Here Are Cardiologist-Approved Ways to Lower Your Resting Heart Rate
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Whether brought on by stress, physical activity, or an extra cup of joe in the morning, most of us have all felt our heart rate quicken at one time or another. However, a lower resting heart rate typically means that your heart is healthier. So if you’re beating too fast, how can you lower your resting heart rate?
Meet the Experts: Matthew Goldstein, M.D., cardiologist at Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia; Suzanne Steinbaum, M.D., cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association's Go Red For Women campaign; Nicole Weinberg, M.D., board-certified cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center.
If you’re wondering “how can I even measure my heart rate to know if it’s too high?,” don’t stress. We’ve consulted cardiologists to explain not only how to measure resting heart rate, what a normal resting heart rate is and why it matters, but also how to lower it.
How to lower resting heart rate
One of the most effective habits you can make to lower your heart rate is by exercising routinely and regularly, says Suzanne Steinbaum, M.D., cardiologist and spokesperson for the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women campaign. “Consistent exercise stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, which leads to a lower resting heart rate,” she explains.
Yoga, meditation, and breathing exercises also stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system and can lead to an overall lower heart rate, Dr. Steinbaum adds.
Heart rate can also be lowered with the help of medication, says Nicole Weinberg, M.D., board-certified cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center. “Aside from cardiac-specific medications, some medications for thyroid conditions and migraines can also affect your resting heart rate,” she notes. Talk to your doctor about whether medication could be right for you.
What’s a normal resting heart rate?
Your resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because you’re not exercising, says Dr. Steinbaum. “If you’re sitting or lying and you’re calm, relaxed and aren’t ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm),” she notes.
Keep in mind that depending on your age, your goal heart rate will differ. This table shows target heart rate zones for different ages, says Dr. Steinbaum. “Your maximum heart rate is about 220 [bpm] minus your age.”
What is a healthy heart rate?
When it comes to resting heart rate, lower is better, says Dr. Steinbaum. “It usually means your heart muscle is in better condition and doesn’t have to work as hard to maintain a steady beat,” she explains.
People who do more exercise and aerobic conditioning can often lower this rate beyond the normal range, says Matthew Goldstein, M.D., cardiologist at Cardiology Consultants of Philadelphia. “Long distance runners and marathoners often have resting heart rates in the 30s and 40s and this is considered absolutely normal,” he says. However, it is not normal for someone to have a low resting heart rate without significant physical training, he notes.
A low resting heart rate in the 50s is generally associated with better cardiovascular health, continues Dr. Steinbaum. “This implies that the arteries are healthy and dilate easily and the heart doesn’t have to work too hard to deliver oxygen,” she explains. When a heart rate at baseline is low, it means the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, which is associated with physical resiliency, Dr. Steinbaum adds.
A lower resting heart rate or slower heartbeat will fill the ventricles/heart better and allow for more of a forceful contraction of blood out to the rest of the body, says Dr. Weinberg. “A fast heart rate, on the other hand, may not have that big suction of blood in and big squeeze of blood out,” she adds. So, your heart health has more to do with the conditioning of the heart muscle than the actual heart rate itself, Dr. Weinberg explains.
How long does it take to lower your resting heart rate?
Because your heart is a muscle, a lot of lowering your heart rate is about conditioning, says Dr. Weinberg. “So you can do things that will briefly lower your heart rate—like deep breathing and meditation—but if you are trying to lower your overall heart rate over a longer period of time, the heart is a muscle and it will take time to acclimate to those changes,” she explains.
For example, if you’re doing cardio, you want to do it intensely for longer periods of time, if you’re meditating, you want to do it multiple times a day for longer periods of time, and that will eventually sustain your heart rate to lower thresholds, explains Dr. Weinberg.
In the short term, the most efficient way to lower your heart rate is through breathing, says Dr. Steinbaum. “Simple breathing techniques like deep exhalations can help stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which will decrease the heart rate.” Breathing in through the nose for the count of 4, holding it, and then exhaling deeply for the count of 6 can be effective, she notes.
Dr. Steinbaum suggests: If you are not successful in bringing your heart rate down with breathing techniques, see your doctor. If your heart rate is excessively high or is accompanied by other symptoms, seek emergency care.
How to measure resting heart rate
A good time to check your heart rate is in the morning after you’ve had a good night’s sleep, before you get out of bed or grab your morning coffee, says Dr. Steinbaum.
A wearable fitness tracker or heart rate monitor makes it super easy, but if you don’t use one you can also find it manually with these tips from Dr. Steinbaum:
Take your pulse on the inside of your wrist, on the thumb side.
Use the tips of your first two fingers (not your thumb) and press lightly over the artery.
Count your pulse for 15 seconds and multiply by 4 to find your beats per minute.
Some drugs and medications affect heart rate, meaning you may have a lower maximum heart rate and target zone, says Dr. Steinbaum. “If you have a heart condition or take medication, ask your healthcare provider what your heart rate should be,” she says.
Keep in mind that everybody’s body is different and we all have different “normal” resting heart rates, says Dr. Weinberg. It is also normal that resting heart rates go down over time and as we age, says Dr. Goldstein. “Individually, there is no real normal number,” he notes.
It’s not necessarily about the number, but about what your baseline is and understanding how modifications in your health and exercise are affected by your number,” explains Dr. Weinberg. Dr. Goldstein agrees, saying, “Heart rate variability with exercise, and during recovery after exercise is a better predictor of overall health.”
So instead of stressing over a single measurement, keep track of your own heart rate over time, as that’s the best way to assess how your rate impacts your overall health. Also, note that hormonal changes can impact your heart rate—and depending on when you measure during your hormonal cycle, your heart rate can change quite considerably.
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