people would have measured themselves at home. The true "normal healthy " resting range is therefore likely to be more as TWU has suggested.

Best wishes

Paul

Avdi profile image
Avdi

Hi Lawrence

You’ve had plenty of replies to your question. As you can see everyone’s normal heart rate is different depending on multiple factors, age, fitness, health etc etc including how stressed you might be at the time of taking the reading, (white coat syndrome).

My heart rate has been sub 60 my whole life, below 50 in my 20s when I was in the Army fighting fit? After double bypass in May 2022 and prescribed 2.5mg of Bisoprolol my heart rate routinely drops below 45 when I’m couch potatoing and in the mid 50s when pottering about, now my new normal. Fitness and life style as I found out doesn’t preclude you from familial coronary heart disease. 🤷‍♂️

So long as you are well, your GP, any cardiologists and cardiac nurse teams are happy then get on with life and have fund.

Take care 😎

archiebun profile image
archiebun

Im on Bisoprolol and my cardiologist said she wants it to be 50. So for me 50-60 is fine. You could be different of course. I think in the 40s regularly would be too low. But if you are fine and not feint then great.

wischo profile image
wischo

Spot on which is why a Kardia device will not diagnose Bradycardia unless its below 50bpm.

Lawrence78 profile image
Lawrence78

Hi. To be honest much of the issues I have been getting seems to stem from my throat. Many of the times I get a tight sensation it feels like it's from behind the adams apple or around that area. It does feel thick, heavy, and causes me to cough quite a bit, like an irritation or weak spot. I used to have asthma when I was younger too so there's that 🤷

fixedrider profile image
fixedrider

It's going to go well above 100 in serious exercise - but whether you should be doing that depends on your condition and medical advice, of course. After my double bypass, I was encouraged to exercise enough to get it well above that figure. The surgeon who discharged me, some months later, was not concerned when I mentioned 140 - he just said I was doing well to reach that.

Conversely, my resting rate is into the 40s. More recently, after I passed out twice in my chair over lunch, a consultant took me off Bisoprolol on the basis that the combination of a low rate with a drug to slow it further was overdoing things somewhat.

Harefieldfan profile image
Harefieldfan

I’m on bisoprolol, which lowers the heart rate. So mine seems to be in the 50s. Before my heart attack (and hence the beta blocker) it was around 72 bpm. In the hospital, I told the doctors that’s what it was. ‘Not any more it isn’t’ was the reply.

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