Heart Rate (Health, fitness and Performance - Part 2)

Resting Heart Rate - How to find one's resting heart rate?

  

My research in Loughborough University was on Heart rate itself and it was physiology based. It was on %HRmax elicited during the 1500m race. From there, my knowledge expanded on Heart rate.

Using the Polar heart rate monitor, one can obtain the true measurement of one's heart rate. In my research, the Polar heart rate monitor has been found to the best heart rate monitor compared any other heart rate monitor gadgets. The validity and reliability of the reading was found to be near perfect. Another way to find out the heart rate is by using the manual method - carotid artery, radial artery or one can take the heart rate directly at the heart itself, which is less accurate.

To obtain the resting heart rate, one can just take immediately the heart rate from the radial artery, which is found just below the base of the thumb.

For Accurate Reading Purpose

A day before, one must not have done any strenous activity, even in the morning itself when the reading is taken. This applies to unfit people even if they have done a simple activity. Fit people who go for their usual daily runs do not see much difference in any change in resting heart rate upon waking up. The only thing that the fit people should not do is to do a strenous activity to find out their lowest resting heart rate.

In order for the heart rate to be taken accurately, one should know the factors affecting resting heart rate so that one can see their own lowest heart rate.

Circadian Rhythm.

Around 4am, one's heart rate is usually found to be the lowest. Around this time, the core temperature is at the lowest. If one takes the heart rate upon waking up, the heart rate reading is called basal heart rate. When one is sitting down in class or work, one could take the resting heart rate.

Heart rate is affected by emotions. Anger, drinking coffee or any other caffeinated drinks, doing rock climbing at a height which can cause anxiety, frustration, fear are some of the factors to be avoided when taking the lowest heart rate.

Heart rate of 72 will enable one to know that he or she is at the healthy range. When the heart rate is around 60- 70 , one can consider themselves that they are quite fit. If the value goes down between 50 to 60, one is considered fit in terms of endurance. A score between 40 to 50 tells that one is very fit. If the score goes down between, one can consider oneself super fit, at the range between 30 and 40 beats per minute.

For consistency, my experience shows that one should take three times to confirm their reading .