Normal Resting Heart Rate & Normal Blood Pressure

normal resting heart rate

Figuring out what the normal resting heart rate is is an important factor in heart health. Learn about normal blood pressure & tachycardia as well.

A normal resting heart rate reveals the number of heart beats per minute in an adult, child or infant.  Generally speaking, in adult men, the lower the resting heart rate the healthier the person is.

What Is a Normal Resting Heart Rate?

The normal range for a resting heart rate in adult males is between 60 & 100 beats per minute.  Fitness athletes have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60 beats per minute.  The lower the number the more fit a person is supposed to be.

Babies and young children typically have a higher resting heart rate than adult males, while women oftentimes have a lower heart rate than men.  Elderly men have a tendency to have a lower heart rate but are less fit than athletes or younger men.

Normal Resting Heart Rate in Men

To calculate a normal heart rate it is important to make sure the person being measured was resting for at least fifteen minutes.  This involves sitting for a period of time to ensure the person’s heart is beating normally while at rest.  A person who is moving around or undergoing some sort of exercise will have a higher reading and this could reflect a high resting heart rate which would be inaccurate.

A resting heart rate can be determined by placing two fingers, typically the index and middle finger, alongside the inner wrist or side of neck near the carotid artery to detect the pulse.  A low resting heart rate indicates the person is more fit while a high rate could indicate poor health.  Factors that affect the heart rate include:

  • Age
  • Fitness level
  • Gender
  • Outside stressors

Heart rates can be calculated by counting the number of beats in a 15 or 30 second interval.  If timing for 15 seconds, the number should be multiplied by four to determine how many beats per minute occurred.  This calculation will give you a healthy resting heart rate in men.

Normal Blood Pressure in Men

Understanding your blood pressure is as important as knowing what your resting heart rate is.  A blood pressure measurement detects the amount of blood forced through the arteries.  A systolic and diastolic number is detected and the readings are measured in millimeters of mercury.

A normal blood pressure reading for an adult male is 90/80 mmHG to 120/140 mmHG.  In the event of a rapid heart rhythm or tachycardia, a man’s blood pressure may sky rocket.  Some symptoms of this condition include:

  • Shortness of breath
  • Dizziness
  • Heart pounding
  • Body extremity numbness

Aside from any disorders or anomalies, a normal resting heart rate should occur when the person is resting for a short duration of time.  The best time to get this number is first thing in the morning.

{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Peseo Pio August 1, 2012 at 4:12 am

my doctor told me that I havve 120/60mmHg and 56BPM, am I fit?

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