Resting heart rate

[rayvinloon]

Hi to everyone who has taken the trouble to read my post....I read that a normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 beats per minute, my resting heart rate averages out at 49 BPM over the last year according to my Garmin, am I very fit or should I consult my doctor? To all you fellow runners who have fitness trackers etc what are your average resting BPM?

[Instructor57 Graduate10]

Are you wearing your Garmin through the night ?

It is not uncommon for your heart rate to fall between 40 and 60 when sleeping

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to Instructor57]

Hi i57 thanks for your quick reply, yes I am but because it's on the low side I have been keeping an eye on it when watching a bit of telly and quite often it seems to be in the low fifties, still you have given me some reassurance as yes that is when Garmin does measure my resting HR, cheers

[backintime Graduate10]

I only wore a watch for a short period (like two weeks before it annoyed me and the strap started making me itch), but my night heart rate used to register at around 45 bpm

That's bound to bring your average down

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to backintime]

funny enough that was what mine started off at

[Cookscat 60minGraduate in reply to backintime]

hi , I replaced my Fitbit with a nylon woven strap from eBay which is great , I had a rash on my wrist from the original strap , my resting heart rate is currently 49 , I run mostly 4 times a week 30 - 45 mins

[backintime Graduate10 in reply to Cookscat]

Me too, I started getting blister type spots and took it off.

[GoogleMe Graduate10 in reply to backintime]

Yep, got a metal strap for mine with magnetic closure, it's brilliant.

[Jell6 Graduate10]

healthunlocked.com/bridgeto... posted this a while ago but if you feel well you probably are. My resting hr sits around 50 -53, if I have a glass of wine it goes up, same if I have a poor night's sleep. If you see big variations maybe take note.

I think it's always best to compare you to you😊

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to Jell6]

Hi I've just read the link and you could well be right and what you say makes absolute sense, cheers

[chrisl72 Graduate10]

Are you on any medication? I'm on a beta-blocker for migraine and my daytime resting heart rate is low 40s. Shudder to think what it might go down to at night.

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to chrisl72]

Hi no, no medication thanks for your reply

[HeavyFoot Graduate10]

What’s it rising to whilst you’re running?

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to HeavyFoot]

Well it depends how hard I run 😰 but between 145 and 165 and even at 165 Garmin says I'm still running in my threshold (I let garmin auto calculate my max heart rate)

[HeavyFoot Graduate10 in reply to rayvinloon]

All in all, you appear to be worryingly normal. Happy runnings 👍

[Freecloud Graduate10]

Mine is usually around mid 50s. I've never been concerned about resting HR. The only times it goes up is when I get anxious, but that's me. I use the HR reading a lot on my watch, but I always take it off in the evening and would never have it on at night.

[LaLaLa72]

Looks completely ok to me I had 50 to 60 and the lows were 45 when no stress and time for running was involved. Low is better than high. If too low sparkling water and sparkling wine ( 1 glass a day) might help.

[LeeU 60minGraduate]

I've always believed that a low resting heart rate is the sign of a 'healthy' cardiovascular system as it shows you heart is having to do less work to pump the blood around the system.

I'd also look at your recovery rate too as, according to some articles I read a while ago, it can be a sign of a 'healthy' heart.

But, that's my take on it and comes from the articles I've read over the last 5-8 years.

[XenaZelda]

I have also been looking at my heart rate at night which when i have been wearing my garmin goes as low as 44 BPM, i was worried about this and also thought about going to the doctor as i know i am not an athlete, but i am reassured by a lot of posts on this forum how also have the same levels while asleep.....phew

[TheJazzSinger]

Runners and people who exercise a lot traditionally have a lower resting heart rate which is a good sign. Alcohol and poor sleep can put it up. If you have health metrics on your Garmin check out the heart variability rate which will explain what it means and whether your level is consistently in your range. Frequent sudden drops can indicate an issue.

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to TheJazzSinger]

Hiya thanks for replying, I have a Garmin 245 with which i can get my heart rate recovery but unfortunately not heart rate variability, I have been looking at the Garmin 265 but it's a bit pricey at the moment (I know the 255 is essentially the same but I like the amoled display)

[TheJazzSinger in reply to rayvinloon]

I have a Fitbit and you get health metrics with that so it does heart rate, heart rate variability & breathing rate which has a range for your stats like age , sex, weight, etc. It assesses your personal range over 30 days and if it goes out of range frequency it could mean a health problem. These things aren’t always accurate and can change depending on alcohol, sleep, stress, etc.

[ForbiddenPlanet Graduate10]

I agree with everyone else - totally OK IMO. I'm the same age as you, and my RHR is mid 40s. High 30s if I don't drink wine!

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10]

I wear my Garmin all the time so it records my HR at night too. My average resting HR over the last 7 days is 37! It’s totally normal for me - so yours could be totally normal for you too. I was told only to get concerned if the norm changed - ie if mine was the “average of 60-100” I’d be in serious trouble! Even when I run it’s hardly ever over 120 and my average high over the last 7 days is 100.

I’m sure yours is just fine. 😀

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Hi thanks for replying, wow yours is low isn't it, I've just read your bio and am impressed, definitely fit and athletic well done... would it be cheeky to ask what your average pace is?

[cheekychipmunks Graduate10 in reply to rayvinloon]

Not cheeky at all. My average pace is pretty slow at between 7 and 8 mins/km, sometimes slower if I’m trail running, but I can run for a long time! I’m able to run faster, but I like to enjoy my runs. 😅

[rayvinloon Graduate10 in reply to cheekychipmunks]

Thanks for the info 👍 I do run/jog a bit faster than that but the furthest I've ran is 10k, never pushed myself to the limit and often pondered about pushing on to 10 miles and further so I take my hat off to you and the distances you have run, keep up the good work and keep enjoying it, all the best...