A normal resting pulse rate for adults falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bpm). That range applies whether you’re 25 or 75, though your individual number within it depends on your fitness level, sex, medications, and other factors. Your resting pulse is measured when you’re awake, calm, and sitting still for a few minutes.
Normal Pulse Rate by Age
Children’s hearts beat significantly faster than adults’, and the rate gradually slows as they grow. CDC data from a large national health survey provides these median (middle-of-the-road) values for each age group:
- Under 1 year: about 126 bpm
- 1 year: about 116 bpm
- 2 to 3 years: about 105 bpm
- 4 to 5 years: about 94 bpm
- 6 to 8 years: about 85 bpm
- 9 to 11 years: about 81 bpm
- 12 to 15 years: about 76 bpm
- 16 to 19 years: about 73 bpm
- Adults (20+): 60 to 100 bpm
These are medians, so healthy children can fall well above or below. A 6-year-old anywhere from 68 to 105 bpm is still within the normal range (5th to 95th percentile). The key pattern is simple: younger children have faster hearts, and the rate settles into the adult range by the late teens.
Differences Between Men and Women
Women generally have a resting pulse about 5 to 10 bpm higher than men of the same age. The reason is structural: the female heart tends to have a smaller chamber size and pumps less blood with each beat, so it compensates by beating a little faster to maintain the same overall blood flow. In the CDC data, teenage girls averaged around 79 bpm while teenage boys averaged 72 bpm, a gap that persists into adulthood.
Why Athletes Have Lower Pulse Rates
Well-trained endurance athletes often have resting heart rates in the 40s. Their hearts are physically larger and stronger from sustained training, pushing more blood per beat and needing fewer beats to do the same job. A pulse of 45 bpm in a marathon runner is perfectly healthy, while the same number in a sedentary person could signal a problem. The distinction is whether a low rate comes with symptoms like lightheadedness, weakness, or fainting.
Your Pulse Rate During Sleep
Your heart slows down at night. A sleeping pulse typically runs 20% to 30% lower than your daytime resting rate, which puts most healthy adults somewhere between 50 and 75 bpm while asleep. Rates as low as 40 bpm during sleep can be normal, especially for fit individuals. Athletes with high vagal nerve tone (meaning their nervous system is very efficient at calming the heart) sometimes dip into the 30s during deep sleep without any cause for concern, as long as they feel fine during the day.
A sleeping heart rate consistently below 40 or above 100 is outside the expected range and worth discussing with a doctor. Rates in the 20s almost always need evaluation, even in athletes.
What Pushes Your Pulse Higher or Lower
Plenty of everyday factors shift your resting pulse temporarily. Caffeine is a common one. Consuming more than about 400 mg daily (roughly four standard cups of coffee) raises heart rate and blood pressure in a way that persists even after you sit down and rest. People who regularly exceed 600 mg a day show even more pronounced effects.
Other factors that increase resting pulse include dehydration, stress or anxiety, fever, pain, hot or humid environments, and stimulant medications (including some cold and allergy drugs). Factors that lower it include consistent aerobic exercise over time, cooler temperatures, and certain medications like beta-blockers. Even your body position matters: lying down produces a slightly lower rate than sitting, which is lower than standing.
How to Check Your Pulse Accurately
Sit down and rest quietly for a few minutes before measuring. You can check at two easy-to-find spots:
At your wrist: Turn one hand palm-up. Place the tips of your index and middle fingers from your other hand on the thumb side of your wrist, in the groove between the bone and the tendon. Press lightly until you feel each beat.
At your neck: Place the tips of your index and middle fingers in the soft groove alongside your windpipe, just below your jawline. Press gently. Avoid pressing hard, and skip this method if you’ve been told you have plaque buildup in your neck arteries.
Count the beats for a full 60 seconds for the most accurate reading. A quicker method is to count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, though this magnifies any counting error. Take your pulse at the same time of day, in the same position, for the most consistent tracking over time.
When a Pulse Rate Is Abnormal
A resting heart rate consistently above 100 bpm in an adult is called tachycardia. It can result from something as simple as too much caffeine or anxiety, or it can reflect an underlying heart rhythm issue. A resting rate consistently below 60 bpm is called bradycardia, which is normal for athletes but potentially concerning for others, particularly if it comes with fatigue or dizziness.
The number alone doesn’t tell the whole story. A pulse of 55 in a healthy, active person is fine. The same rate in someone who feels faint or short of breath is a different situation entirely. Symptoms that call for urgent attention include chest pain, shortness of breath, fainting, or a heartbeat that feels like it’s skipping, fluttering, or pounding. These warrant immediate medical evaluation regardless of what the number reads.