Training & Nutrition - Measuring resting heart rate

How long do you have to be 'at rest' to get an accurate reading for your 'resting heart rate'. Will simple sitting for a period of time do it? I don't have a heart rate monitor, but I do have a blood pressure monitor that gives your heart - will this do?

I have read that first thing in the morning, when you wake up, is a good time.

I check mine first thing in the morning, before getting out of bed. That is the ideal time. The key is being consistent and that's an easy way to do it. I count the beats for a full minute.

Some folks use a heart rate monitor, but by the time I've put the (freezing cold) chest band on, my heart rate is higher already! Tried that a couple times, then went back to the easy way. :)

There have been many discussions here on the topic. Check out the Quick Search above. :) Koffee Brown has some excellent posts on the topic of heart rate.

Originally posted by radioflier
How long do you have to be 'at rest' to get an accurate reading for your 'resting heart rate'. Will simple sitting for a period of time do it? I don't have a heart rate monitor, but I do have a blood pressure monitor that gives your heart - will this do?



If it's resting heart rate, you want to be lying down. Sitting down will give you your ambient heart rate.

A minute or two works for me. Measured in morning, after toilet.

If you have a watch you have a heart rate monitor. Count your pulse for 15 seconds multiply by 4. As a paramedic I can tell you this is very accurate.

Well, this is going to take some extraordinary effort on my part! You see, I retired 2 years ago and haven't worn a watch since (I'm no longer into time), and my watch batterys are shot. Guess I'm going to have to make a sacrifice and get a new battery.

;)

If you end up getting a monitor, I know it sounds silly, but wear it over night one night. First thing you do when you wake up is look at the reading. Resting heart rate. You won't notice you are wearing it after awhile.

I have a Polar HRM that allows downloading to my pc. I woke up early one morning and put the chest strap on and began monitoring my HR. I dozed off and later checked that my minimum resting heartrate was 52 BPM. For over a year I have been trying to use the simple method of measuring my pulse rate with a watch and was typically getting between 58 to 62 BPM. The difference is pretty significant.

Originally posted by southportgym
If you end up getting a monitor, I know it sounds silly, but wear it over night one night. First thing you do when you wake up is look at the reading. Resting heart rate. You won't notice you are wearing it after awhile.


I found that before I lost 11-odd pounds, I had quite a few large spikes during my sleep, probably something to do with my previously VERY loud snoring, and possibly sleep apnea.

No more, though....