What Your Resting Heart Rate Reveals About Your Longevity

Did you know that the heart pumps more than 2000 gallons of blood per day?

It knows no sleep, no rest because if it takes a little break, we could end up taking one indefinitely.

It’s easy to forget that our hearts are beating restlessly. And it’s crazy to think that its resting rate could influence our longevity. Yet, a recent study shows that it may be a risk factor hiding under our noses.

Heart disease is twice as likely to strike men in their 50s with a resting heart rate of 75 beats per minute or higher within 11 years than others with a resting rate of 55 bpm or less.

798 men born in 1943 in Gothenburg, Sweden, were followed for over two decades from 1993 to 2014. Participants were divided into four groups based on their resting heart rates: 55 or less bpm; 56 bpm to 65 bpm; 66 bpm to 75 bpm; and more than 75 bpm.

After evaluating 21 years of data, the researchers concluded that among men between the ages of 50 and 60, maintaining a stable heart rate is nearly 50% less likely to suffer heart disease before age 71 than were those whose heart rates rose during that period.

They reported that, between 50 and 60, every bpm increase increases death risk by 3% during the following 11 years.

Read next: If You Can Do This Simple Test In 60 Seconds, Your Heart Is in Good Shape

What Is a Normal Heart Rate?

Although your genetic makeup partially determines your resting heart rate, staying active and healthy has a significant positive impact over time.

Resting heart rates between 50 and 100 beats per minute are considered normal, but those with heart rates of 75 or above were also more likely to smoke, be less physically active, or be stressed.

In other words, habits that promote overall help also lower heart rates.

As the study only included [50 plus-year-old] men, we need more data to really investigate if that connection holds for all of us – men and women of any age,” said Ashleigh Li, a cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation. 

In the meantime, everyone should monitor their heart rate regularly to avoid heart disease in the future.

Early detection of a rise in heart rate could potentially save lives. If you notice yourself or your older friends, father, perhaps grandfather with a faster heart rate, it means they’re not pumping blood efficiently. 

The heart is working extra hard with more rapid beats to pump the same amount of blood body-wide as a stronger heart that can pump it in fewer beats. 

As mentioned above, the best way to strengthen your heart, which is a muscle, after all, is working it out with regular exercise and a healthy diet.