What is a normal resting heart rate?
Resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute while you are at complete rest. According to the American Heart Association, a normal resting heart rate for adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). Within that band, a lower resting heart rate generally points to more efficient heart function and better cardiovascular fitness.
Well-trained endurance athletes often sit well below the standard range, with resting heart rates commonly between 40 and 60 bpm. In those cases a low number is a sign of a strong, efficient heart rather than a problem. The calculator above is built around this idea: instead of a single pass/fail line, it places your reading into a graded fitness category, from "Athlete" at the low end to "Poor" at the high end.
Resting heart rate by age and sex
The fitness chart this tool uses breaks readings into six age brackets — 18–25, 26–35, 36–45, 46–55, 56–65 and 65+ — with separate columns for women and men. Within each bracket the categories run in order: Athlete, Excellent, Good, Above average, Average, Below average and Poor. Reading across a row shows how many beats per minute separate an elite resting heart rate from an out-of-shape one for a given group.
Two patterns stand out in the chart. First, women's ranges sit a few beats higher than men's across every age bracket. This is largely physiological: women typically have a smaller heart and lower blood volume, so the heart pumps slightly less blood per beat and beats a little more often to deliver the same amount of oxygen. Hormonal cycles can shift the figure further across the month.
Second, the ranges drift modestly with age. Resting heart rate is shaped far more by fitness, sleep, stress and medication than by age itself, which is why the brackets shift only by a handful of beats rather than dramatically. The biggest age-related change is actually in maximum heart rate, which falls steadily over the decades; resting heart rate is comparatively stable. The chart accounts for these small shifts so that an "Excellent" reading at 30 is judged on a slightly different scale than at 60.
How the categories are scored
Each category is a band of beats per minute. The "Poor" category is open-ended: any reading at or above its threshold falls into it. When you enter your details, the calculator finds your age bracket, picks the column for your sex, and reports the first band your resting heart rate fits into — along with the full table for your group so you can see the neighbouring categories at a glance.
What a high or low resting heart rate can mean
A resting heart rate that is persistently above 100 bpm is called tachycardia. It can be a normal short-term response to caffeine, stress, dehydration, fever or recent activity, but a consistently high resting figure with no clear cause can point to deconditioning, anxiety, thyroid issues or a heart rhythm problem.
A resting heart rate below 60 bpm is called bradycardia. In a fit, healthy person this is usually a good sign — a strong heart simply needs fewer beats. But a low reading that comes with dizziness, fatigue, fainting or shortness of breath is not normal and should be checked.
The pattern matters more than any single reading. Sudden, unexplained changes in resting heart rate, or readings that drift steadily in the wrong direction over weeks, are worth raising with a doctor — especially alongside symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, breathlessness or fainting.
How Apple Watch measures resting heart rate
Apple Watch uses an optical heart sensor on its underside that shines green LED light into the skin and measures how much is absorbed by blood with each pulse — a technique called photoplethysmography. Throughout the day and night the watch samples heart rate in the background, and it identifies your resting heart rate from the lowest stable readings during periods when you are still and calm, typically while asleep or sitting quietly.
Because the watch measures resting heart rate the same way every day, it is well suited to spotting trends: a steady fall over a training block, or a one-off spike after a bad night's sleep or a few drinks. That day-to-day consistency is what makes a wearable resting heart rate more useful than an occasional manual pulse check.
Resting heart rate, built into one daily score
Health Genie reads your Apple Watch resting heart rate and daily steps and turns them into a single Vitality Score each morning — so you can see the trend at a glance instead of decoding raw numbers.
Download Health Genie FreeFrequently asked questions
What is a good resting heart rate by age?
A good resting heart rate for most adults sits in the lower half of the normal 60 to 100 bpm range, and what counts as good shifts slightly with age and sex. Younger adults and well-trained people often see readings in the 50s or low 60s, while ranges drift a few beats higher in older age groups. The calculator above places your number into a fitness category for your exact age and sex bracket so you can see where you land.
What is a dangerous resting heart rate?
A resting heart rate that sits persistently above 100 bpm (tachycardia) or below 60 bpm (bradycardia) without a fitness explanation can signal a problem worth checking. The reading becomes more concerning when it comes with dizziness, fainting, chest pain, breathlessness or palpitations. Anyone seeing those symptoms, or a sudden unexplained change in resting heart rate, should contact a doctor promptly.
Does resting heart rate increase with age?
Maximum heart rate falls steadily with age, but resting heart rate changes less and tends to drift up only slightly over the decades. Resting heart rate is influenced far more by fitness, stress, sleep and medication than by age alone. That is why the fitness chart adjusts its ranges modestly across age brackets rather than dramatically.
Why is women's resting heart rate higher than men's?
Women's resting heart rate averages a few beats per minute higher than men's, largely because women typically have a smaller heart and lower blood volume. A smaller heart pumps less blood per beat, so it beats slightly more often to deliver the same oxygen. Hormonal cycles can also nudge the number up or down across the month.
What is a good resting heart rate while sleeping?
Heart rate naturally drops during sleep, so a sleeping heart rate is usually lower than a waking resting heart rate, often by 5 to 10 bpm or more. For many adults a sleeping heart rate of roughly 40 to 60 bpm is normal and healthy, especially in fitter people. A consistently high sleeping heart rate can point to poor sleep quality, stress, alcohol or illness.
How can I lower my resting heart rate?
Regular aerobic exercise is the most reliable way to lower resting heart rate over weeks and months, as a fitter heart pumps more blood per beat. Better sleep, managing stress, staying hydrated, limiting caffeine and alcohol, and not smoking all help too. Improvements are gradual, so tracking the trend over time is more useful than reacting to any single reading.