Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Examining your heart rate
• Method 2 of 3: Exercise for a lower resting heart rate
• Method 3 of 3: Change your lifestyle
• Tips
• Necessities

Your heart rate or pulse is the number of beats of your heart per minute, or how hard your heart has to work to pump blood around your body. Your resting heart rate is when your heart rate is low and your body is in a resting state. Your resting heart rate can help you learn more about your health and fitness and help you set heart rate goals. Lowering your resting heart rate can greatly reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Examining your heart rate

1. Know your current resting heart rate. Before you get started to lower your resting heart rate, it is important that you know what your heart rate is. To do this you need to measure your pulse and count the beats of your heart. You can do this at the artery in your neck or the artery in your wrist.
   • Before you start counting, make sure you are calm and relaxed.
   • The best time to do this is before you get up in the morning.
2. Checking your heart rate. To measure your heart rate at your neck, place two fingers lightly on the side of your neck just next to your windpipe. Press gently until you feel your pulse. You will get the most accurate result if you count the number of strokes within 60 seconds.
   • You can also count the number of strokes per 10 or 15 seconds and multiply this number by six or four respectively.
   • To measure your heart rate at your wrist, you have to turn one palm upwards.
   • Then put the index, middle, and ring fingers of your other hand at the bottom of the bottom of your thumb until you feel your pulse.
   • If you have a stethoscope, you can also measure your pulse with it. Put the earpieces in your ears and lift or take off your shirt, now hold the stethoscope to your chest and listen. Now count the number of strokes per minute.
3. Assess your resting heart rate. Now that you know what your heart rate is, you need to find out if it is healthy or unhealthy. A normal resting heart rate should be between 60 and 100 beats per minute. A heart rate above 90 is considered high.
   • If your heart rate is below 60 beats per minute and you experience dizziness, shortness of breath, and a lack of peripheral vision, you should make an appointment with your doctor.
   • The resting heart rate of well-trained athletes can be between 40 and 60 beats per minute. However, they will not experience symptoms such as dizziness.
   • Test your heart rate for several days in a row to determine an average.
4. Know when to see a doctor. A high resting heart rate is not necessarily immediately dangerous but can lead to long-term health problems. If this is the case, you should slowly lower your heart rate by exercising. But if you have a very low pulse, especially if this is accompanied by an unexplained occasional very fast heartbeat and dizziness, then you should make an appointment with your doctor.
   • If you have a high heart rate and you suffer from other symptoms, it is also better to make an appointment with your doctor.
   • Rule out common causes of a high heart rate, such as caffeine consumption, before going to the doctor.
   • Also see your doctor if you are taking any medications that may affect your heart rate. Consider beta blockers, for example.

Method 2 of 3: Exercise for a lower resting heart rate

1. Exercise regularly. The best way to slowly lower your heart rate is to do cardio exercises regularly. It is recommended that adults do about 150 minutes of moderate cardio (brisk walking, for example) and do muscle exercises at least twice a week. The muscle exercises should target all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, stomach, chest, shoulders and arms).
   • To be even healthier, you can do 40 minutes of vigorous cardio three or four times a week.
   • Also add stretching exercises such as yoga to your workout.
   • Also try to do muscle exercises twice a week.
2. Find out what your maximum heart rate is. To really address your resting heart rate, you can also set up your training routine so that you have a certain heart rate during training. This way you can keep an eye on the intensity of your training and increase it as you get fitter and you can keep an eye on how hard your heart is working. To do this you need to know your maximum heart rate. All safe methods to do this only provide estimates, but this will give you a better idea.
   • A simple method is to subtract your age from the number 220.
   • So when you are 30, your maximum heart rate will be about 190 beats per minute.
   • This method works more accurately for people under 40.
   • In a slightly more complex, recently developed method, multiply your age by 0.7 and subtract the result from 208.
   • If you use this method then a person of 40 has a maximum heart rate of 180 (208 - 0.7 x 40).
3. Determine your heart rate goal. If you know your approximate maximum heart rate, you can determine the heart rate that you would like to achieve during your training. By training with a certain heart rate, you can keep a better eye on how hard your heart is working and you can work out the schedule of your workouts better.
   • In general, your heart rate during normal activities is between 50% and 69% of your maximum heart rate. If you are just starting to exercise, try to keep your heart rate in this low zone.
   • During heavy activities, your heart rate is between 70% and 85% of your maximum heart rate. You have to work towards this level and to achieve it comfortably and safely when you have just started exercising it should take you about six months.
4. Monitor your heart rate while exercising. To keep an eye on your heart rate during training, you can simply measure it at your wrist or on your neck. Count for 15 seconds and multiply the result by four. While exercising, keep your heart rate between 50% and 85% of your maximum heart rate. Make your training more intense if you come out lower.
   • If you are just starting to exercise, you have to build up slowly. It benefits just as much and is less likely to hurt you or get discouraged.
   • Stop exercising for a while if you are measuring your pulse.

Method 3 of 3: Change your lifestyle

1. Combine your exercise with a healthy diet. When you're overweight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body. If you are overweight, it helps if you not only exercise but also make your diet healthier. This speeds up your weight loss so that your heart has to work less hard and thus leads to a lower resting heart rate.
2. Avoid tobacco. In addition to all the other harm that tobacco does, most smokers also have a higher resting heart rate than people who do not smoke. Smoking less or not at all leads to a lower resting heart rate and a healthier heart.
   • Nicotine narrows blood vessels and causes damage to your heart muscles and blood vessels. Quitting smoking improves your blood pressure, circulation and overall health, and it reduces the risk of cancer and respiratory problems.
3. Limit your caffeine intake. Products with caffeine in them such as coffee and tea increase your heart rate. If you think you have a somewhat high resting heart rate, it may help to cut down on your caffeine intake.
   • More than two cups of coffee a day can, among other things, cause an increased heart rate.
   • Decaffeinated drinks can help lower your heart rate.
4. Avoid alcohol. Drinking alcohol has been linked to increased heart rate and higher average heart rates. Drinking less alcohol can help lower your resting heart rate.
5. Reduce your stress. Reducing the amount of stress you have may not be easy, but it does help lower your resting heart rate. Extreme stress can have a negative effect on your health. For example, meditate or do Tai Chi to lower your stress. Try to take a moment each day to focus on relaxation and deep breathing.
   • Everyone is different, so find something that helps you relax.
   • Maybe listening to quiet music or taking a long bath will help you.

Tips

• Some medications, coffee and nicotine can increase your heart rate. It is best for your doctor to see if the effect of the medicine you are taking does not become too great.
• Talk to your doctor about your entire health. Your resting heart rate is only part of your entire cardiac health. Your doctor can prescribe more tests.

Necessities

• Look at a clock with a second hand or a stopwatch.