Resting heart rate explained

Count your pulse for a minute while sitting still, put it in, and see how it compares with the usual adult range.

Your details

Resting heart rate of 68

68 bpm

In the usual 60 to 100 range

Usual adult range60 to 100 bpm
Better pictureadd 2 more mornings below for an average
Against women 40 to 59about the 39th percentile (middle value 71, half of people 64 to 79 bpm); lower usually goes with fitter, and anything from 60 to 100 is normal
Estimated maximum at 45 (208 minus 0.7 x age)177 bpm
Your resting rate as a share of that39%

Most adults rest somewhere between 60 and 100 beats a minute. Lower within that range usually goes with fitness.

See your GP if your heart rate is often over 100 at rest, or under 60 and you feel tired, dizzy or breathless, or if it feels irregular. Call 999 now for chest pain that does not go away, signs of a stroke (face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech), struggling to breathe or collapse.

Three mornings

Why an average helps

A single count can be pushed up by coffee, nerves or a poor night. Add two more mornings, taken the same way (sitting, before caffeine, after a few quiet minutes), and the result shows the average and how much the readings spread. A spread of 10 beats or more usually means the conditions changed, not your heart.

For your age and sex

Where you sit among healthy adults

The 60 to 100 range is wide, so the result also places you against the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (1999 to 2008), which measured the resting pulse of thousands of adults not taking medicines that change it. Women run a few beats faster than men at every age: the middle value for women aged 40 to 59 is 71, against 68 for men. A woman of 45 with a pulse of 68 sits at about the 39th percentile, a little slower than average.

The working

68 beats a minute at 45

68 sits comfortably inside the usual 60 to 100 range. For comparison, the Tanaka estimate of maximum heart rate at 45 is 208 minus 0.7 x 45 = 177, so at rest your heart is ticking over at about 39% of its top speed.

Taking it

How to count your pulse

Sit and rest for 5 minutes first, ideally in the morning
Two fingers on the inside of your wrist, below the thumb, or the side of your neck
Count for a full 60 seconds, or 30 seconds and double it
Note whether the beat feels steady or irregular

What moves it

Up and down

Pushes it up	Brings it down
Caffeine, nicotine and alcohol	Regular aerobic exercise
Stress, a cold or a fever	Good sleep
Some medicines	Some heart and blood pressure medicines

Read with care

What this cannot tell you

Spot rhythm problemsAn irregular pulse matters more than the number. Mention it to your GP.
Apply to childrenChildren have their own, faster, normal ranges.
Replace an ECGOnly a heart trace can show what the heart is actually doing.

Questions

Common questions

What is a normal resting heart rate?

For most adults, 60 to 100 beats a minute. Fit people are often lower.

Is a resting heart rate under 60 bad?

Not usually. It is common in fit people and on some medicines. It is worth a GP chat if it comes with dizziness, fainting or tiredness.

When should I worry about a fast heart rate?

If it is over 100 at rest most of the time, see your GP. With chest pain or fainting, call 999.

Sources

Last checked 21 October 2026. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.

Talk your results through

If a result worries you, book a chat with your GP or practice nurse, or ask a pharmacist. Call NHS 111 if you feel unwell and are not sure what to do, and 999 in an emergency.