Factors That have An Impact On A Person’s Average Heart Rate

The average heart rate of a resting adult is 60-100 beats per minute (bpm). Heart rate is influenced by numerous factors such as age, gender, weight, fitness level, body position, and medication use.


An infant’s average heart rate ranges between 120 and 180 bpm. When the child reaches age one, the average becomes 95-150 bpm. The average heart rate of five-year old children is 80-120 bpm. When the child reaches 12, however, it becomes 60-100 bpm. A lower average heart rate, however, is expected in the eldery. This is attributed to the changes in the heart muscle as it gets older. For people who are 75 years old and above, a low heart rate of 50 bpm can be considered normal.


Studies reveal that differences in heart rate also rely on gender. Men tend to have a slightly lower average heart rate than women because of the differences in heart size. In general, a man's heart is usually twenty-five percent larger than a woman's heart. A physically larger heart can contain an even greater volume of blood and is able to pump with less difficulty. Hence, a large heart is not required to work faster to be able to provide sufficient amounts of blood to the body. A smaller number of beats will do because of the power and effectiveness of each pumping activity.


With increased weight is a decreased heart rate. When there is too much fat deposit around the heart, the heart finds it hard to pump effectively. So it pumps even harder and faster to counteract the effect of the fats pressing on the heart walls. There comes a point, however, when the heart becomes exhausted and starts to work slower. It is for this reason that overweight people have generally lower average heart rates.


You make the job of the heart a lot less difficult by just simply being physically fit. Working out on a regular basis makes the heart stronger and thus is able to supply the body with enough blood with fewer beats per minute when it is at rest. This is precisely the reason behind why athletes have an average heart rate of as low as 40 bpm.


When a person is lying down, his average heart rate becomes lower as compared to when he is standing up. The effects of gravity are reduced when a person is in a declined position. This allows more blood to flow back to the heart through the veins. And since there is far more blood going back to the heart, the body is in a position to pump larger amounts of blood per beat. It means that the heart can supply the body with oxygen-rich blood even with just a few beats.


Medication use also has an effect on a person’s average heart rate. Digitalis, for one, decreases heart rate. A person who takes digitalis on a regular basis, therefore, is anticipated to have a lower average heart rate than others.


Explained here are just a handful of the many factors that affect the heart rate of individuals. When asked about what the average heart rate is, consider the contributing factors first before answering.