You just woke up. Your fingers find that soft spot on your neck, or maybe your Apple Watch chirps at you from your wrist. The number is 64. You wonder: is resting heart rate of 64 good or should I be worried? Honestly, it’s a solid number.
Most people walk around with a heart thumping somewhere between 60 and 100 times every single minute. That’s the "normal" range defined by the American Heart Association. But "normal" is a wide net. It’s like saying a normal height for a human is between five and seven feet. It doesn't tell the whole story of the person standing right in front of you.
If you’re seeing 64, you’re basically in the sweet spot of cardiovascular efficiency. It’s low enough to show your heart isn't working overtime just to keep the lights on, but high enough that you aren't drifting into the "elite athlete or medical emergency" zone of the 40s and 50s.
What a 64 really says about your heart
A heart rate of 64 beats per minute (BPM) means your cardiac muscle is relatively strong. Think of your heart like a pump in a well. If the pump is old and rusty, it has to stroke 90 times a minute to get the water up to the house. If it’s a high-end, well-oiled machine, it might only need to stroke 60 times to move the same amount of liquid.
When people ask is resting heart rate of 64 good, they are usually looking for reassurance. You have it. But context matters more than the number itself.
Are you a 25-year-old marathon runner? Then 64 might actually be a little high for you. Are you a 55-year-old who just started walking three times a week? Then 64 is fantastic. It’s all about the baseline. Dr. Eric Topol, a renowned cardiologist, has often spoken about the "digitization of the human," where we obsess over these metrics. But the trend is what matters. If you were at 80 last year and you’re at 64 now, your heart is literally getting younger in terms of functional age.
The weird things that mess with your 64
Your heart rate is a liar. Well, sometimes.
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It reacts to everything. Did you have a craft IPA last night? Your RHR (resting heart rate) might jump by 5 or 10 beats because your body is working to process the toxins. Are you slightly dehydrated? Your blood volume drops, making the heart beat faster to maintain blood pressure.
- Stress: Even a stressful thought about a deadline can spike you.
- Temperature: If your bedroom is too hot, your heart works harder to cool you down.
- Digestion: A heavy meal redirects blood to your gut, nudging the rate up.
- Sleep quality: Poor REM cycles prevent the heart from reaching its true lowest point.
If you see 64 today but saw 72 yesterday, don't panic. That’s just life happening. It’s the weekly average that tells the truth about your health.
Why 64 beats the "Standard" 72
For decades, 72 BPM was considered the gold standard for a healthy adult. It's the "average." But average isn't always optimal. Recent studies, including data from the Copenhagen City Heart Study, suggest that as resting heart rate climbs above 70, the risk of long-term cardiovascular issues starts to creep up, even if you’re still within that "60 to 100" official range.
By sitting at 64, you are statistically in a lower risk bracket for things like heart failure or stroke compared to someone sitting at 85. You’re giving your heart more time to fill with blood between beats. This is called "diastole." It's the only time the heart muscle itself gets fed with oxygenated blood. Longer gaps mean a better-fed heart.
Is resting heart rate of 64 good for everyone?
Let's look at the outliers. Age changes the math. For a child, a heart rate of 64 would be unusually slow—their little hearts have to beat much faster, often 70 to 110 BPM. For an elderly person, 64 is usually a sign of great health, provided they aren't feeling dizzy or faint.
Then there’s medication. If you’re on beta-blockers for blood pressure, your 64 isn't "natural"—it’s chemically induced. That’s fine, but it means you can't use that number to judge your fitness level accurately.
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The "Athletic" Trap
There is this weird badge of honor in fitness circles about having the lowest heart rate possible. People brag about a 42 BPM RHR. While a low rate often signals a powerful stroke volume (the amount of blood ejected per beat), it can sometimes mask a condition called bradycardia.
If your heart rate is 64 and you feel energized, you’re golden. If someone’s heart rate is 45 but they feel like they’re walking through sludge all day, that’s not "fitness." That’s a problem. 64 is a very safe, very efficient "middle-class" heart rate that suggests you're fit without being at risk of the electrical issues that sometimes plague extreme endurance athletes.
How to accurately check your 64
Don't trust a single reading right after you've walked up the stairs. To know if is resting heart rate of 64 good for your specific body, you need a true resting measurement.
The best time is three minutes after you wake up, before you check your phone. Don't even get out of bed to pee yet. Just lie there. Breathe normally. If you’re using a wearable, check the "Sleeping HR" or "Resting HR" trend in the app. Wearables use algorithms to filter out the noise of your day, giving you a much cleaner data point than a manual pulse check at noon.
When 64 becomes a concern
Rarely is 64 the problem. The problem is when 64 is a sudden change.
If you have spent your whole life at 80 BPM and suddenly, without changing your diet or exercise, you drop to 64, you should probably mention that to a doctor. It could be an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism). On the flip side, if you are a pro athlete whose rate is usually 48 and it jumps to 64, you might be overtraining or coming down with the flu.
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Your heart is a canary in the coal mine. It feels the "vibes" of your internal biology before you do.
The Nuance of HRV
We can't talk about RHR without mentioning Heart Rate Variability (HRV). While RHR is the average beats per minute, HRV is the variation in time between those beats. If you have an RHR of 64, you want your HRV to be relatively high. It sounds counterintuitive, but a "steady" metronome-like heart is actually a stressed heart. You want a bit of chaos in the timing. It shows your nervous system is flexible and ready to respond to stress.
Actionable Steps for Heart Health
Since you’re already at a healthy 64, the goal isn't necessarily to drive it lower. The goal is stability and recovery.
- Watch the evening spikes. If your RHR of 64 jumps to 70 overnight, look at what you did three hours before bed. Usually, it's sugar, alcohol, or an intense workout too late in the evening.
- Focus on Zone 2. To maintain that 64, do some steady-state cardio where you can still hold a conversation. This strengthens the heart chamber, allowing it to hold more blood, which keeps that resting rate nice and low.
- Magnesium matters. Many people with slightly elevated or "jumpy" heart rates are actually just deficient in magnesium. It's the "relaxation" mineral for your muscles, including the big one in your chest.
- Breathwork. You can literally "hack" your heart rate in real-time. Try the 4-7-8 breathing technique. Inhale for 4, hold for 7, exhale for 8. You’ll watch your heart rate drop on your watch within about 90 seconds.
Bottom line? A resting heart rate of 64 is widely considered excellent. It’s the sign of a heart that isn't stressed, a body that is relatively fit, and a cardiovascular system that has plenty of "headroom" to handle the demands of daily life. Keep doing whatever you're doing, because it's clearly working.
Stay consistent with your tracking. Use your 64 as a baseline. If you see it start to drift upward over several weeks, take a look at your stress levels and sleep hygiene. But for now, take a deep breath—your heart is doing just fine.
Next Steps for You:
Monitor your heart rate for the next five mornings immediately upon waking. Write these numbers down. If your average stays between 62 and 66, you have confirmed your baseline. If you notice a spike of more than 10% on a specific day, look back at your hydration and sleep quality from the night before to identify your personal "heart rate triggers."