You’re sitting on the couch. Maybe you’re scrolling through TikTok or just staring at the wall after a long day. You glance down at your Apple Watch or Fitbit and see a number that feels... off. It's high. Or maybe it’s weirdly low. Suddenly, you're spiraling. Is this a bad resting heart rate? Am I about to have a heart attack? Why is my heart thumping like I just ran a marathon when I’m literally eating a taco?
It’s stressful.
Honestly, the "normal" range we’re all taught—60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm)—is a massive oversimplification. It’s the medical equivalent of saying a "normal" shoe size is between 6 and 12. Sure, most people fit in there, but it doesn't tell the whole story. If you’re a 110-pound distance runner with a resting heart rate of 85, that might be "normal" by the textbook but "bad" for your specific physiology.
Let’s get into the weeds of what’s actually happening under your ribs.
Is your "normal" actually a bad resting heart rate?
Most doctors still use the 60-100 bpm gold standard. It was established decades ago. But modern research, including a massive study published in The Lancet, suggests that consistently sitting at the higher end of that range—specifically above 80 bpm—is linked to a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular issues down the road.
If you’re at 95 bpm while watching Netflix, you aren't "fine" just because you haven't hit 101 yet.
That’s a bad resting heart rate in the context of long-term longevity. Your heart is a pump. Like any mechanical pump, the more cycles it runs, the faster it wears out. Dr. Valentin Fuster, a renowned cardiologist at Mount Sinai, has often discussed how a lower resting heart rate is generally an indicator of a more efficient heart muscle. If your heart has to beat 90 times a minute just to keep you alive while you're sitting still, it's working way too hard.
Think about it this way.
A heart beating at 60 bpm strikes 86,400 times a day.
A heart at 90 bpm strikes 129,600 times.
That’s over 43,000 extra beats every single day.
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Tachycardia and the "hidden" triggers
When your resting heart rate stays above 100 bpm, it's clinically called tachycardia. Sometimes the cause is obvious, like you just chugged a triple-shot espresso. Other times, it's stealthy. Dehydration is a huge one. When you're low on fluids, your blood volume drops. To keep your blood pressure stable, your heart has to spin the wheels faster.
Then there’s the "anxiety loop." You check your watch, see a high number, get anxious, and your heart rate climbs even higher. It’s a vicious cycle.
When low is actually slow (Bradycardia)
On the flip side, we have the "low" numbers. Usually, anything under 60 bpm is labeled bradycardia. For an Olympic swimmer or a cyclist, 40 bpm is a badge of honor. It means their stroke volume—the amount of blood pushed out per beat—is massive.
But for the average person? A very low heart rate can be just as much of a bad resting heart rate as a high one.
If your pulse is 48 and you feel dizzy, fatigued, or like you’re about to faint every time you stand up, your heart isn't "athletic." It’s struggling. This can be caused by electrical issues in the heart’s natural pacemaker (the SA node) or even thyroid problems. Hypothyroidism—an underactive thyroid—slows everything down, including your pulse.
Don't ignore the context.
Feeling great at 50 bpm? Awesome.
Feeling like a zombie at 50 bpm? That’s a problem.
The things that mess with your numbers (and your head)
We have to talk about the "noise" in the data. Your wearable tech is great, but it isn't a medical-grade EKG. It uses photoplethysmography (PPG)—basically flashing green lights to see how much blood is flowing through your wrist. It’s sensitive to how tight your watch strap is, your skin tone, and even the temperature outside.
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Beyond tech glitches, life just happens.
- Poor Sleep: If you got four hours of crappy sleep, your sympathetic nervous system is on high alert. Your heart rate will be elevated all day.
- Alcohol: This is the big one. Even one glass of wine can spike your resting heart rate by 5-10 bpm for the entire night. It’s essentially a toxin that the body is working hard to process.
- Illness: Your heart rate often jumps 24-48 hours before you even feel symptoms of a cold or flu. It’s an early warning system.
- Stress: Chronic "micro-stress"—the kind from emails and traffic—keeps your cortisol high, which keeps your pulse high.
Why doctors are looking at "Trends" over "Snapshots"
One single reading of a bad resting heart rate doesn't mean much. If I’m stressed about a deadline and my heart is at 88 bpm, that’s just life. What matters is the trend.
If your baseline has always been 62 and suddenly, over the last three weeks, you’re averaging 75, that’s the signal. Something has changed. Maybe your fitness has dipped. Maybe you’re developing an iron deficiency (anemia). When you don't have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen, your heart has to compensate by pumping faster.
This is why doctors like Dr. Eric Topol, a digital medicine expert, advocate for continuous monitoring. It’s about the "delta"—the change from your personal norm.
How to actually fix a bad resting heart rate
You aren't stuck with the number you have today. The heart is a muscle. You can train it.
Zone 2 Cardio is the secret sauce. Most people workout too hard or not at all. Zone 2 is that "boring" pace where you can still hold a conversation but you're definitely moving. Think a brisk walk or a light jog. Doing this for 150 minutes a week strengthens the left ventricle of your heart. It allows the heart to hold more blood and pump it out more forcefully.
Result? Your heart can beat fewer times to do the same amount of work.
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Magnesium and Potassium.
Your heart runs on electrolytes. If you’re pounding coffee (a diuretic) and not eating enough greens or bananas, your heart's electrical system can get "twitchy." This often manifests as palpitations or a slightly elevated resting rate.
The Breathwork "Hack."
If you want to see your heart rate drop in real-time, try the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7, exhale for 8. This stimulates the vagus nerve, which acts as a brake for your heart. It’s the fastest way to move from "fight or flight" back to "rest and digest."
Moving forward with your data
If you’re genuinely worried that you have a bad resting heart rate, stop Googling symptoms and start tracking variables. Keep a log for one week. Note your caffeine intake, sleep quality, and stress levels alongside your morning pulse.
Bring that data to a professional.
A doctor is going to care way more about a week-long trend than a single panicked reading you took after a scary movie. If you’re experiencing chest pain, shortness of breath, or fainting, skip the tracking and go to the ER. But for most of us, a "bad" number is just a nudge from our body to drink more water, sleep more, and maybe go for a long walk.
Practical Steps for Today
- Verify the tech: Take your pulse manually at your neck or wrist for 60 seconds to make sure your watch isn't hallucinating.
- Hydrate immediately: Drink 16 ounces of water and check your pulse again in an hour. You'd be surprised how often "tachycardia" is just "thirst."
- Audit your substances: Cut out alcohol and limit caffeine to before noon for three days. Watch what happens to your morning resting heart rate.
- Prioritize the "Long Slow" workout: Swap one high-intensity interval session for 45 minutes of steady-state, nose-breathing exercise.
- Check your Ferritin: If you're consistently high-pulsed and tired, ask your doctor for a full iron panel, not just a standard CBC.
Your heart is incredibly resilient, but it’s also the ultimate "check engine" light. Listen to the rhythm, but don't let the numbers rob you of your peace. Consistency is the only metric that truly matters in the long run.