Your heart rate is always changing. It’s up when you’re walking. Down when you’re sitting still. But what can it tell you about your overall health?

Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute. Your heart rate is often called your pulse. Understanding your heart rate can help you monitor your fitness level and heart health. It might even help you spot health problems, says the American Heart Association. 

Your heart rate:

• Increases as you exercise. That’s because your heart pumps more blood to carry oxygen to your muscles. Your diastolic blood pressure rises. That’s the second number in your blood pressure reading.
• Does not return to your normal resting heart rate right away when you stop exercising. It returns to normal more quickly after exercise when you exercise more often.
• Can signal a serious heart condition or other health problems.

Checking Your Heart Rate

You can check your heart rate using just your fingers. Place your fingers on a pulse spot on your wrist or neck. Count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Then multiply that number by four for your heart rate.

For the most accurate results, it’s best to do at least three readings and use the average of those numbers. Harvard Medical School offers these tips for getting the most accurate results when measuring your resting heart rate:

• Wait at least an hour or two after exercising or after a stressful event to measure your resting heart rate. Your heart rate can stay elevated after strenuous activities or high stress.
• Wait an hour after having caffeine. Caffeine can cause heart palpitations or make your heart rate rise.
• Do not take the reading after you have been sitting or standing for a long period, which can affect your heart rate.

There are also many kinds of heart rate monitors, including digital fitness trackers. But not all of them are reliable because they might not have had testing for accuracy, says Harvard Medical School. 

The most reliable ones use a wireless sensor on a strap that you wrap around your chest. The sensor monitors your pulse and sends the data to a receiver that shows your heart rate. Some wristwatch types have sensors that find your heart rate by measuring blood flow through the skin.

There are many smartphone apps to check your heart rate. Some apps have you put your finger on the phone’s camera lens. The app spots color changes in your finger when your heart beats. 

Some exercise equipment like treadmills and elliptical machines measure heart rate with handgrip monitors, using sweat from your palms. But some health experts question this method’s accuracy.

What’s Normal?

What is considered a healthy heart rate is based on your age. A normal resting rate for adults is between 60 and 100 beats per minute. But your heart rate can also be affected by things like stress and anxiety, hormones, medicine, and how physically active you are.

In addition to measuring your resting heart rate to check your heart health, you can measure it to check the intensity of your workout.

First find out what your target heart rate is during activity. You can check a target heart rates chart.  Or you can figure it out yourself.

Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. Your target heart rate during moderately intense activity is about 50 to 70 percent of your maximum heart rate. During more vigorous activity, your target heart rate is about 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate. You can check your heart rate during activity to see if you’ve reached your target.

High or Low Heart Rate

What if your heart rate is higher than normal? A higher rate isn’t always a sign of a heart problem. It could be a result of temporary situations, says the Cleveland Clinic. 

You might have a high rate if you have:

• Dehydration
• Infection/fever
• Pain
• Anxiety
• Other health problems like thyroid issues

And if your heart rate is lower than normal, it may stem from the medicines you take, often for high blood pressure.

But a high or low heart rate could be a sign of a serious health issue. Symptoms that may signal a problem:

• Feeling dizzy.
• Having a resting heart rate that is often too fast or too slow.
• A heartbeat that is skipping or irregular.
• If you can feel heart palpitations. That’s when you notice your own heartbeat without feeling for your pulse.

If you have any worries about your heart rate, talk to your doctor. They can monitor your heart rate and answer your questions.

Sources: All About Heart Rate,  American Heart Association, 2024; Target Heart Rates Chart,  American Heart Association, 2024; Want to check your heart rate? Here's how,  Harvard Medical School, 2024; Heart Rate,  Cleveland Clinic, 2024