You probably know your weight and maybe your blood pressure. And thanks to smartwatches, you may even check your daily step count. Yet one powerful health signal is often overlooked: your resting heart rate.
And it matters more than most people realize. Your resting heart rate isn’t just another number. It’s a real-time snapshot of how hard your heart and body are working, often before you feel that something is off.
During American Heart Month, it’s a timely reminder that some of the most meaningful heart health signals are also the easiest to miss.
Your resting heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute when you’re completely at rest, typically first thing in the morning or during periods of inactivity.
For most adults, a “normal” range falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute. That wide range is exactly why it matters.
“A resting heart rate gives us insight into how efficiently the heart is functioning and how the body is handling everyday demands,” said BayCare Medical Group Cardiovascular Surgeon Joshua Rovin, MD, FACS, and medical director of The Center for Advanced Valve and Structural Heart Care at Morton Plant Hospital. “It’s often one of the earliest clues that something has shifted before symptoms show up.”
What matters most isn’t whether your number is “perfect,” but whether it’s changing.
Most people don’t need to chase a specific resting heart rate. Instead, they need to understand what’s normal for them and pay attention to when it shifts.
A higher-than-usual resting heart rate can be an early sign that your body is working harder than it should—whether from ongoing stress, poor recovery or underlying strain. Over time, your heart may be beat faster at rest, even without changes to your routine.
In contrast, a lower resting heart rate, especially in physically active people, often reflects better cardiovascular efficiency, stronger heart function and improved recovery. More important than any single reading are the trends over time. While one elevated number isn’t cause for alarm, consistent changes over time are worth paying attention to.
One reason resting heart rate is so helpful is because it often shifts before you feel unwell. It may rise when stress becomes chronic, sleep quality drops even if you’re still getting enough hours, your body is fighting an illness, dehydration sets in or burnout begins.
“Many people don’t feel sick yet—they just feel more tired, foggy or irritable,” explained Dr. Rovin. “The heart often notices first.”
Chronic stress activates your body’s “fight or flight” response. When that system stays switched on for too long, your heart rate can remain elevated even at rest.
That’s why recovery is not optional for heart health. A consistently higher resting heart rate can be a sign your body isn’t fully resetting overnight, isn’t getting enough recovery between busy days or is operating in a near-constant state of alert.
“Rest, sleep, hydration and stress management play a direct role in heart health,” said Dr. Rovin. “They’re just as important as exercise.”
Smartwatches and fitness trackers have made resting heart rate easier to track than ever, but numbers don’t always tell the full story.
What matters most is your personal baseline and how your numbers change over time, especially if you notice sudden or sustained increases. A gradual upward trend can be more meaningful than a single unusually high reading. While your watch can collect the data, a provider can help you understand the story behind it.
A higher resting heart rate may be worth discussing with your provider if:
“You don’t have to feel seriously ill for it to matter,” noted Dr. Rovin. “Early conversations can help prevent bigger issues later.”
Your resting heart rate is one of the simplest and most accessible signals of heart health. It reflects how your heart, stress levels, sleep and recovery are working together.
This February, take note of what your resting heart rate is telling you. Start a conversation with your doctor about your numbers and what they may mean for your long-term heart health.
You can also learn more about BayCare’s comprehensive heart and vascular care, through the BayCare Heart and Vascular Institute, where a dedicated team of specialists provides the support you need to protect your heart — today and for years to come.
