What heart rate is normal?
Age and gender are decisive
Created: 07/27/2022, 08:00
By: Laura Knops
Sport, stress and illness can permanently impair the resting heart rate.
But age and gender also affect the heart rate.
The heart pumps around 7,000 liters of blood through the body every day.
With every beat, it transports vital nutrients and oxygen to the organs.
In most people, the heart beats around 60 to 90 times per minute.
With movement, sport or stress, however, this rate can quickly become unbalanced.
But illnesses, individual living conditions, age and gender also influence the heart rate.
What heart rate is normal?
Age and gender are decisive
The so-called resting heart rate, also called normal heart rate or normal heart rate, is the heart rate at which the heart pumps blood through the body.
The pulse can be measured on the arteries on the inner wrist.
Because with every movement of the heart, in which the blood is pressed against the artery walls, an impulse is created.
This usually corresponds to the heartbeat.
In addition to exercise and stress, age and gender also influence the resting heart rate (symbol image).
© YAY Images / Imago
The resting heart rate indicates the normal state.
But it can also provide information about possible diseases or changes in the body.
In addition, excitement, physical activity, sports and stress make the heart beat faster.
The increased heartbeat ensures that more blood is transported through the veins and the body is better supplied with oxygen.
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What heart rate is normal?
How to measure the heart rate
The resting heart rate should be measured in the morning and in a relaxed state if possible.
If you want to measure your pulse during the day, it is better to sit or lie down for a few minutes beforehand.
The easiest way to read the pulse is on the inside of the wrist.
To do this, place two or three fingers on the inside of your wrist below your thumb and count the beats for 30 seconds.
Multiplied by two, this gives your resting heart rate per minute.
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But even if the resting heart rate is measured in the morning, various factors can influence it.
In addition to the time of day, the weather, caffeine, height and weight also play a role.
The normal resting heart rate also depends on age and gender.
Which plus value is normal?
These factors affect the heart rate
In adults, the resting heart rate is usually between 70 and 80 heartbeats per minute.
Women generally have a slightly higher heart rate than men.
The reason for the higher heart rate in women is: Compared to men, they have a smaller heart on average, which pumps less blood into the veins per beat.
Therefore, the cardiac output, i.e. the volume of blood that is pumped into the body per beat, is lower and the resting heart rate is higher.
Children's hearts also beat much faster with a pulse of around 100.
In addition to gender, age also plays an important role.
For seniors, 70 to 90 heartbeats per minute are considered normal.
The following normal values apply to the resting heart rate:
Newborns: 120 to 140 beats per minute
Infants: 100 to 120 beats per minute
Older children and adolescents: 80 to 100 beats per minute
Adults: 60 to 80 beats per minute
Seniors: 70 to 90 beats per minute
Caffeine, stress and various diseases affect the resting heart rate.
If this increases significantly, this is called tachycardia.
According to the German Heart Foundation, a high pulse can occur with fever and various thyroid diseases, for example.
However, an increased heart rate can also be a warning sign of serious heart disease and should therefore be clarified by a doctor.
This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication. In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor. Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.
