Age & Heart Rate

A great deal of research has been conducted on the effects of aging on heart rate. In general, most people's hearts beat fewer times per minute as they age, both when exercising and when at rest.

Resting Rate

• A person's resting heart rate tends to decrease as she ages. A classic study from 1982 in the journal Circulation found that age was associated with decreased resting heart rate among a population that showed no signs of heart disease. This inverse relationship between age and heart rate was found irrespective of time of day.

Maximum Rate

• The same journal article from Circulation also looked at the maximum heart rate that can be achieved by healthy people of different ages. After participating in a similarly strenuous exercise routine, healthy older adults tended to have a lower maximum heart rate than healthy younger adults, the study found.

Target Rate

• When exercising, your target heart rate for effective exercise varies by age. As you age, your target heart decreases, ranging from a maximum of 200 beats per minute at age 20 to a maximum of 150 beats per minute by age 70. The American Heart Association offers information on target heart rates for different ages (see References).

Adults

• There is a significant amount of variability in resting heart rates for adults, depending on age, diet, exercise, health and genetics. In general, a normal resting heart rate for an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute, although athletes' hearts often beat at slower rates.

Children

• As children grow, their hearts begin beating more slowly. As with adults, there are several factors that affect resting heart rates in children. In general, however, the heart of the average child up to 10 years old should beat from 70 to 120 times per minute. Babies have faster heartbeats, averaging 100 to 160 beats per minute.