When people talk about normal pulse rates, it's usually in reference to resting heart rate. Resting heart rate is the number of beats the heart takes per minute while in a state of rest, the American Heart Association says. This rate indicates a person's health and fitness. A lower number tends to signify that someone is in better health and fitness than a person with a higher pulse rate. For an adult of any age, there's a range that most people fall within that's considered normal.
Pulse Rate
Though pulse rates in adults vary from person to person, the National Institutes of Health sets the normal resting range at 60 to 100 beats per minute. People older than 10 generally have a resting heart rate between these two numbers. But not all institutions agree with this range. According to the American Heart Association, an adult should have a heart rate of 60 to 80 beats per minute when at rest.
Fitness
It's also possible for an adult's pulse rate to be much lower than either of these normal ranges, the Mayo Clinic says. Though heart rates below 60 may be an indication of an underlying health condition, adults who are quite physically fit can have a resting heart rate between 40 and 60 beats per minute. The National Emergency Medicine Association says many athletes tend to have pulse rates within this range. As people train athletically, their hearts can begin to work more efficiently, needing to beat less to transport blood throughout the body.
Factors
Besides fitness level, a number of other factors can affect a person's pulse rate--body sizes, body positions, emotions, medications and activities. Even air temperature can affect pulse rate, according to the Mayo Clinic. Body size has a lot to do with a person's weight. Excess weight typically increases the size of the body, which multiplies the distance blood must travel to reach the organs, muscles and tissue. This translates into more work for the heart, escalating pulse rate. Emotional states such as stress, anxiety or fear increase heart rates due to a rush of hormones in preparation of "fight or flight."
Identification
The American Heart Association recommends checking pulse rates upon waking in the morning. Before getting out of bed, locate an artery in the neck, wrist or groin with the middle and index fingers. For 30 seconds, count the number of beats felt, and then double this number to determine resting heart rate. Regular measurements of pulse rates can help clarify what's considered normal for an individual.
Warning
The National Institutes of Health says consistently high or low pulse rates can be a warning sign that something is wrong with a person's health. If a person isn't physically fit, a pulse rate below 60--known as bradycardia--may indicate conditions such as hypertension, heart infections, heart disease or hypothyroidism, the Mayo Clinic says. Heart rates of over 100, which are considered tachycardia, can indicate cardiovascular issues such as arrhythmias, high blood pressure and heart failure. It may also be an indication of too much caffeine, too much alcohol or a consequence of smoking.
