General ranges below apply to most adults. Athletes, certain medications, and health conditions can shift what’s normal for you, so interpret your numbers with your doctor.
Rate vs. rhythm
Heart rate is how fast your heart beats, measured in beats per minute (bpm). Heart rhythm is the pattern of those beats — steady and regular, or irregular. A fitness tracker or pulse reading captures rate; an EKG captures rhythm, which is what reveals irregularities like atrial fibrillation.What’s a normal resting heart rate?
For most adults, a normal resting heart rate is about 60–100 bpm. Well-conditioned athletes often sit lower — sometimes 40–60 bpm — because their hearts are efficient. Your rate is naturally lower at rest and during sleep, and higher with activity, stress, caffeine, fever, or dehydration.When is heart rate too high or too low?
A persistently high resting rate (tachycardia, above 100 bpm) or low rate (bradycardia, below 60 bpm without being an athlete) can be normal in some situations but is worth discussing with your doctor — especially if it comes with dizziness, fatigue, breathlessness, or fainting.What a normal rhythm looks like
A normal rhythm is regular, with even spacing between beats. Occasional extra or skipped beats are common and usually harmless. A sustained irregular rhythm, frequent irregular beats, or an irregular-pulse flag on a blood pressure monitor or EKG deserves evaluation.Tracking at home
Many blood pressure monitors display your pulse, and a personal EKG like the SonoHealth EKGraph records the rhythm pattern itself. Logging your numbers over time — and capturing any unusual episodes — gives your doctor the context to tell normal variation from something that needs attention.Related: Home EKG Monitoring · Atrial Fibrillation Explained · Heart Palpitations · Blood Pressure Monitoring