Resting heart rate is the number of times the heart beats when the body is completely at rest, and the best time to take this measurement is before you get out of bed in the morning. Even getting up to make a quick trip to the bathroom can slightly raise your heart rate levels and cause you to not really be "resting." Therefore, it may take a bit of planning to accurately calculate your resting heart rate. For example, having a small wrist watch or timer next to the bed so someone can check the rate in the morning is a good idea.
Generally, the easiest way to obtain a resting heart rate is to take a pulse measurement at the wrist, roughly midway over what is called the radial artery, or on each side of the neck at the carotid artery. The carotid artery may be easier to feel for a pulse, and the person must use the index and middle fingers just to feel the heartbeat of the artery. Don't use your thumb as it has its own weak pulse and can mess up the count.
For accurate heart rate, people count pulse beats for one minute, but most people will get a pretty good measure of resting heart rate by counting pulse for fifteen seconds and multiplying this number by four. Please note that the rate may have slight deviations each day, but should remain within certain levels.
The average resting heart rate for adult men is about 70 beats per minute (bpm). In women, the average is slightly higher than 75 bpm. The standard deviation suggests that in most adults, anything between 60-80 bpm is considered normal at rest, and some people who are athletes have an even lower rate at rest because their hearts beat more efficiently. If the rate falls outside this average, it may not be a cause for concern, but it's a good idea to mention it to a doctor. Babies and older children have much higher rates than adults. A newborn's heart can beat 120 times a minute, and older children can have rates that still exceed 100 bpm.
One of the main reasons people need to calculate resting heart rate is because it is part of the calculations that can determine target heart rate during cardiovascular or aerobic exercise. Of course, it's not always necessary to follow a formula, and if people haven't exercised regularly or have heart problems, they should first talk to their doctors about safe target rates. For the average person in good health, the target rate is about 50-85% of the maximum rate, and the maximum rate can be quickly determined by subtracting age from the number 220, so the resting rate may not be necessary.
In most cases, people don't really need to take a resting heart rate, although this can be done in doctors' offices. It is also part of the "vital" examinations in hospitals. However, if a person suspects a problem with the heart, calculating a few days of rest frequency, as it is best done before a person gets out of bed, will provide good information for a doctor. Some people with known heart or blood pressure conditions may also be asked by their doctors to monitor this rate from time to time.