Wearable metric
Resting heart rate
RHR · Resting pulse
The simplest cardiovascular signal you carry — lower trends generally reflect better cardiac autonomic tone and aerobic fitness.
What it measures
Average heart rate at full physical rest, ideally taken on waking. Reflects the balance of parasympathetic and sympathetic tone at baseline; lower values in healthy adults typically indicate stronger vagal tone and higher stroke volume.
Reference context
2 guideline sources
Wide individual variation. Compare your own trend over months rather than absolute thresholds against others. Sudden rises (3–5 bpm above your rolling baseline) often precede illness by 24–48 hours.
Population context — consult guideline targets below
Mechanism
Why moving this marker matters
Each 10 bpm increase in resting heart rate associates with roughly a 9% increase in all-cause mortality in prospective cohorts. Elevated RHR is a downstream signal of poor cardiorespiratory fitness, inadequate recovery, illness, or autonomic dysregulation.
Guideline targets
What major guidelines recommend
Population norms (adults)
60–100 bpm is the conventional 'normal' range; trained adults often 40–60 bpm.
Cohort risk signal
>80 bpm consistently is associated with elevated CV and all-cause mortality independent of other risk factors.
How to measure
The test, where to get it, when to repeat
Method
Automatic on any modern wearable (Apple Watch, Oura, Whoop, Garmin, Fitbit). For manual measurement: pulse at the wrist or carotid for 60 seconds, on waking, before standing.
Where
Free with any fitness wearable; otherwise free at home.
Typical cost
Free.
Fasting
Not required
When to test
AHA 2016
Track as a daily/weekly metric; trends matter more than single readings.
How to track
Devices and apps that measure this
These consumer wearables and connected devices report this metric. Healicus is not connected to your device — your data lives in the maker's app and never reaches us.
Oura Ring
INTLFinger-worn ring tracking HRV, resting heart rate, and sleep stages with overnight nasal-temperature trend.
Visit Oura Ring
WHOOP
INTLSubscription wrist band focused on recovery, strain, and sleep — high-resolution HRV trending.
Visit WHOOP
Garmin
INTLSports-watch range with on-watch VO2-max estimate, HRV status, and lab-validated heart-rate tracking.
Visit Garmin
Polar
INTLHeart-rate-strap pioneer — H10 chest strap is the lab-validated reference for HRV beat-to-beat capture.
Visit Polar
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Context
Reading the numbers
Wide individual variation. Compare your own trend over months rather than absolute thresholds against others. Sudden rises (3–5 bpm above your rolling baseline) often precede illness by 24–48 hours.
Caveats
Beta-blockers and other rate-controlling medications suppress RHR independently of fitness. Hyperthyroidism, anaemia, dehydration, and acute illness all elevate RHR.
See also
Related markers
Take to your physician
Worth discussing
- If consistently high (>90 bpm) despite good fitness, whether further workup (thyroid, anaemia, cardiac) is warranted.
- How to interpret RHR trends in the context of training and recovery.
- If on rate-controlling medications, what the target should be.
Sources
Cited literature
Edited by Carl Pöhl, MD · Healicus editorial
Last reviewed May 2026
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