What is Resting Heart Rate?
Your heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats in 1 minute. Heart rates vary from person to person. It’s lower when you’re at rest and higher when you exercise. Resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of times your heart beats in 1 minute when you are at rest or relaxed, such as when you are sitting or lying down. According to the American Heart Association, a normal RHR is between 60 and 100 beats per minute (bmp) for adults.
How is Resting Heart Rate Measured?
RHR can be measured by doctors, researchers, and individuals. The Physical Activity and Alzheimer’s Disease (PAAD2) study collects RHR data during in-person assessments by placing electrode stickers on the research participant and using equipment to record the activity of the participant’s heartbeat. RHR can also be measured manually by an individual.
Steps to Check Your Own Resting Heart Rate
Sit down and rest for 5 minutes.
Turn your wrist so your palm is facing up.
Feel for a pulse at the thumb side of your wrist.
Once you feel it, count how many times you feel a beat in 30 seconds. Then double it.
If you have any concerns about your RHR, please see your doctor.
Is Resting Heart Rate Tied to Dementia?
Research has linked elevated RHR to cardiovascular diseases such as heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. These are also risk factors for dementia. Now, scientists have begun to explore the association between RHR and dementia. Two longitudinal studies, one in the United States and one in Sweden, utilized their data to investigate this association.
Study 1, Dr. Wang and Colleagues, The American Journal of Cardiology, 2019
The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study followed 13,720 adults, ages 44-66 when enrolled, for twenty years. RHR and cognitive scores were collected at baseline assessments from 1990-1992. Participants were healthy and showed no signs of cognitive decline. They completed cognitive assessments again around 1997 and 2012. Results showed that elevated RHR was associated with worsening cognition over time. Such that, participants with a RHR of 80 bpm or higher when they started the study were more likely to have a greater cognitive decline over 20 years and an increased risk of dementia compared with participants that had a lower RHR.
Study 2, Dr. Imahori and Colleagues, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, 2022
The Swedish National Study on Aging and Care in Kungsholmen (SNAC-K) followed 2,000 older adults from 2001 to 2016. Participants showed no signs of cognitive decline when they enrolled in the study and completed assessments of RHR and cognitive function every 3-6 years throughout the study. Results showed that elevated RHR was associated with dementia, such that older adults with a RHR of 80 bpm or higher had an increased risk of developing dementia compared with people whose RHR was 60-69 bpm.
It is important to note that the results from these studies show cognition is associated with RHR, not caused by RHR. This is where more research is needed. The results do confirm elevated RHR may be a sign of a health risk. Luckily, RHR is easy to measure and monitor, even from home. If you have any concerns about your RHR, please see your doctor. A reduction in RHR may be explored through diet, exercise, or medications.