Your resting heart rate might change depending on your degree of fitness; typically, the fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate will be. This is because exercise makes the heart bigger, stronger, and more capable of efficiently pumping blood throughout the body. However, age might also play a role.
More than 25 million active users are registered with Fitbit. Since the launch of the Pure Pulse heart rate sensor in 2014, Fitbit has gathered more than 108 billion hours of heart rate data. It is in a unique position to recognise heart rate trends because of this. The business examined this database and discovered that women typically have a higher average resting heart rate than males do and that the resting heart rate declines beyond the age of 40.
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Knowing your resting heart rate is crucial for gauging your general health. Between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered to be a typical resting heart rate. A decreased resting heart rate may signal improved cardiovascular health and cardiac efficiency.
It is commonly accepted that as you get older, your readings will increase since your physical condition will deteriorate and your heart’s flexibility will decrease. This is not the case, according to Fitbit heart rate analysis. A person’s resting heart rate appears to steadily decrease after the age of 40. And both men and women share this situation. The business declined to say why this is the case. Perhaps the population segment that wears fitness trackers is more health conscious and active, which results in better hearts.
According to Dr. Scott McLean, Principal Research Scientist at Fitbit, “resting heart rate is a crucial indicator for users to gauge their cardiovascular health, track exercise levels, check stress levels, and spot early signs of illness or health issues.”
“Users should be mindful of additional parameters such as gender, age, seasonal changes in external temperature, daily sleep and exercise levels, and coffee intake when recording resting heart rate. Users who can watch resting heart rate patterns over time rather than just daily can learn vital information about their health because there are so many variables that can affect resting heart rate.
Men often have lower resting heart rates than women, according to Fitbit research. Female users average 66.6 beats per minute, compared to 63.5 for male users, according to their examination of heart rate changes over the previous 18 months. Men in their 80s had the lowest readings, while women in their 40s had the highest average resting heart rates (67.4 bpm) (59.7 bpm).
The San Francisco wearables manufacturer examined regional variations as well. The study discovered that, out of the 15 countries examined, users in the US and Singapore had the highest average resting heart rates (65.9 bpm). Italy got the lowest values among users (61.9).
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The good news is that you can take steps to raise your resting heart rate no matter what it is. Regular high-intensity exercise is crucial because it helps the heart become stronger and more efficient. Reducing stress, giving up tobacco, and, if necessary, lowering weight are other helpful lifestyle adjustments.
