Resting Heart Rate by Age
A normal resting heart rate for adults is about 60–100 bpm, and in healthy people it usually sits in the 60s–70s. The median is about 68–69 bpm for men and 70–74 bpm for women, and it barely changes with age. Enter your age, sex and resting pulse to see your percentile — then watch your own trend, which matters more.
Where your number comes from: Best: count your pulse in the morning before getting up, or use your watch's resting heart rate. iPhone Health app → Browse → Heart → Resting Heart Rate (Apple Watch). Oura, Whoop and Garmin show a resting or lowest sleeping heart rate — often a few bpm lower than a seated check.
The science behind this → Resting Heart Rate: What It Reflects and How It's Measured
Educational estimate, not medical advice. Percentiles come from the CDC NHANES survey of healthy U.S. adults (seated pulse). Your own morning trend matters more than one reading. Resting heart rate rises with stress, heat, illness, alcohol and poor sleep; caffeine can raise it in some people, though the effect is inconsistent and regular coffee drinkers develop tolerance.
Resting heart rate by age — men
Seated resting pulse, bpm. CDC NHANES 1999–2008 (Ostchega 2011), healthy adults.
| Age | Low (p10) | p25 | Median | p75 | High (p90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–39 | 55 | 61 | 69 | 76 | 84 |
| 40–59 | 55 | 61 | 68 | 77 | 85 |
| 60–79 | 54 | 60 | 67 | 75 | 84 |
| 80+ | 54 | 61 | 68 | 78 | 86 |
Resting heart rate by age — women
Seated resting pulse, bpm. CDC NHANES 1999–2008 (Ostchega 2011), healthy adults.
| Age | Low (p10) | p25 | Median | p75 | High (p90) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20–39 | 60 | 66 | 74 | 82 | 89 |
| 40–59 | 59 | 64 | 71 | 79 | 86 |
| 60–79 | 59 | 64 | 70 | 78 | 86 |
| 80+ | 59 | 64 | 71 | 77 | 85 |
What is a normal resting heart rate by age?
For adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm is considered normal. Fit people often sit lower (often below 60 bpm; many elite endurance athletes reach 40 bpm or less at their lowest point of the day), and in population studies a lower resting heart rate is associated with lower long-term mortality. In the CDC's NHANES survey of healthy U.S. adults, the median seated resting pulse was about 69 bpm for men aged 20–39, 68 bpm at 40–59, 67 bpm at 60–79 and 68 bpm at 80+ — almost flat across adult life. The middle half of men (p25–p75) sat between about 60 and 77 bpm. Unlike HRV, resting heart rate hardly changes with age in adults; fitness, genetics, sleep and stress matter far more. That's why the most useful comparison is with your own morning trend. Full guide: resting heart rate by age.
Normal resting heart rate for women
Women's resting heart rate runs a few beats higher than men's, mainly because the heart is usually smaller and pumps a little less blood per beat. In NHANES the median was about 74 bpm for women aged 20–39, 71 bpm at 40–59, 70 bpm at 60–79 and 71 bpm at 80+, with the middle half between roughly 64 and 82 bpm. Resting heart rate also moves with the menstrual cycle — it tends to be a few beats higher in the second half of the cycle — and it rises during pregnancy. So compare like with like: the same time of day, the same phase of your cycle, and your weekly average rather than a single day. Choose "Woman" in the calculator to use the women's table.
Why is my resting heart rate high?
A resting heart rate that is higher than usual is most often temporary: alcohol the night before, poor or short sleep, dehydration, heat, a hard training session, stress, or an infection coming on. Caffeine can raise heart rate in some people too, but its effect on resting heart rate is inconsistent, and regular coffee drinkers develop tolerance. Some medicines (for example decongestants or thyroid medication) and conditions such as anaemia or an overactive thyroid can also raise it. Look at the pattern. A few beats higher for a day or two is normal noise; a morning resting heart rate that stays well above your usual level for several days — especially together with a lower HRV — suggests your body is under more load than it's handling. Above 100 bpm at rest, or a high pulse with palpitations, dizziness or breathlessness, is a reason to see a doctor. Read more: how alcohol affects HRV and resting heart rate and overtraining signs.
