This Simple Daily Habit Lowers Your Resting Heart Rate and Boosts Longevity
Resting heart rate is one of the simplest and most important biometrics you can track. After all, there's a reason your doctor measures it every time you go in for a visit. While you’re probably used to seeing your average heart rate spike on your smartwatch during workouts, resting heart rate is different. It’s the number of times your heart beats per minute while you’re completely at rest, showing how hard your heart has to work just to keep you alive.
Check your smart watch right now as you sit here, reading this. For most adults, a normal resting heart rate falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association. Conditioned endurance athletes often have resting heart rates that sit much lower, sometimes in the 30 to 40 BPM range, a sign of greater cardiovascular efficiency.
On the flip side, a higher resting heart rate usually means the heart has to work harder, which is linked to a greater risk of heart disease, heart failure, and early death. With cardiovascular disease being the leading cause of death in the U.S., that number matters more than most people realize.
Your heart's job is to move enough blood each minute to supply oxygen to your body. A stronger and fitter heart pumps out more blood with every beat, so it doesn’t need to beat as often. The result is a lower resting heart rate and a heart that works more efficiently.
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How to Improve Resting Heart Rate
The best way to improve resting heart rate is through exercise, according to Andy Galpin, PhD. All modalities have their respective benefits. Endurance training like walking, running, cycling, or rowing increases total blood volume and stretches the heart so it can pump more blood per beat. High-intensity workouts force the heart to fill and contract more powerfully, which also boosts stroke volume. Strength training helps too by improving heart muscle size and contractile strength.
Lifestyle factors matter as well. Poor sleep, chronic stress, breathing problems, and illness can all raise resting heart rate, even in the most fit people. That’s why it’s important to track these numbers along with workouts and recovery.
Having a lower resting heart rate is certainly fun to brag about. But more importantly, it’s a sign that your heart is doing more work with less effort, which is exactly what you want for long-term health and longevity.
Related: What Really Happens to Your Heart Rate When You Exercise, According to Experts