Unless you are very athletic, it is quite normal that you are not aware of your resting heart rate. And know it too: your rhythm is not normal either. Simply because it doesn’t exist. “There is, however, an average rate observed among the standard population”, explains to Top Health, Professor François Carré. Fine, but which one?
Beware of fast frequencies
“The average is between 60 and 70 beats per minute, says the expert. But beware, there are also people who naturally beat at 50 bpm without doing any sport. (knowing that the heart of athletes beats less quickly, editor’s note), and others that display a frequency of 85-90 bpm. And as long as these people are asymptomatic, these rhythms are not abnormal!”
Please note, however: a fast rhythm is fundamentally more disturbing than a slow frequency. “Chinese medicine, whose interpretation is certainly a little special, thus says that the heart of a human being is made to beat a certain number of times during its existence. Someone with a fast heartbeat has a shorter life expectancy than someone with a slower heartbeat.. This is proven by various studies. For what ? Quite simply because each heartbeat is associated with a sudden ejection of blood in the vessels. “And so we can think that it damages the wall of the vessels more quickly.”
How to measure your heart rate?
Of course you can use this manual method:
- press your fingers to the radial arteryat the wrist,
- count the beats for 30 seconds
- then multiply the result by two.
But Professor Carré, he advises you the technological way: “There are different smartwatches and other free apps which allow you to do so. On your smartphone, just put a finger on a sensor and wait.”
However, be sure to be “sitting or lying down for at least 5 minutes and completely relaxed.”
-1739366311.jpg "Ellie Bloom: “Seeing the size of the hole in my heart, the cardiologist told me that I had a guardian angel”")
