A resting heart rate reference you can use
The adult resting range is different from an exercise heart-rate zone. A table based on 220 minus age estimates maximum exercise heart rate; it should not be used to classify your resting pulse.
| Context | Reference | How to read it |
|---|---|---|
| Most adults at rest | 60–100 bpm | General reference, not an individual target. |
| Some trained athletes | Around 40 bpm can occur | Training and other context still matter. |
| A change from your usual level | No single universal cutoff | Compare repeated readings under similar conditions. |
Medication, stress and physical activity can affect resting heart rate. A lower value is not automatically better for every person. Discuss a persistent or unexplained change with a clinician, particularly if you feel unwell.
American Heart Association · Resting heart rate ↗Compare resting readings with resting readings
Apple Health separates resting heart rate from workout, walking and other heart-rate records. Select the resting-heart-rate metric before comparing dates; the lowest workout sample is not the same measurement.
A manual morning pulse and a wearable's daily resting estimate use different methods. Keep the source consistent. When a period has fewer recorded days, report that coverage beside the average.
Look for a repeatable change
Compare two complete periods rather than today's value with the most unusual day last month. Read the daily values as well as the average: a few unusual days can move a small sample.
Use sleep and workout history as context, not proof of a cause. A timeline can show that two things happened together; it cannot tell you that training, illness or medication caused the change. Symptoms need clinical attention, not a more reassuring chart.
A comparison you can check
Two complete weeks. The same metric. Count the recorded days before interpreting the average.
| Period | Mean | Days recorded | Missing days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 61 | 6/7 | 1 |
| Week 2 | 59 | 6/7 | 1 |
In this fictional example, the average falls from 61 to 59 bpm with six recorded days in each week. That is a difference of 2 bpm, not proof of improved fitness. Each blank day stays out of the calculation.
Now ask about your own history
Connect telo to your assistant, then copy this question. Ask it to show the records behind the answer so you can check the dates, units and gaps.
Use telo to compare my resting heart rate in the last two complete 14-day periods. Show each period's dates, average in bpm, days with data and missing days. List the daily values and any unusually different days. Keep resting heart rate separate from workout heart rate. Describe changes without diagnosing or assigning a cause.Free covers the last 7 days. Comparisons with older history need Pro and the available records synced from your iPhone.
With your permission, telo syncs Apple Health records to its service. Records requested in a conversation are also processed by your chosen AI service.
Common questions
Is resting heart rate the same as sleeping heart rate?
They refer to different recording contexts. Use the same metric and source for both comparison periods rather than treating a sleep minimum as a resting daily estimate.
Should I use a different normal range for every age?
The AHA gives a broad adult resting range. Age-specific exercise targets answer another question. This page does not invent a separate resting cutoff for every decade.
Can a normal number rule out a problem?
No. A value inside a reference range cannot explain symptoms or exclude illness. Get urgent medical help for symptoms such as chest pain, fainting or severe shortness of breath.
Sources and method
Prepared by the telo team with AI assistance using the sources linked here. The reference tables describe their cited populations and methods. Examples are synthetic and their averages are computed from the downloadable records. This is educational material, not an individual assessment or a clinical review.