- For a healthy person at rest, the ideal normal heart rate typically falls between 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). However, factors such as age, fitness level, and overall health can influence this range.
- An ideal resting heart rate for a trained athlete can be as low as 40 to 60 bpm. This lower heart rate is a result of the heart becoming more efficient at pumping blood with each beat due to regular exercise and conditioning.
- A heart rate higher than 76 beats per minute when you're resting may be linked to a higher risk of heart attack.
- The better shape you're in, the slower your heart rate will be when you're not moving around.
- When your heart beats in an irregular pattern, you're having palpitations, which are mostly not life-threatening. Most of the time these sensations are not life-threatening. You may feel as if it skipped a beat or sped up or it may seem like a brief flutter or a pounding in your chest.
- Many things can cause palpitations, like Alcohol, Caffeine, Exercise, Stress, Dehydration, Medication, Fever, Thyroid Disorders, Smoking, Dietary supplements (like goldenseal, oleander, motherwort, or ephedra), etc.
- Having an irregular heartbeat doesn't mean you're having a heart attack," Steinbaum says. But if it's a new symptom, or if you have chest pains or problems breathing, call your doctor.
- Your heart rate may also speed up when you exercise, get excited, or feel anxious or sad.
- When you stand up, your pulse may go up for 15 to 20 seconds before it goes back to normal. Even the weather, like high temperatures or humidity, can raise it.
- If you take thyroid medication, a fast pulse may be a sign you're taking too much. Talk to your doctor.
- Your heart rate and your blood pressure go hand in hand sometimes. For example, when you exercise or get angry or scared, they both go up. But they're not always linked. If your heart rate is normal, your blood pressure may not be. It could be too high or too low, and you may not realize it. Even if your heart rate seems fine, get your blood pressure checked regularly.
- A slow heart rate doesn't specifically mean having a weak heart, it can also be a sign that you're healthy and fit. An athlete's heart muscle is in better shape, so it doesn't have to work as hard to keep up a steady beat.
- Slow rates are only a problem if you also pass out, feel dizzy, are short of breath, or have chest pain. See your doctor if you have any of those symptoms.
Sources -
http://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/features/5-heart-rate-myths-debunked
http://www.livestrong.com/article/276984-proper-body-hydration-percentage/
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/HealthyLiving/PhysicalActivity/FitnessBasics/Target-Heart-Rates_UCM_434341_Article.jsp