How to lower your resting heart rate
The most reliable way to lower resting heart rate is regular aerobic training: steady Zone 2 cardio three or more times a week makes the heart pump more blood per beat, so it needs fewer beats at rest. Improvements usually show over 6–12 weeks. Sleep, cutting alcohol (especially in the evening), less caffeine late in the day, staying hydrated and managing chronic stress all help too. Slow breathing lowers heart rate while you practise it and supports recovery over time. Track your morning average weekly, not day to day. Guides: Zone 2 training and how to raise HRV naturally.
Resting heart rate vs HRV
Resting heart rate tells you how fast your heart beats at rest; heart rate variability (HRV) tells you how much the time between beats varies — a sign of how flexibly your nervous system is working. They usually move in opposite directions: when you're well recovered, resting heart rate is low and HRV is high; when you're stressed, ill or overtrained, resting heart rate creeps up and HRV drops, often together. Resting heart rate is steadier and easier to compare between devices; HRV reacts faster. Tracking both against your own baseline beats reading either alone. Check your HRV too: HRV Calculator by Age.
Resting heart rate — common questions
What is a normal resting heart rate by age?
For adults it is 60–100 bpm, and in healthy people usually 60s–70s. The CDC NHANES median is about 69 bpm for men 20–39, 68 bpm at 40–59, 67 bpm at 60–79 and 68 bpm at 80+; for women about 74, 71, 70 and 71 bpm. It barely changes with age.
What is a normal resting heart rate for women?
A few beats higher than for men: the median is about 74 bpm at 20–39, 71 bpm at 40–59, 70 bpm at 60–79 and 71 bpm at 80+, with the middle half of women between roughly 64 and 82 bpm.
Is a resting heart rate of 50 good?
For fit people, yes — 50 bpm is common in endurance-trained adults and reflects an efficient heart. If a rate under 50 comes with dizziness, fainting or unusual tiredness, see a doctor.
Is a resting heart rate of 90 bad?
90 bpm is still within the normal 60–100 range but higher than about 90% of healthy adults. If your morning resting rate stays around 90, it's worth checking sleep, alcohol, caffeine and stress — and discussing it with a doctor.
How do I measure my resting heart rate?
In the morning before getting up and before caffeine: count your pulse for 30 seconds and double it, or use your watch's resting heart rate. Average several mornings instead of trusting one reading.
Why is my Apple Watch resting heart rate lower than a doctor's reading?
Apple Watch and other wearables read your pulse when you're completely still, often lying down or asleep, while a clinic check is seated and often a bit stressful. A few bpm difference is normal.
How can I lower my resting heart rate?
Regular aerobic exercise such as Zone 2 cardio is the strongest lever, with results over 6–12 weeks. Better sleep, less alcohol and late caffeine, hydration and stress management help too.
When is resting heart rate dangerous?
A resting rate above 100 bpm (tachycardia) or a low rate with dizziness or fainting should be checked by a doctor. Seek urgent care for chest pain, fainting or a racing irregular heartbeat.
Sources & methodology
The tables come directly from the CDC/NCHS report on NHANES 1999–2008 (Ostchega et al. 2011, Tables 2–3): seated resting pulse of about 17,000 U.S. adults, excluding people with a condition or medication that affects pulse. The bands are the source rows (20–39, 40–59, 60–79, 80+). The source has no separate data for ages 18–19 among adults, so they are compared with 20–39. Your percentile is interpolated between the published 5th–95th percentiles for your age and sex. Watches and rings measure resting or sleeping heart rate, which usually runs a few bpm lower than a seated check.
- [1] Ostchega Y, Porter KS, Hughes J, Dillon CF, Nwankwo T (2011). Resting pulse rate reference data for children, adolescents, and adults: United States, 1999–2008. National Health Statistics Reports, No. 41 (CDC/NCHS).
Direct source of the tables: seated resting pulse percentiles by age and sex from NHANES 1999–2008, excluding conditions and medications that affect pulse (Tables 2–3).
Clinical context: 60–100 bpm is the conventional normal range; lower in the very fit, slightly higher in women, and partly genetic.
- [3] Zhang D, Shen X, Qi X (2016). Resting heart rate and all-cause and cardiovascular mortality in the general population: a meta-analysis. CMAJ, 188(3):E53–E63.
Meta-analysis (about 1.2 million people): each 10 bpm higher resting heart rate is linked to about 9% higher all-cause mortality — why a lower resting rate matters.