Resting heart rate – what you need to know

Garryck Holmes

It’s really interesting and fun using all of the equipment we have here at the University, but sometimes I like to do my own little tests with the kit. Lately I’ve been looking into resting heart rate, what it is, and why it’s important. 

What should my resting heart rate be? For the majority of people, resting heart rate ranges between 60-100 beats per minute (bmp). Generally, the less beats per minute, the healthier and more efficient the heart is, as it isn’t working as hard to pump the blood around. Some athletes can get their resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute, a likely result of their fitness.    

Why it’s important to monitor your resting heart rate. It’s important to monitor your resting heart rate because the lower bpm, the stronger your heart. This is because the heart is having to work less to pump the same amount of blood around your body. If you have a very high resting heart rate, the heart is working harder to do the same amount of work, and this can lead to health problems after a long time.   

How to lower your resting heart rate. There are loads of ways to reduce your resting heart rate, but some of the major ones include: losing weight if necessary, avoiding tobacco products, doing more exercise and eating healthier. All of those are things I struggle with! Being an ex smoker, overweight and with a taste for cake, it can be hard to keep my resting heart rate down. I found that my resting heart rate was a lot lower than I expected though, and I think this may be because although I eat way too much, I do lead an active lifestyle working 9-5 and coaching or refereeing with the local roller derby team 3 nights a week. I am also moving house soon, so for the first time ever I will be more than 200 metres away from my place of work! I plan on cycling in, which I’m sure will increase my fitness as well as my mental health. 

 

Devices you can use to check your resting heart rate. The devices we use at the University include the Biopac (which we also use as a Polygraph, see earlier blog post), the Polar heart rate monitors, and the little Measupro finger sensors. They all have their benefits and disadvantages. The Biopac is accurate and can record data, but it’s very bulky. The Polar monitors are portable and can record data, but you must use a chest strap which can be a bit invasive. My favourite is the Measupro, because it’s small and cheap, fits on the end of your finger, and gives you an instant reading. The only downside is that it doesn’t record your data, so you have to take measurements while using it. Other alternatives for recording heart rate might be fitness devices such as a Fitbit, which I’ve also used in the past and found it great. The downside was the price, and also the fact that it melted when I left it to charge one day! Oops.    

Garryck Holmes is one of our Psychology Technicians. If you would like to contact him then please email him on Garryck.Holmes@cumbria.ac.uk